I recently filmed a YouTube video about why I weaned my daughter from breastfeeding. But one thing I did not expect from this is the physical and mental things my body went through a few weeks following the weaning. Every baby is so different and while weaning my son from nursing was so easy and didn’t come with a single side effect, it was the opposite with my daughter. Since I was not prepared for this, I thought I would share with any of you who might be in a similar situation now or will be in the future some things that happened to my body & mind.
Weaning my daughter was the first time in 2.5 years that I was neither pregnant or nursing (or both). I think this was a shock to my body, especially because when I weaned my son from nursing, I was already a few months into my pregnancy with my daughter.
SIDE EFFECTS
Skin Changes– Ever since getting pregnant with my daughter, I feel like all my blemishes disappeared and I hadn’t really had any acne show up (except when on my period). All of a sudden, a couple weeks after officially weaning my daughter, I got SO MUCH ACNE. All over my forehead, cheeks, and chin were blemishes that seemed to not want to go away. The only cause I can think of is the hormonal changes my body was undertaking. They mainly went away after about two weeks.
My Mood– This was the main side effect I faced; it seemed to negatively affect every part of myself. I had a couple super low weeks. I found myself really sad, like ALL THE TIME, which is so unlike me. I cried to my husband saying that I thought I was depressed. Nothing made me happy. I felt all these extreme things so strongly & it felt like it came out of absolutely no where. Thankfully, after about 1.5-2 weeks, it went away.
Grieving– Now, even though I chose to wean my daughter around 7 months old, I still had a couple moments of feeling guilty or even sad for stopping. As much as it made me feel anxious, it also was a big step to take which brings about many feelings.
OTHER COMMON SIDE EFFECTS
Mastitis– It is very common to get clogged ducts and even infections like mastitis when weaning. I did not experience this myself, but it is very common. These infections can even lead to fevers and flu-like symptoms throughout your body.
Periods– Your period can change after nursing. I have only had one or two since weaning my daughter and I haven’t noticed any changes in this for me, but it is common to have your period be more intense.
Headaches– It is also common to experience more headaches, migraines, or spurts of dizziness.
Every woman’s body and journey are so different, but if you’re in process of weaning your baby, here are common side effects you can look out for.
Tia Marie
tia marie 