Should I Nurse or Stop Alltogether?

All of this tonight and last night you asked about having more babies? I hope you are getting the help you need but please if the children do go live with someone else take precaution and don't get pregnant.

P.S. In order for me to give my kids to someone else, my situation would have to be extremely dire.That is why I said the last thing you need right now is another baby.

Nursing actually HELPS mitigate PPD along with antidepressant therapy. I really do not know why women - who do not know anything about breastfeeding or mental illness - would spout off the wall unfounded opinions about breastfeeding possibly being the undermining issue. That is absolutely ridiculous.

Breastfeeding releases many lovey, feel good, comforting hormones in the Mother as well as in the baby - which makes them both feel 'in love' with each other. This also helps them sleep (both Mommy and baby) when they nurse. Many women who allow idiots to dictate that they are failing at breastfeeding, should just quit, etc MAY add to the depression - - but NEVER the actual act of breastfeeding.

Most anti-depressants are breastfeeding friendly - and I would definitely advise you to continue nursing and to talk to your Drs about looking for breastfeeding friendly medications. "Mother's Milk and Medications" by Dr Hale is a great reference to mention to your Drs, if they do not already have this book. I have this book and if you want to pm about certain medications, I will promptly return your email with the answers to the safety level of whatever drugs you ask about.

Pamela, LPN and aspiring Certified Nurse-Midwife/ARNP

I think you should stop nursing altogether and get much needed depression meds!

I'm happy you finally decided to make some steps towards a mentally healthier you for the sake of your kids.

It sounds like you and your family are in crisis mode and you need to start back on the road to recovery by working on yourself. Stop nursing. Adding the pumping on top of what seems to be a full plate is just another layer of stress that will keep you from healing your family. And just to add, nursing/pumping NEVER made me feel happy or all lovey-dovey! It isn't the same for everyone.

Don't beat yourself up over this decision. Right now YOU need to be the PRIORITY. Do what you can to focus on getting healthy and simplifying things so that you can work on bringing your family back together.

Best wishes to you :)

Ask your doctor what she recommends. Discuss pros and cons, and any issues with medications you might be taking.

Please stop breastfeeding and take the medication! I'm glad your existing children are getting some help. Please continue to see your counselor and follow their medication recommendations, and please, PLEASE for the sake of your sanity, your existing children and any future children you may have, USE BIRTH CONTROL! Getting an IUD you don't have to worry about would be a great start.

I know there a lot of history...but my suggestion might be to quit nursing mostly because I know the hormones involved with it mess with my mind. It might be easier to figure out a treatment plan if your hormones were allowed to stabilize. Or perhaps ask your counselor if s/he thinks this might apply.

Breatfeeding is not contributing to your PPD or any underlying mental illness. What might be contributing is lack of sleep and stress. Some moms do get stressed out by breastfeeding, and depending on how your child nurses, it can cause more sleep deprivation (my son was a very extreme case, but he was an "inefficient" nurser--he'd nurse 90 minutes just for him to be able to sleep for 2 hours.... a part of it had to do w/ low milk supply due to serious blood loss from a c-section, but a lot of it was just him). However, I shudder to think what an utter basketcase I would've been had I not nursed--nursing releasing hormones that help the mom bond w/ baby and to feel better (seriously, this is scientifically proven, in multiple studies).

However, if you think that the sleep deprivation or the worries are complicating this situation, by all means explore not nursing. (My one cousin just worried, worried, worried that her baby was getting enough milk, and didn't believe it until she switched to formula and could see, quantifiably (sp) how much milk the baby was drinking.... it was making her crazy, not to know, even though the baby was growing fine).

I think, though, that you should be fine with continuing to nurse, especially if you'll be able to have the baby back home with you in a week. Just keep pumping, and nurse him every chance you get.

The first rule, though, is: Are you okay/happy. If you are, it doesn't matter whether you're nursing or giving formula... If you're happy, then the baby and rest of the family are better off.

