My pump output went from 310 ml to 110 ml. One side gave me 20.
That was on purpose. My second baby was eight and a half months old, strong, healthy, eating solids for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I needed to start a medication, and that meant ending breastfeeding. It was the right call. I knew it was the right call.
What I didn’t know was what hormones after weaning would do to me in the weeks that followed.
With my first son, stopping was easy. He was almost eleven months old, he started biting, and by the fourth bite I decided to stop. That was it.
This time was different. I cut the feeds down slowly, over weeks, and kept the night feed. I was planning the ending: one last feed, on purpose, paying attention.
I didn’t get it. One weekend at the start of August my baby got sick, with little sores in his mouth, and refused the breast completely. He hasn’t taken it since.
So the last feed happened without me knowing it was the last. I was already sad about stopping, and guilty about ending something my body did so well, something plenty of mothers would give anything to be able to do. Now I was also sad about how it ended.
When I wrote about feeling sad after weaning, I was six weeks into the process. Today it’s been about nine weeks since that last feed, and I can finally say it: it’s a relief. I can drink as many cups of coffee as I want. I can have a vermouth or a glass of wine in peace. My nights are mine again, as long as he sleeps. My body is mine again.
So I went looking for the timeline nobody gave me. I’ll be straight with you: there is no official week-by-week chart for hormones after weaning. There is very little research on it at all. What exists is guidance from lactation organisations, a lot of mothers’ accounts, and my own weeks.
This post puts those together:
- what is happening to your hormones after weaning
- the phases most of us seem to move through, week by week
- five things that help
- when it stops being “just hormones” and it’s time to call someone
I’m not a doctor. This is what I read and what I lived.
Table of Contents
What happens to your hormones after weaning
Two hormones ran the show while you were breastfeeding. Both drop when you stop.
Prolactin makes the milk. According to KellyMom, it also brings a feeling of wellbeing, calm and relaxation.
Oxytocin triggers the let-down. It’s the one people call the love hormone. La Leche League GB says both hormones feed feelings of calm, closeness and wellbeing.
Take both away and your mood moves. La Leche League GB lists what mothers report: feeling weepy or low, anxiety, insomnia, anger, mood swings. They compare it to the mood changes of your cycle, only more intense or longer lasting. That comparison was the first thing that made sense to me.
The honest part: it’s a hypothesis
KellyMom says it plainly. There is very little research on this, and hormones are the leading explanation for post-weaning mood changes, not a proven one. So nobody can hand you an exact chart of hormone levels by day. What we have are patterns.
Why how you wean matters more than when
Speed is the big factor. KellyMom explains that the faster you wean, the more abrupt the hormone shift and the more likely you are to feel it. Their guidance is to drop no more than one feed per week.
My two weanings don’t fit neatly. The first was abrupt and easy. The second was slow, careful, and then ended overnight when my baby refused the breast.
The sources cover that too. KellyMom lists weaning before you’re ready, or for reasons outside your control, as something that makes it harder. La Leche League GB says how weaning happens may shape your feelings more than your child’s age. I had chosen to stop. I hadn’t chosen that ending.
What about your period?
What I read: breastfeeding tends to hold your cycle back, and things shift again as feeds drop. Periods can return before, during or after weaning, and they’re often irregular at first. This is the part with the widest range, so ask your doctor about your own case.
Mine came back more than a month after the last feed. It was a lot of blood, far more than I expected, and it was over sooner than I was used to. For context, I had polycystic ovaries before I gave birth.
Hormones after weaning: the week-by-week timeline
Read this as a map, not a schedule. The week ranges are my own grouping, built from my weeks and the accounts I read. Yours may run shorter or longer, especially if you weaned fast.
| Phase | What is shifting | How it can feel | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| The taper (before the last feed) | Feeds drop, supply follows | Guilt, doubt, second-guessing | Drop one feed at a time. Write your reason down once. |
| Weeks 1–2: the drop | Prolactin and oxytocin fall | Weepy, irritable, poor sleep, full or leaking breasts | Clear the calendar. Tell one person what is happening. |
| Weeks 3–6: the dip | Body still adjusting, milk may linger | Low mood, anxiety, “what is wrong with me?” | Name it. Plan bare-minimum weeks. Watch the two-week rule. |
| Weeks 6–12: the return | Cycle may restart or change | Good days and relapses, identity questions | Add one thing back that is only for you. |
| After month 3: the new normal | Should be settling | Mostly yourself, with the odd pang | Not settling? See a professional. |
Before the last feed: the taper
The shift starts before the final feed, as soon as feeds begin to drop. For me this was the long part. I cut one latch at a time and watched the pump numbers fall.
