Can stress affect milk supply?

[snowfia]

I read somewhere that stress can affect it and I'm just wondering if this is true?

OH and I are going through a rough patch atm which I really hope will be over ASAP but I'm really worried that if I'm under too much stress it could hinder breastfeeding?

I've been getting severe headaches and blurred vision which the doctor said was due to stress. IMO there's no other option but to BF and I'm just worried that it might be a struggle at first which obviously isn't helping anything :L

 

[MoldyVoldy]

When stressed it's harder on our bodies to release the necessary hormones to produce milk.

When our milk lets down we get a rush of hormones "the feel good hormones" or "the sleepy hormones" - and when stressed we release hormones that can interfere with those feel good ones.

I have anxiety so i've had times when it was very very hard to relax while nursing. Here is what helps me:

find a quiet spot to nurse

get baby naked from the waist up and same goes for you

latch baby on

look into baby's eyes (if they are open), otherwise just stare at your baby...study her face and look at her hair etc

stroke her cheek

lean in and smell her

kiss her

even though you are nursing her, THINK about her. think about how she is pulling your milk from you.

good luck - i'm sorry you're so stressed!

 

[snowfia]

Thank you, it means a lot.
I will definitely try those things.

Everything went so smoothly with DD's feeding and I really hope it's the same this time and that she might even want to start again, just got to stay positive

 

[Katteh]

I second the above. I've found on stressful days that my milk is slower to let down, but when that happens I just try and distract myself by watching something on tv or reading a book and I find it really helps x

 

[summer rain]

It doesn't affect your supply but extreme stress can affect let down xx