Weaning now could make the PPD worse, that's what happened with my oldest. Did they prescribe you anything to help with all this? I take Zoloft and I breastfeed, and I haven't had any problems with my baby, they only get a very tiny amount, and if it helps you at all it's worth it. Good luck, it's great that you're getting help, your kids will thank you when they are old enough to understand.

Anytime you mention nursing you are going to get extreme answers all over the board. I understand that you wanted to nurse until your son was one. However, you are going to go on medication and it doesn't sound like he's going to be with you constantly for awhile. I personally think it's best to wean him off so that you can focus on getting back on track. A happy healthy Mom is a happy healthy kid. Despite what some think and may say, you can be a good Mom and take care of your child's nutrition in other ways. It's just not always possible for all of us.

I wish you luck and health.

If you do stop, I would not stop cold turkey. As others mentioned, nursing releases endorphins for YOU so if you stopped suddenly, you might compound the issue. I felt better after nursing or pumping.

You have a lot going on so it's your call if you continue, but you might want to consider if it would help you to have this "accomplishment" under your belt. PPD is no joke, so if it's too much to deal with, I wouldn't blame you for any choice you made.

By the way, there are depression medications that are safer while nursing. My cousin had mild PPD and was on one (I forget which) for a while and successfully continued her nursing. You can also be on the minipill while nursing.

i know we have talked before kbs, but i will pray for you , but i have two things to point out,

your baby needs their mom more than they need breastmilk..no doubt breastmilk is better than formula but this baby needs his mom healthy. the second thing i want to point out is that i know you dont believe in any sort of birth control at all because you want to leave that up tp god but do you think god wants your family to be suffering and splitting up like it is? no do what you can to prevent anthoer pregnancy becaseu you are not raising a godly family it sounds like and god wants you to raise your family in his likeness, it doesnt sound like thats whats happening does it ? you know in your heart. as a christian you are called to be a light or an example to other women mothers families of what a good godly christian family should be, and from what ive read i wouldnt call you that. im not trying to hurt you im being honest and i will continue to pray for your family..but please do what you can to focus on god and the family you have no and not bring another one into the mix

Updated

i know we have talked before kbs, but i will pray for you , but i have two things to point out,

your baby needs their mom more than they need breastmilk..no doubt breastmilk is better than formula but this baby needs his mom healthy. the second thing i want to point out is that i know you dont believe in any sort of birth control at all because you want to leave that up tp god but do you think god wants your family to be suffering and splitting up like it is? no do what you can to prevent anthoer pregnancy becaseu you are not raising a godly family it sounds like and god wants you to raise your family in his likeness, it doesnt sound like thats whats happening does it ? you know in your heart. as a christian you are called to be a light or an example to other women mothers families of what a good godly christian family should be, and from what ive read i wouldnt call you that. im not trying to hurt you im being honest and i will continue to pray for your family..but please do what you can to focus on god and the family you have no and not bring another one into the mix

AND PLEASE JUST A THOUGHT, WHY WOULDNT YOU PREVENT A PREGNANCY WHETHER IT BE CONDOMS NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING ANYTHING TO PREVENT ANOTHER CHILD WHEN YOU ARE GETTING THE ONES YOU HAVE TAKEN AWAY AND YOUVE GIVEN ONE UP FOR ADOPTION? IM SORRY THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING BECAUSE I L. CHILDREN AND I HATE SEEING THERE LIVES FOREVER CHANGED BECAUSE OF YOUR CHOICES..PLEASE, REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING KBS

if you are going to be on medications you need to talk with your doc about breast feeding and the possible effect on your child, if no meds then if you can continue to pump until you and your child are ready to stop. I pumped for over a year with my daughter and I believe she has been healthier because of it, but the bottom line is that if pumping is wearing you out and making your mental illness worse then it's best that you stop. A happy mom makes for a happy baby...that's the bottom line. Take care of yourself and your children will be better off.