The guilt showed up here, while I was still feeding at night. I even spent two nights away visiting a friend to help the process along.
What helps at this stage: decide your reason once and write it down. Then stop re-arguing it with yourself every evening.
Weeks 1–2: the drop
This is when the two hormones fall, and the faster you stopped, the sharper it tends to be. Your body is busy too: fullness, leaking, a let-down with nowhere to go.
La Leche League GB notes that some mothers can still express drops of milk weeks or months later. They suggest talking to your GP if production doesn’t gradually reduce.
Expect to cry at things that don’t deserve it. For me the drop started with the ending itself. I had wanted one last feed that I knew was the last, and I never got it. That was the saddest part.
Weeks 3–6: the dip
The milk is mostly gone and everyone around you has moved on. For a lot of us this is when “I’m still sad, what is wrong with me?” arrives.
KellyMom says these feelings are usually short-term and should ease within a few weeks. This is also the window to watch. If your mood is affecting your quality of life for more than a couple of weeks, they recommend getting outside help.
I wrote my first post about this in the middle of this phase.
Weeks 6–12: the return
Good days start to outnumber bad ones, though not in a straight line. Your cycle may come back or change around here.
The question changes too. It stops being “why am I sad?” and becomes “who am I now that my body is mine again?”
This is where I am now, about nine weeks after the last feed. What I have is relief: coffee whenever I want, a vermouth or a glass of wine in peace, nights that are mine again as long as he sleeps. My period came back in this window too. And I started working out regularly now.
After month three: the new normal
By now things should be settling. La Leche League GB suggests talking to your GP if low mood or anxiety continues after the initial weeks.
If you’re still in the dip at this point, that is information, not failure. The next two sections are for you.
5 things that help when hormones after weaning hit hard
None of these fix the hormones. They make the weeks easier to carry while your body does its work.
1. Say the phase out loud
“I’m in week three of weaning and my hormones are dropping” lands differently from “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Say it to your partner. Say it to one friend. A feeling with a name and a timeline is easier to live with.
2. Slow down if you still can
If you haven’t fully stopped, you have room. KellyMom’s guidance is no more than one feed dropped per week, which is gentler on both of you. If you had to stop fast, skip the guilt and go to the next three.
3. Replace the closeness, on purpose
You lost several oxytocin moments a day. Put some back. La Leche League GB points out that cuddling, baths, play and simply holding your child keep the closeness going after breastfeeding ends.
Pick the old feeding times. The first one in the morning and the one before bed are where the gap is loudest.
4. Run a bare-minimum week
The dip doesn’t cancel your to-do list. Work is still there, so are the school bags, the dinners and the appointments. Carrying a full mental load on a low-hormone week is where a lot of us crack.
So lower the bar on purpose. Decide what the week looks like if you only do the essentials, and let the rest wait.
This is what crisis mode is for in my Mental Load Reset. You empty your head in a four-column brain dump, answer five questions about your energy, and get a weekly plan built for the week you’re actually having. It takes ten minutes. Crisis mode is the version for bad days: the bare minimum, already decided, so you don’t have to think.
5. Put something small for yourself in the plan
Not a spa day. Two to fifteen minutes that belong to you, scheduled before the week starts and not saved as a reward for finishing everything. In the Mental Load Reset, I call these micro oases.
For me, it was coming back to the gym, or adding at least 15 minutes of Pilates to my day.
4 things that surprised me about hormones after weaning
An easy first weaning told me nothing about the second
Same body, same mother, two different experiences. If your first time was simple, don’t assume this one will be. If your first time was hard, don’t assume this one will be either.
The guilt came with a twist
I expected to feel guilty about stopping. I didn’t expect to feel guilty about stopping while I still had milk. Plenty of mothers would give anything to produce what I did, and I was choosing to end it. That thought did more damage than the sadness.
