Breastfeeding is emotional due to powerful hormones like oxytocin creating bonding, alongside potential negative experiences like D-MER (Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex) causing sudden sadness, plus the immense pressure, isolation, and physical challenges that lead to feelings of joy, inadequacy, and overwhelming love, creating a complex emotional rollercoaster.
When weaning you lose the giant Oxytocin boost (feel good, lovey bonding hormone) which is created by breastfeeding, and your dopamine (normal feel-good reward hormone) hasn't had time to kick-in as a replacement yet, so yeah, feeling super sad and emotional is part of it.
Oxytocin suppresses dopamine, which means your dopamine levels decrease. For reasons researchers don't completely understand, some people's dopamine levels drop very quickly and cause a sudden feeling of unhappiness and other negative emotions. This is D-MER.
breastfeeding causes a release of oxytocin, the ``love hormone'', so yes, it can make you feel bonded and affectionate. It can feel like release and relief if the breasts have become overfull between nursings. It can be annoying if baby just wants to doze and flutter-suckle without actual nutritive suckling.
Common breastfeeding challenges include:
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.
The Learning Curve: Breastfeeding is a skill that takes time and practice to master – for both you and your baby. You might encounter initial difficulties with latching, positioning, or milk supply. These challenges can be frustrating and lead to feelings of inadequacy or even guilt.
So… the rule of three refers to time - ie 3 hours, 3 days or 3 months. 3 hours: If you pump and plan to use your breastmilk straight away, you can leave it out at room temperature for 3 hours.
👑Royal mothers didn't usually breastfeed their children. Breastfeeding was generally viewed with distaste, but on a practical level, it acted as a form of contraception ; for a queen, whose job it was to provide more heirs, breastfeeding simply wasn't a practical option if she wished to conceive again quickly.
The hardest months of breastfeeding are generally the first few weeks/months (newborn stage) due to latch issues, constant feeding, and sleep deprivation, and a challenging period around 3-6 months when babies become more distractible and fussy due to developmental leaps (growth spurts, wonder weeks). The first month is a steep learning curve as you establish supply, while the 3-6 month "crisis" involves big developmental changes that can make nursing seem difficult again, often linked to growth spurts and increased awareness, but these phases usually pass as you both learn and adapt.
One cause of infant fussiness during breastfeeding is abnormal breast milk flow, either too rapid or too slow. If the flow is too rapid, the baby may struggle to swallow the milk, leading to discomfort from choking and subsequent crying. In such cases, babies may also bite the mother's breast.
A study conducted by researchers from Cambridge, London and Paris found that formula fed babies seemed to smile more and cry less than breast fed and combination fed babies. The study also showed that formula fed babies settled to sleep more easily.
Breastfeeding and mother–infant attachment
Breastfeeding is also thought to facilitate maternal sensitivity and secure attachment between mother and child [65–67].
Breastfeeding yields a tranquilizing influence that benefits both the mother and the child, leading to stress reduction through a range of mechanisms. In the mother's case, breastfeeding initiates the release of oxytocin, a hormone that counteracts the impact of stress hormones such as cortisol.
Our findings indicate that the major reasons why mothers stop breastfeeding before they desire include concerns about maternal or child health (infant nutrition, maternal illness or the need for medicine, and infant illness) and processes associated with breastfeeding (lactation and milk-pumping problems).
Coping with the emotional challenges of breastfeeding
Women in China frequently experience body shaming when breastfeeding in public. Many mothers share worries about embarrassing themselves and others on social media. Some women interpret body autonomy as the freedom to give up breastfeeding if they feel unable to physically or mentally sustain it.
Black infants are breastfed for substantially shorter periods compared with white infants, and Hispanic infants are breastfed for significantly longer periods.
Prince Harry also added that Meghan was still breastfeeding Archie at the time, too. Meghan described the pressure of feeding her son while working. “Between every official engagement I was running back to make sure our son was fed,” she said. But she added, “a year later I would say yes, I am doing well.”
The Golden Hour: What Really Happens in the First 60 Minutes After Birth The hour right after b! rth is often called the Golden Hour and for good reason. This special window of time is packed with powerful benefits for both mom and baby.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend continued breastfeeding along with introducing appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years or longer.
Coco Austin defended her choice to breastfeed her and husband Ice-T's daughter Chanel, now 9, until she was 6 years old, saying it was an opportunity to bond.
D-MER is a rare condition which some breastfeeding women experience. Women with D-MER feel negative emotions seconds before and during their let-down reflex. It typically happens when they are breastfeeding or expressing and can also happen if their breasts let down at times when they aren't breastfeeding.
Breastfed babies cry more, laugh less, and generally have "more challenging temperaments" than formula-fed infants, a study has found. But such behaviour is normal, and mothers should learn to cope with it rather than reach for the bottle, according to researchers.