Educate yourself about DMER

[Anonymous]

Saw the other post about breastfeeding moms. This is something I personally experienced, and I wish I had heard of it earlier. I hope it's helpful to some of you.

What is dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER)?
Dysphoric milk ejection reflex, or D-MER, is a condition that affects people who breastfeed (chest feed) or pump milk. It causes sudden and intense negative emotions just before you “let down” or release milk. It’s quick and lasts just a minute or two. However, it can cause intense unhappiness (dysphoria) and other unpleasant emotions. It can also happen if your breasts accidentally have a let down at any other time, which can be common during lactation.

As the name suggests, this condition is a reflex and something you can’t control. Research is limited, but suggests it’s hormonally driven (related to the chemicals in your body). It’s physical, not psychological, and has nothing to do with not wanting to breastfeed or with having nipple pain. Rather, it’s your body reacting to the release of milk due to a sudden decrease in specific hormones.

Treatment for D-MER involves using different coping strategies to promote relaxation and calming thoughts. Often, people find they’re able to manage symptoms after several weeks.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24879-dysphoric-milk-ejection-reflex

[Anonymous]

I had it, too. Many LCs, midwives, obgyns still don't know about it!

[Anonymous]

Had this, too.

[Anonymous]

The breastfeeding “experts” don’t know very much at all, in my experience. They don’t know about DMER, and they don’t know about any anatomical deviations like hypoplastic breasts that can affect breastfeeding. So useless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The breastfeeding “experts” don’t know very much at all, in my experience. They don’t know about DMER, and they don’t know about any anatomical deviations like hypoplastic breasts that can affect breastfeeding. So useless.

Op. My theory is that DMER is disliked by pro- breastfeeding groups. So there's a push to not teach about it.

[Anonymous]

I had this too! With my first, 9 years ago, it was almost impossible to find info on it. I found one small facebook group.

For me, it felt like extreme homesickness for about 3 minutes at the beginning of each pump/feed. It made me dread feedings.

My OB hadn't heard about it. For my 2nd baby my new OB kind of gave me the " uh huh, ok" answer.

This time (Baby 3) My neighbor is a pediatrician who specializes in breastfeeding and lactation issues. She and I were able to talk about it a lot and she was so helpful. She works out of Inova fairfax and was one of the only doctors who didn't think I was a hypochondriac. She is starting to do research on it as well.

Things that helped me - having a huge glass of ice water at the start of pumps and honestly, doomscrolling/shopping on tiktok funny videos to change my focus.

[Anonymous]

I had it with my second, but not my first.