Being right didn’t make it lighter
My baby was healthy and eating well. The reason was medical and sound. I could list every argument and still feel like I was giving something up. Knowing it’s the right decision and grieving it are two separate things, and you can do both in the same afternoon.
I never got a last feed
I was planning a final feed I would remember. Instead my baby got sick one weekend, refused the breast and never went back. It ended on his terms and I found out afterwards.
Of everything, this is what I’d warn a friend about. Take the photo. Notice an ordinary feed. You may not get to pick the last one.
A script for your partner
If you don’t know how to explain it, borrow this:
- “I’ve stopped breastfeeding and my hormones are dropping. It can take a few weeks.”
- “I’m going to be more tired and more tearful than usual. It’s not about you.”
- “What helps is taking one thing off my list this week without me asking.”
When hormones after weaning need more than time
Most of this passes on its own. Some of it doesn’t, and waiting it out is the wrong plan. From what I read, these are the signs to act on:
- It has lasted more than a couple of weeks and it’s affecting your daily life. That is KellyMom’s line for seeking outside help.
- The low mood or anxiety is still there after the initial weeks. La Leche League GB suggests talking to your GP.
- You have a history of depression or anxiety. Both sources say this makes post-weaning depression more likely. Tell your doctor before or as you wean, not after.
- You had to wean before you were ready, or for reasons outside your control. KellyMom lists this as a risk factor too.
- Your milk isn’t gradually reducing, or your breasts are painful, hot or red. That is a medical question, not an emotional one.
If you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, treat it as urgent. Contact your doctor, your local emergency number or a crisis line today.
A GP, a midwife or a maternal mental health specialist is the right person for this. A lactation consultant can help with the physical side of weaning. Asking early is not overreacting.
FAQ: hormones after weaning
How long do hormones after weaning take to settle?
There is no fixed timeline. KellyMom says the mood changes are usually short-term and should ease within a few weeks. For some of us it takes longer. If you’re still low after the first weeks, talk to your doctor.
Are hormones after weaning worse if you stop suddenly?
Often, yes. KellyMom explains that faster weaning means a more abrupt hormone shift and a higher chance of feeling it. Dropping one feed per week is the gentler route when you have the choice.
Is it normal to feel sad after weaning if I wanted to stop?
Yes. La Leche League GB says some mothers feel weepy or low even when they’re at peace with the decision. Wanting to stop and grieving it can both be true.
Is post-weaning depression real?
It’s the name many mothers and lactation organisations use for depression that shows up during or after weaning. KellyMom notes that some mothers have more severe symptoms that need treatment. If that sounds like you, see a professional.
Can weaning affect sleep and anxiety?
It can. La Leche League GB lists anxiety, insomnia, anger and mood swings among the things mothers report after weaning.
How long until my milk dries up completely?
It varies. La Leche League GB says breasts can keep making small amounts for some time, and some mothers can express drops weeks or months later. See your GP if it isn’t gradually reducing.
What if my baby suddenly refuses the breast?
La Leche League GB says babies under one rarely wean overnight, and points to its nursing strike guidance for a sudden refusal. If you want to keep going, ask a lactation consultant for help. If you were already weaning, like I was, it may simply become your ending.
What I’d tell myself in week two
Five lines, in this order:
- Name it. This is hormones after weaning, and it moves in phases.
- Slow it down if you still can. One feed a week.
- Put the closeness back at the old feeding times.
- Lower the bar for the week, on purpose and in advance.
- Add one small thing that is only yours.
You didn’t fail at breastfeeding and you’re not failing at stopping. You’re in the middle of a hormone shift nobody warned you about.
And it does turn. Nine weeks after my last feed I have my coffee, my nights and my body back, and I’m glad. The sadness was real and so is the relief.
If the week ahead already feels like too much, start with my free Sunday Reset Checklist.
If your head is full and you need the whole week out of it, that’s what the Mental Load Reset does: a brain dump, a weekly plan, micro oases and a crisis mode for the hard days. Ten minutes, €9.99 once, no app and no subscription. Try it for ten minutes, and if it doesn’t help, email me for a refund.
I want to empty my head and organise my week
Sources
My pump output went from 310 ml to 110 ml. One side gave me 20.
