Periods and breastfeeding

[jellybean88]

How much does your pms affect your baby?

Dd gets horribly cranky and screams and clingy and just plain crappy whenever I'm about to get AF the same time my nipples get sore and I feel stressed

Any way I can stop it affecting her so much?? My hubby is over having two pms girls in the house and keeps asking me to stop bf

[Barb Glare]

Hi, I think your husband should put on his flame proof suit and get ready for the long haul. None of my children are breastfeeding at the moment - but they are *super* irritating (and irritated) before I have my period. So you can reassure your husband that stopping breastfeeding will in no way resolve the problem! In fact breastfeeding gives you hormones that keep you more calm than you could otherwise be. My kids (including the one I married) don’t give me a minute to myself. They do nothing but *want* things from me - usually phone credit and to be taken shopping. If I was being completely honest I would have to say it’s more *me* than them - I feel everything more and am overly sensitive.

[AnyDream]

Barb, you said it better than I could! LOL

Yep kids are definitely crabbier & more irritating when I have PMS ... And just wait til your DD starts getting periods of her own - females who live together tend to have cycles in sync with each other - then he'll know all about it! Tell him to start building the man cave NOW - or he could just learn to take a deep breath or two & roll with it along with everyone else. It's a great time for him to earn some extra hero points by being more helpful & considerate than usual.

[jellybean88]

My ds doesn't get cranky around that time just dd who is breastfed

I won't stop bf though dh is always looking for a reason for me to stop but I just plain don't want to and am planning on at least until she decides to stop

[Dollyroux]

I always say that it's not that we are crankier when we have PMS. It's that our ability to deal with other peoples bull**** is greatly diminished!

[Ladylove]

If your DH thinks Stopping BF will get rid of the mood swings of a young developing child he is in for a rude awakening! Keep up the great work breastfeeding. My DD was never affected by my periods so no advice there except that as a toddler, some days feel like PMS for both of us!

[jellybean88]

I think dh thinks formula is the answer because ds was ff and was a very relaxed happy baby

Whereas dd is a fussy cranky baby

[e_p]

I haven't noticed that DS gets fussier when I have my period but my PMS is definitely milder than it was when I was bf-ing. No advice, but I do want to give you a big hug for continuing to breastfeed without the support of your partner - that can't be easy xx

[jellybean88]

Well thank goodness for that! Never been so happy to get a period dd is a completely if fervent baby very happy easily entertained and sleeping through the night and having her day naps big difference to the baby I have one week before AF screaming before naps and bed waking twice a night grumpy and clingy all day

[Strawman]

You must be very observant! I couldn't tell you if my periods affected the baby or not.

Good luck with continuing to bf

[jellybean88]

I'm not that observant she's just really really bad during it and a complete angel after
I wonder if my hormones are too high because I get really badly affected by it too I'm on anxiety meds and find I have a lot of meltdowns and am really anxious and depressed