Can weaning only affect my mood?

November 3, 2011 7:26 PM

Can weaning feel like early pregnancy?

I'm weaning my second kid after 12 mos of breastfeeding. I'm about 2 days with no feedings. However, I've noticed symptoms that feel just like very early pregnancy to me: husband smelled awful one night; can't stop belching today. We're using condoms and I'm not far enough out from my last period to take a test, I don't believe, but I'd like to know if there are hormone changes from weaning other than the standard mood ones or if I should be on high alert for possible pregnancy.

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (3 answers total)

In my experience, weaning can have some similarities to early pregnancy. Especially after I stopped nursing my son at 2, I was so certain I was pregnant that I found myself doing a test in a public restroom in a small town in England. But hormones are a crazy thing, and nursing and then weaning are very hormonal. Pee on a stick, just to be sure, but it really all could be related to weaning, especially if you haven't yet had a period. My symptoms abated once my cycle was regular again (until I got pregnant again - still nursing that one).
posted by Lulu's Pink Converse at 7:54 PM on November 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

Hormones are nuts, I occasionally had pregnancy-like symptoms (nausea, sensitive palate/sense of smell, etc) if our nursing schedule changed abruptly and I don't remember specifically if I did when we weaned, because both times it was sort of a thing I didn't realize had happened until after the fact, but it's definitely not outside the norm. A test will ease your mind.
posted by padraigin at 8:12 PM on November 3, 2011

Absolutely. Finished breastfeeding ToddlerTaff four months ago and boy did I have a hormonal tempest.

(And a bit of grief. And relief. But that's an entirely different thread!)
posted by taff at 10:26 PM on November 3, 2011