That was on purpose. My second baby was eight and a half months old, strong, healthy, eating solids for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I needed to start a medication, and that meant ending breastfeeding. It was the right call. I knew it was the right call.
What I didn’t know was what hormones after weaning would do to me in the weeks that followed.
With my first son, stopping was easy. He was almost eleven months old, he started biting, and by the fourth bite I decided to stop. That was it.
This time was different. I cut the feeds down slowly, over weeks, and kept the night feed. I was planning the ending: one last feed, on purpose, paying attention.
I didn’t get it. One weekend at the start of August my baby got sick, with little sores in his mouth, and refused the breast completely. He hasn’t taken it since.
So the last feed happened without me knowing it was the last. I was already sad about stopping, and guilty about ending something my body did so well, something plenty of mothers would give anything to be able to do. Now I was also sad about how it ended.
When I wrote about feeling sad after weaning, I was six weeks into the process. Today it’s been about nine weeks since that last feed, and I can finally say it: it’s a relief. I can drink as many cups of coffee as I want. I can have a vermouth or a glass of wine in peace. My nights are mine again, as long as he sleeps. My body is mine again.
So I went looking for the timeline nobody gave me. I’ll be straight with you: there is no official week-by-week chart for hormones after weaning. There is very little research on it at all. What exists is guidance from lactation organisations, a lot of mothers’ accounts, and my own weeks.
This post puts those together:
- what is happening to your hormones after weaning
- the phases most of us seem to move through, week by week
- five things that help
- when it stops being “just hormones” and it’s time to call someone
I’m not a doctor. This is what I read and what I lived.
What happens to your hormones after weaning
Two hormones ran the show while you were breastfeeding. Both drop when you stop.
Prolactin makes the milk. According to KellyMom, it also brings a feeling of wellbeing, calm and relaxation.
Oxytocin triggers the let-down. It’s the one people call the love hormone. La Leche League GB says both hormones feed feelings of calm, closeness and wellbeing.
Take both away and your mood moves. La Leche League GB lists what mothers report: feeling weepy or low, anxiety, insomnia, anger, mood swings. They compare it to the mood changes of your cycle, only more intense or longer lasting. That comparison was the first thing that made sense to me.
The honest part: it’s a hypothesis
KellyMom says it plainly. There is very little research on this, and hormones are the leading explanation for post-weaning mood changes, not a proven one. So nobody can hand you an exact chart of hormone levels by day. What we have are patterns.
Why how you wean matters more than when
Speed is the big factor. KellyMom explains that the faster you wean, the more abrupt the hormone shift and the more likely you are to feel it. Their guidance is to drop no more than one feed per week.
My two weanings don’t fit neatly. The first was abrupt and easy. The second was slow, careful, and then ended overnight when my baby refused the breast.
The sources cover that too. KellyMom lists weaning before you’re ready, or for reasons outside your control, as something that makes it harder. La Leche League GB says how weaning happens may shape your feelings more than your child’s age. I had chosen to stop. I hadn’t chosen that ending.
What about your period?
What I read: breastfeeding tends to hold your cycle back, and things shift again as feeds drop. Periods can return before, during or after weaning, and they’re often irregular at first. This is the part with the widest range, so ask your doctor about your own case.
Mine came back more than a month after the last feed. It was a lot of blood, far more than I expected, and it was over sooner than I was used to. For context, I had polycystic ovaries before I gave birth.
Hormones after weaning: the week-by-week timeline
Read this as a map, not a schedule. The week ranges are my own grouping, built from my weeks and the accounts I read. Yours may run shorter or longer, especially if you weaned fast.
| Phase | What is shifting | How it can feel | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| The taper (before the last feed) | Feeds drop, supply follows | Guilt, doubt, second-guessing | Drop one feed at a time. Write your reason down once. |
| Weeks 1–2: the drop | Prolactin and oxytocin fall | Weepy, irritable, poor sleep, full or leaking breasts | Clear the calendar. Tell one person what is happening. |
| Weeks 3–6: the dip | Body still adjusting, milk may linger | Low mood, anxiety, “what is wrong with me?” | Name it. Plan bare-minimum weeks. Watch the two-week rule. |
| Weeks 6–12: the return | Cycle may restart or change | Good days and relapses, identity questions | Add one thing back that is only for you. |
| After month 3: the new normal | Should be settling | Mostly yourself, with the odd pang | Not settling? See a professional. |
Before the last feed: the taper
The shift starts before the final feed, as soon as feeds begin to drop. For me this was the long part. I cut one latch at a time and watched the pump numbers fall.
