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quitting bf to help ppd?

melpoteetmelpoteet
in Postpartum Depression
I have decided to quit bf for many reasons among them hoping it helps my ppd.  I just started celexa and ambien.  I am slowly weaning off and he is getting some bottles with formula/bm.  Should I quit cold turkey?  How long after quitting bf should hormones regular and hopefully help ppd?
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Re: quitting bf to help ppd?

  • UseonfireUseonfire

    I take 20mg Celexa (and did after my DS was born as well).  I also take some stuff at night for sleeping (Trazodone and Ativan). 

    Last time, I had severe PPD (like bordering on Psychosis) and was taking so many meds, had profound levels of insomnia... I was pumping around the clock (as my DS was tongue tied and couldn't latch).  I quit pumping around the time he was 10 weeks old, and that was also around the 6 week mark with my meds, and everything was completely fine for me a week later.

    This time around, I don't think I'm affected by BFing, but I definitely had some "up and down" hormone/mood shifts, mostly related to my inability to sleep normally (still having some of those issues). I'm BFing during the day, but I take my meds at night to sleep and I don't feed my DD until 8-10hrs later (she gets a pumped bottle if she wakes up in that time frame).  

    I would never recommend quitting cold turkey because you could get mastitis, but if you can, wean slowly.  

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  • fraseyfrasey member

    I quit BFing to help with PPD, and it definitely helped. We slowly switched completely to formula over about a week, and I felt fine physically. I just went a bit longer each time between BFings until it had been over a day between them, and that was pretty much it.

    We considered pumping, but after thinking about it carefully we decided against it because it would just be more of the same, I felt. Im definitely happy with the decision I made. I love FFing!

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  • cottonlily84cottonlily84 member
    I don't have any personal experience with this but in reading about PPD and BF (since I still BF) I've seen that you shouldn't quit BFing cold turkey because that sudden change could make your PPD symptoms worse.  Makes sense, since you do release some "feel good" hormones while you're nursing.  Now, if BFing irritates you or makes you significantly more tired I can also see quitting to help with the PPD.  For physical reasons, like engorgement, I would just try to wean quickly rather than stop immediately. 
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