Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me? Nursing Is Exhausting

January 30, 2008

For the women who have decided to give nursing a go, good for you. But, be prepared because it can wear you out. Luckily, you will probably get used to it very quickly.

In the "How to Be a Mother" manuals that I read, it said that when nursing, a woman's body releases the hormones oxytocin and prolactin, which then allows the milk to start flowing freely for baby. To see what effect this has on mommy, read more.

The hormones are also responsible for making the new mommy drowsy. I don't know if it is was sleep deprivation or the prolactin, but on more than one occasion, I woke up in the glider with my nursing daughter in my arms – both of us having been fast asleep.

I can't say that the cat naps weren't welcome as I needed to catch up on some z's, but it would have been nice to know that breastfeeding would induce heavy eye lids.

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12 Comments

Stravs Firebird 5 years 13 weeks

*Thirsty*- yes, totally! I've heard once weaning happens, you get a burst of energy (and apparently drop a few pounds, too). Who knew? It didn't make me sleepy the first few months, but months 8-12 it totally did.

macgirl 5 years 16 weeks

Pumping takes all the fun out of breast feeding. I don't get any of the relaxing tiredness or good feelings :-( Maybe it is because the entire time I pump I'm watching how many ounces I'm getting and trying to out pump my last round. I guess the fear of running out of milk could be overriding everything else. ;-)

jennifer76 5 years 16 weeks

I don't know if I've ever associated nursing with tiredness. :? I know there were some times I fell asleep nursing when my little ones were REALLY little. But, I think that was more related to the sleep deprivation and the forced relaxation of a nursing session. Interesting!

luckyme 5 years 16 weeks

I guess I didn't really say in there that it didn't make me tired...but yeah, it didn't LOL. Oh and the thirsty thing! OMG! I would always forget until she latched on and then I'd make my husband get me some water.

luckyme 5 years 16 weeks

I must be out of the ordinary, but I really did not have any trouble with nursing. From the moment we started, I loved it and she seemed to too (we're 7 and 1/2 months in and still going strong!). It's something I'm so accustomed to that I can't imagine not being able to do it. Plus, I find it very convenient. Getting up in the middle of the night to get a bottle ready would have had me more exhausted than just whippin the boob out. I can definitely feel for those of you that have had trouble.

Renees3 5 years 16 weeks

Seriously, thank god for this site lol I never knew any of this! I hope to have a child soon and love reading all this great info!

backfat 5 years 16 weeks

i wasn't so much tired as THIRSTY. I was dying of thirst all the time when I was nursing.

LiLRuck44 5 years 16 weeks

Mothering in general is tiring for me! I actually thought breastfeeding was a huge time saver, but maybe it's because I loathe doing dishes and would've died having to deal with bottles.

Greggie 5 years 16 weeks

Sorry, that should read the first "two" times, as in the first two kids.

Greggie 5 years 16 weeks

I had the opposite reaction - nursing gave me energy. At least the first few times, we'll see how this one goes. Plus, after those first few months, nursing allowed me to never even get out of bed when they woke during the night. *lol*

SweetnLow 5 years 16 weeks

I hear ya! Not only that, but I had some flow issues where I was forced to lean back while nursing. I got to where the only place I would nurse was in bed because I was constantly falling asleep. :)

JennyJen 5 years 16 weeks

Waking up on the rocker was a daily routine for us in the early days too!

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