The guilt showed up here, while I was still feeding at night. I even spent two nights away visiting a friend to help the process along.
What helps at this stage: decide your reason once and write it down. Then stop re-arguing it with yourself every evening.
Weeks 1–2: the drop
This is when the two hormones fall, and the faster you stopped, the sharper it tends to be. Your body is busy too: fullness, leaking, a let-down with nowhere to go.
La Leche League GB notes that some mothers can still express drops of milk weeks or months later. They suggest talking to your GP if production doesn’t gradually reduce.
Expect to cry at things that don’t deserve it. For me the drop started with the ending itself. I had wanted one last feed that I knew was the last, and I never got it. That was the saddest part.
Weeks 3–6: the dip
The milk is mostly gone and everyone around you has moved on. For a lot of us this is when “I’m still sad, what is wrong with me?” arrives.
KellyMom says these feelings are usually short-term and should ease within a few weeks. This is also the window to watch. If your mood is affecting your quality of life for more than a couple of weeks, they recommend getting outside help.
I wrote my first post about this in the middle of this phase.
Weeks 6–12: the return
Good days start to outnumber bad ones, though not in a straight line. Your cycle may come back or change around here.
The question changes too. It stops being “why am I sad?” and becomes “who am I now that my body is mine again?”
This is where I am now, about nine weeks after the last feed. What I have is relief: coffee whenever I want, a vermouth or a glass of wine in peace, nights that are mine again as long as he sleeps. My period came back in this window too. And I started working out regularly now.
After month three: the new normal
By now things should be settling. La Leche League GB suggests talking to your GP if low mood or anxiety continues after the initial weeks.
If you’re still in the dip at this point, that is information, not failure. The next two sections are for you.
5 things that help when hormones after weaning hit hard
None of these fix the hormones. They make the weeks easier to carry while your body does its work.
1. Say the phase out loud
“I’m in week three of weaning and my hormones are dropping” lands differently from “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Say it to your partner. Say it to one friend. A feeling with a name and a timeline is easier to live with.
2. Slow down if you still can
If you haven’t fully stopped, you have room. KellyMom’s guidance is no more than one feed dropped per week, which is gentler on both of you. If you had to stop fast, skip the guilt and go to the next three.
3. Replace the closeness, on purpose
You lost several oxytocin moments a day. Put some back. La Leche League GB points out that cuddling, baths, play and simply holding your child keep the closeness going after breastfeeding ends.
Pick the old feeding times. The first one in the morning and the one before bed are where the gap is loudest.
4. Run a bare-minimum week
The dip doesn’t cancel your to-do list. Work is still there, so are the school bags, the dinners and the appointments. Carrying a full mental load on a low-hormone week is where a lot of us crack.
So lower the bar on purpose. Decide what the week looks like if you only do the essentials, and let the rest wait.
This is what crisis mode is for in my Mental Load Reset. You empty your head in a four-column brain dump, answer five questions about your energy, and get a weekly plan built for the week you’re actually having. It takes ten minutes. Crisis mode is the version for bad days: the bare minimum, already decided, so you don’t have to think.
5. Put something small for yourself in the plan
Not a spa day. Two to fifteen minutes that belong to you, scheduled before the week starts and not saved as a reward for finishing everything. In the Mental Load Reset, I call these micro oases.
For me, it was coming back to the gym, or adding at least 15 minutes of Pilates to my day.
4 things that surprised me about hormones after weaning
An easy first weaning told me nothing about the second
Same body, same mother, two different experiences. If your first time was simple, don’t assume this one will be. If your first time was hard, don’t assume this one will be either.
The guilt came with a twist
I expected to feel guilty about stopping. I didn’t expect to feel guilty about stopping while I still had milk. Plenty of mothers would give anything to produce what I did, and I was choosing to end it. That thought did more damage than the sadness.
