Somthing i wish I would have known about in the beginning of my first breastfeeding journey was D-MER. Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex. “It is a condition where a breastfeeding parent feels a sudden wave of negative emotions—like sadness, anxiety, or dread—right before milk letdown.” Ehen this started happening to me I thought I was the only one. That breastfeeding wasn’t for me. That maybe my family was right I should just formula feed. But being me I pushed through it every single feed and honestly it gave me feelings of dread each feed. Like a pit in my stomach and a knot in my throat and thoughts of “can this be over already?” I wish I knew that i wasn’t alone and wouldn’t have waited 9 months to talk to my provider about it. I experience this again this 2nd journey but I now know how to manage it and get through it!
I feel for you didn’t know something like that is possible…embrace the moment with your beautiful miracle there are no sweeter and more beautiful moments to connect with your baby then breastfeeding
I experienced this 9 years ago with our first and I’m experiencing it again now with our second. I thought I was going crazy until I read about it being an actual thing.
My husband and his mom -she breast fed him and his brother 45 years ago- thought that I was just being “weak” until I brought this to their attention. His mom kept telling me that I should have “roughed up my nipples with a towel” while I was pregnant. They made me feel like I was weak but in reality it really truly is something that “roughing up nipples with a towel” never would have fixed and that the feelings that I was experiencing were valid and part of a condition and I had no control over.