At 7 months you can go longer between feeds and pumping and still keep your milk supply up if you want to. Nurse when you are together and pump and supplement the rest. There are meds that are compatible with breastfeeding that may be the ones that can help you. http://www.infantrisk.com/
This is the website of Dr Hale. It is filled with information on safe medications to take while breastfeeding. It does list numerous medications for mental health issues that are safe to take. If you would like to continue to breast feed I would show the site to your doctors and take a look at it yourself. Obviously the most important thing it to get yourself better. It is possible that you'll have no choice but to stop in order to do that. If I were in this situation I personally would try to continue to provide breast milk as much as I could but would not beat myself up if I had to add formula to it. Any amount of breastmilk is good, even if it is just a little bit. If you don't want to stop, forcing yourself to may only make your mental health worse instead of better.
I wanted to make what's going to seem like a very off the wall comment but it'll make since in a minute. You are breastfeeding. Are you taking birth control pills? Are they the "mini pill", the progesterone only ones that are considered "safe" while breastfeeding as opposed to the combo pill?
I went on them after my first son at my 6 week apt. They caused depression in me, rather severe. As soon as I stopped taking them after a friend of mine, a registered nurse, told me that progesterone is a depressant I improved immediately. Within a month I was noticeably better, within 2 months I was completely myself and back to normal. I never went on hormones of any kind after my other 2 and never had the problems I did with my first. I tried the Nuvaring after my second was over a year(close to 2 years) old and within only a couple months it was noticeable that I was getting depressed again. Stopped after only 3 months I think and depression went away.
My OB never considered it, I mentioned it after my nurse friend said something to me and was sort of brushed off with a "well, yeah, it might be that but..." and handed the prescription for Zoloft. I never took the Zoloft, I stopped the birth control pills instead. My husband and I agreed that if it didn't work after a couple months of going off the pill I'd try the Zoloft.
I am not saying this has anything to do with your situation but I figured it couldn't hurt to bring it up just in case. I am grateful my friend did!
I wish you the best of luck! Strength to you and your family!

This should be asked to your doctor as well! Are you on any medication??? Because you want to make sure that your milk will still be safe for your baby if you are.

How does breastfeeding and pumping make you feel??? Are you tired of it? Drug down? Or does it make you feel happy? Breast feeding does release "feel good" endorphins so if it makes you happy to do it, CONTINUE! If not, stop.

Good luck.

I'm not seeing how old baby is. If baby is over six months and you need an out, I'd say quit nursing. If it will break your heart to quit early, then pump. There is a lot of pressure to BF these days. If you need to take care of you, and quitting pumping/nursing will help you do that, then thats going to be best for your little one too. If it doesn't really matter to you, then pump because the breast milk is better for the baby.

I think you should do what is best for you right now. If the pumping is too stressful then I wouldn't worry about it. However, if it's not adding to your stress, as long as you aren't on any meds that would jeopardize the milk, I would keep pumping. It's an amazing gift to your child and during this challenging time, and it would be a great way to let your kids know that you have always done what you can for them. So, take care of you first, but do your best to stick with it. I wish you luck with your diagnosis.

Talk to your doctors about breastfeeding and the medications you are on. I believe there are some antidepressants that are approved but if you need multiple medications it may not work out.

I had 2 babies that spent time in the NICU so I pumped exclusively for a while with each one. You don't get as good a milk supply (but you should be pretty established with a 7 month old). Also, it takes a significant amount of time each day. If you can manage and you want to do it, you may be able to keep some breastmilk supply and supplement with formula and solids. On the other hand if the mental health symptoms and the situation are overwhelming you and you decide to let the breastfeeding go that is a valid decision too--don't let anyone give you a guilt trip over it.

Birth control is a good idea until your situation is more stable, especially with medications. I'd watch out for hormonal birth control methods like the pill though in case it interacts with the other medications you are taking.