Does this happen to anyone else?

[sharianni32]

I breastfed my first dd for 15 months and never had this happen, so I'm not sure if this is common or not.

With my 2nd dd, every time I start breastfeeding her I get an incredibly anxious feeling for about the first 3-4 minutes of the nursing session. Then it just goes away. I just feel knots in my stomach and very anxious.


Anyone else experience this?

[StaceyTX]

I actually have that happen to me sometimes at the end of a session, especially with older babies/toddlers. As they get older their sucking patterns change and I get a "got to get up and do something" feeling.

[KKB]

I haven't experienced that but I have a good friend who had that happen - she felt very anxious the whole time she was nursing, and then it would go away once she stopped. She actually stopped BF early because of it.

Sorry I don't have any advice - her doctor told her while many women get a sort of "high" from BF due to the release of hormones, for others those hormones can trigger anxiety.

Hope it improves!

[LadyinWaiting]

The last 2 days I have experienced this but I thought it was just sleep deprivation and wanting to get back to bed.

[LouHoo]

I never experienced anxiety but I did experience a queasy feeling during the first minute or two of each nursing session, and I've heard of other women experience that. Maybe it's a hormonal surge or something.

[cro]

Any chance you might have Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex? A woman on another board I'm on is doing research on this right now.

[RCJ]

Hi,

Hope you don't mind my barge. I'm just visiting and saw this. I also had this feeling with my 3rd baby but not the other two. I kept telling my husband, I thought nursing was supposed to be relaxing. Instead, I would have a very uneasy feeling during the first part of the nursing session. I'm not sure when I started having the axiousness when nursing, but he did have feeding issues for the first 3 months until I FINALLY figured out he prob. had silent reflux. But even after that got better, I still had the anxiousness. I don't have any advice for you, but I wanted you to know you aren't alone and it does get better.


Michelle

[A_A_AMom]

Like Stacey, I will occasionally get this toward the end of a nursing session. I have found myself almost feeling like I need to shoo her off like you would a fly or something. Of course reason wins out and in a minute I feel better. Don't know what is causing your anxious feelings, but I am sorry it is making things unpleasant for you. I hope it subsides.

ETA: I just read the link cro posted. It sure sounds similar.

[StaceyTX]

Originally Posted by A_A_AMom

Like Stacey, I will occasionally get this toward the end of a nursing session. I have found myself almost feeling like I need to shoo her off like you would a fly or something. Of course reason wins out and in a minute I feel better. Don't know what is causing your anxious feelings, but I am sorry it is making things unpleasant for you. I hope it subsides.

ETA: I just read the link cro posted. It sure sounds similar.

I've actually stopped a nursing session before because of it. It was when Kaden (my middle child) was much older though and he wasn't nursing soley for nutrition. I would just get this uneasy twitchy type feeling and couldn't sit still one more minute. It would help to get up and nurse while standing/walking.

[sharianni32]

Thanks for everyone's responses. It's interesting that it seems more common than I thought. It isn't bothering me so much that I want to quit nursing, but I did have the thought that it might be some form of PPD. It's nice to see that it isn't. I do think it might be DMER. I just love this board...so many intelligent ladies!