When you stop breastfeeding, your body undergoes hormonal shifts as prolactin and oxytocin decrease, often causing mood swings, sadness, fatigue, or irritability, while estrogen and progesterone rise, potentially bringing back your menstrual cycle. Physically, you may experience breast discomfort, engorgement, or even leakage as milk production stops, and your breasts gradually return to their pre-pregnancy size, though this can take time and feel different. These changes, both emotional and physical, are normal but can be managed with gradual weaning and self-care, with some mothers experiencing intense feelings that may need support.
Once you stop breastfeeding you may find that your breasts look and feel very empty. The size of the breasts will likely return to your pre-pregnancy size but may look quite different. The fatty part of your breast will come back over time to make the breasts look fuller and plumper again.
Hormonal Changes
It can be really common to feel down or weepy – or even depressed – after weaning. And for some, the feelings are strong and may mean there is a sense of anxiety, insomnia, anger, swings between high and low moods.
However, excess fat and loose skin may still remain. During this period, natural weight loss continues, especially if you're breastfeeding, which can burn up to 500 extra calories per day. Many women find their belly begins to flatten with a combination of breastfeeding, gentle exercise, and a balanced diet.
Prolactin and oxytocin, which are markedly increased during breastfeeding drop after weaning. Other hormones like estrogen, progesterone and FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) increase.
Some mothers lose weight when they stop breastfeeding while others gain weight, but both are normal and healthy. Another factor is your hormones. When you stop breastfeeding, your body stops producing the hormone “prolactin” which promotes milk production.
The "4-4-4 rule" for breast milk is a simple storage guideline: fresh milk is good for 4 hours at room temperature (up to 77°F/25°C), for 4 days in the refrigerator (39°F/4°C or colder), and up to 4-6 months (or longer) in a standard freezer (0°F/-18°C). It's a handy mnemonic, though some organizations like the CDC recommend up to 6 months in the freezer and the AAP up to 9 months, with deeper freezers offering even longer storage.
Rule #2: The Breast Milk Storage Guidelines.
The 4-4-4 Rule. Or the 6-6-6 rule. Basically, breast milk is good at room temperature for 4 or 6 hours, in the refrigerator for 4 or 6 days, and in the freezer for 4 or 6 or 12 months. Different professional organizations have varying recommendations.
Exclusive breastfeeding led to a small increase in postpartum weight loss. Non-exclusive breastfeeding did not significantly affect postpartum weight loss.
So, does “mom pooch” go away? Yes — at least, most of the time. Although postpartum belly is stubborn, the good news is that eventually, much of it will disappear on its own. Just as you experience hormonal changes during pregnancy, your hormones shift after you've given birth.
Remember that post-weaning comes with a rise in estrogen. This rise in estrogen can cause a lot of mood changes which may affect libido. You also have to factor in the late nights, fatigue, stress, and attending to your child that could get in the way of you “feeling in the mood”.
How much to offer your baby
The World Health Organization recommends that all babies be exclusively breastfed for 6 months, then gradually introduced to appropriate foods after 6 months while continuing to breastfeed for 2 years or beyond.
What's more, when you wean, your body stops producing the feel-good hormones of oxytocin and prolactin. For some parents — especially if those who wean abruptly — this can increase feelings of moodiness, irritability, and sadness. For others, it can lead to something anecdotally known as post-weaning depression.
In cultures where there is no social pressure to wean, children usually stop breastfeeding or receiving their mother's milk between 2½ and 7 years old. In families that let it happen on its own, weaning happens very gradually, often without any fuss, process, or effort.
While firm and perkier breasts make a woman feel good about her body, saggy breasts can sometimes negatively affect their confidence. You can reshape your breasts after breastfeeding but with proper care and a few changes in your lifestyle you can get your perky breasts back.
The 3-3-3 rule for weight loss is a simple, habit-based method focusing on three key areas: 3 balanced meals a day, 3 bottles (or ~1.5L) of water by 3 PM, and 3 hours of physical activity per week, aiming for consistency over complex diets. It simplifies fat loss by establishing rhythm through consistent eating, adequate hydration to support metabolism, and regular movement, promoting sustainable health without intense calorie counting or restrictive rules, says Five Diamond Fitness and Wellness, Joon Medical Wellness & Aesthetics, and EatingWell.
Generally, by 6 months postpartum, hormone levels—especially estrogen and progesterone—have normalized in many mothers, especially if breastfeeding has decreased or stopped.
Frequently cited problems with breastfeeding include sore nipples, engorged breasts, mastitis, leaking milk, pain, and failure to latch on by the infant. Women who encounter these problems early on are less likely to continue to breastfeed unless they get professional assistance.
The 'golden hour' is a term used to describe the first hour after birth. This is a crucial time when mother and baby share their first intimate moments, initiating a bond that is not only emotional but also has significant health benefits. It is during this hour that the first breastfeeding usually occurs.
As a general rule, exclusive pumpers need 120 minutes per day of quality breast stimulation with a hospital strength pump to maintain milk supply.
But people should be informed that nursing a 6-7+year-old is a perfectly normal and natural and healthy thing to be doing for the child, and that their fears of emotional harm are baseless."
At around 6 weeks, many moms introduce the pump and follow the Magic 8 method — pumping 8 times in 24 hours to help build and maintain milk supply.
As long as the temperature of the freezer is 0°F or below, the type of freezer does not matter. The temperature of kitchen freezers is typically 0° F. Deep freezers and chest freezers may be colder than 0°F. Breast milk can be stored at 0° F or colder for up to 12 months, although using it within 6 months is best.