Being right didn’t make it lighter
My baby was healthy and eating well. The reason was medical and sound. I could list every argument and still feel like I was giving something up. Knowing it’s the right decision and grieving it are two separate things, and you can do both in the same afternoon.
I never got a last feed
I was planning a final feed I would remember. Instead my baby got sick one weekend, refused the breast and never went back. It ended on his terms and I found out afterwards.
Of everything, this is what I’d warn a friend about. Take the photo. Notice an ordinary feed. You may not get to pick the last one.
A script for your partner
If you don’t know how to explain it, borrow this:
- “I’ve stopped breastfeeding and my hormones are dropping. It can take a few weeks.”
- “I’m going to be more tired and more tearful than usual. It’s not about you.”
- “What helps is taking one thing off my list this week without me asking.”
When hormones after weaning need more than time
Most of this passes on its own. Some of it doesn’t, and waiting it out is the wrong plan. From what I read, these are the signs to act on:
- It has lasted more than a couple of weeks and it’s affecting your daily life. That is KellyMom’s line for seeking outside help.
- The low mood or anxiety is still there after the initial weeks. La Leche League GB suggests talking to your GP.
- You have a history of depression or anxiety. Both sources say this makes post-weaning depression more likely. Tell your doctor before or as you wean, not after.
- You had to wean before you were ready, or for reasons outside your control. KellyMom lists this as a risk factor too.
- Your milk isn’t gradually reducing, or your breasts are painful, hot or red. That is a medical question, not an emotional one.
If you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, treat it as urgent. Contact your doctor, your local emergency number or a crisis line today.
A GP, a midwife or a maternal mental health specialist is the right person for this. A lactation consultant can help with the physical side of weaning. Asking early is not overreacting.
FAQ: hormones after weaning
How long do hormones after weaning take to settle?
There is no fixed timeline. KellyMom says the mood changes are usually short-term and should ease within a few weeks. For some of us it takes longer. If you’re still low after the first weeks, talk to your doctor.
Are hormones after weaning worse if you stop suddenly?
Often, yes. KellyMom explains that faster weaning means a more abrupt hormone shift and a higher chance of feeling it. Dropping one feed per week is the gentler route when you have the choice.
Is it normal to feel sad after weaning if I wanted to stop?
Yes. La Leche League GB says some mothers feel weepy or low even when they’re at peace with the decision. Wanting to stop and grieving it can both be true.
Is post-weaning depression real?
It’s the name many mothers and lactation organisations use for depression that shows up during or after weaning. KellyMom notes that some mothers have more severe symptoms that need treatment. If that sounds like you, see a professional.
Can weaning affect sleep and anxiety?
It can. La Leche League GB lists anxiety, insomnia, anger and mood swings among the things mothers report after weaning.
How long until my milk dries up completely?
It varies. La Leche League GB says breasts can keep making small amounts for some time, and some mothers can express drops weeks or months later. See your GP if it isn’t gradually reducing.
What if my baby suddenly refuses the breast?
La Leche League GB says babies under one rarely wean overnight, and points to its nursing strike guidance for a sudden refusal. If you want to keep going, ask a lactation consultant for help. If you were already weaning, like I was, it may simply become your ending.
What I’d tell myself in week two
Five lines, in this order:
- Name it. This is hormones after weaning, and it moves in phases.
- Slow it down if you still can. One feed a week.
- Put the closeness back at the old feeding times.
- Lower the bar for the week, on purpose and in advance.
- Add one small thing that is only yours.
You didn’t fail at breastfeeding and you’re not failing at stopping. You’re in the middle of a hormone shift nobody warned you about.
And it does turn. Nine weeks after my last feed I have my coffee, my nights and my body back, and I’m glad. The sadness was real and so is the relief.
If the week ahead already feels like too much, start with my free Sunday Reset Checklist.
If your head is full and you need the whole week out of it, that’s what the Mental Load Reset does: a brain dump, a weekly plan, micro oases and a crisis mode for the hard days. Ten minutes, €9.99 once, no app and no subscription. Try it for ten minutes, and if it doesn’t help, email me for a refund.
I want to empty my head and organise my week
Sources
- Sadness and depression during (and after) weaning, KellyMom
- After weaning – what next?, La Leche League GB
