(( VaginaPagina ))

I have been involved with http://www.d-mer.org/ for about 6 months after I discovered that what I was feeling during letdown/ nursing wasn't just something bothering me, that it happens to other women also. Knowing that I was not alone has helped a lot. As part of the research process on what causes d-mer and how to treat it we are looking for an adoptive mother who has induced lactation and experienced a depressive milk ejection reflex.

Please, if you know an adoptive mother who has induced lactation and experienced d-mer refer her to the website http://www.d-mer.org/ or have her email alia@rochester.rr.com so that we may be able to figure out a cause and cure for d-mer.

Edit for more info: D-mer is a fairly new topic (well putting a name to the condition is new). Here is a little excerpt from the website's FAQ. There is not a lot of info on this topic, right now everyone is trying to figure out what causes d-mer and what can relieve it. I myself have experienced severe d-mer while nursing my second child who is 15 months old. I breastfeed because I know it is the best for my baby, but d-mer has made my life quite miserable at times. I hope that a cause/cure can be found soon so that nursing a baby can be an enjoyable act for every mother that choses to do so.

What is D-MER?
Depressive Milk Ejective Reflex is a prodromal symptom to a mother's milk ejection reflex. A mother suffering with D-MER will feel negative emotions just prior (30-90 seconds) to the letdown of her milk, whether it be when pumping, when nursing, or spontaneous letdown (milk releasing when not nursing/pumping.) The negative emotions mainly manifest themselves in feelings “in the mother’s stomach.” A hollow feeling, feeling like there is a pit of something in the stomach, or an emotional churning in the stomach. Mothers report varying types of emotions with this, ranging from sadness, irritation, despair, guilt, grief, disappointment, and the list goes on. The common thread though is the wave of negative emotions prior to letdown, that then lifts within another 30-90 seconds, and repeats with each letdown.

What causes D-MER?
We are unsure of this, but we very strongly feel that the findings are telling us that it is physiological, not psychological. Meaning that it is hormones or chemicals in your body, not past experience or repressed memories, that are causing it. The exact cause is unknown, but in preliminary research professionals suspect a hormonal imbalance most likely stemming from the pituitary gland and are looking to blame acute levels of oxytocin, with perhaps oxytocin’s “sister” hormone, vasopressin playing a role as well. It seems highly likely that the amygdala, which is responsible for emotional reactions, get involved as well.

Is D-MER normal?
It is common enough, early numbers are showing 25% of breastfeeding women, and the number may go higher if there weren’t so many women weaning because of D-MER, as these women aren’t included in the sample. But is it normal because it is common? Let’s look at an example; having an allergy is considered common, but allergies are not considered normal. We try to fix allergies, prevent allergies and take meds for allergies. They are uncomfortable and irritating. D-MER is like that. It is common, but not normal. Nature did not intend for mothers to feel upset when feeding their babies, the survival of man kind was dependent on mothers finding breastfeeding enjoyable, or else infants would not have been care for or fed properly.

Who gets D-MER?
We don’t know yet. We’ve looked into birth experience, past history of depression, anxiety or sexual abuse, separation of mother and baby, and other theories. So far it seems like it is just a form of hormonal “russian roulette” with no common link from one mother to a next.


crossposted.

*I have heard the feelings called "sad nipple syndrome" (usually when lactation is not a factor)