What’s covered in this guide:
Breastfeeding is hormone-driven.
Oxytocin (milk release + emotional intensity), prolactin (milk production + lowered libido), low estrogen (dryness, mood shifts), and dopamine fluctuations all shape your postpartum experience.Emotional ups and downs are biochemical.
Hormone shifts can cause sudden crying, anxiety, D-MER (brief sadness before let-down), or feeling emotionally heightened.Physical changes are normal.
Expect fatigue, brain fog, aches, increased hunger/thirst, sweating, temporary bone density loss, and possible skin or hair changes.Libido, periods, and vaginal comfort often shift.
High prolactin suppresses ovulation and lowers estrogen, leading to missed periods, dryness, and reduced sexual desire.Weaning can trigger mood dips.
When oxytocin and dopamine drop, sadness or emotional vulnerability can surface — even if weaning is planned.Most changes are temporary but seek help if needed.
Mood swings are common, but persistent hopelessness, anxiety, or loss of interest may signal postpartum depression and deserve support.
If no one warned you that breastfeeding hormones would basically become the backstage crew running your entire postpartum show, consider this your intimate little debrief. Because yes, breastfeeding is beautiful and primal and bonding, but it’s also a full‑body chemical experience that can feel confusing, overwhelming, and sometimes downright wild.
Let’s break down what’s actually happening inside you — the hormones, the feelings, the subtle shifts, the loud developments, and all the postpartum hormonal changes that can make you wonder, “Is this normal?” (Spoiler: most of the time, yes.)
Let’s dive into it, and let’s begin with decoding which hormones are actually in play…
What Is Oxytocin and How Does It Affect Breastfeeding?
Oxytocin is the feel-good hormone that triggers milk let-down, deepens bonding, and intensifies all your emotions, both good and difficult.
Oxytocin (a.k.a. the feel-good hormone) is the first hormone most of us hear about in the breastfeeding universe, and honestly, she’s a whole personality. She’s released every time your baby latches, and she’s the reason so many of the oxytocin breastfeeding effects feel deeply emotional.
Oxytocin tells your milk ducts to contract, that’s known as your let‑down reflex. This reflex is why sometimes even hearing your baby cry or even just thinking of them can cause you to start leaking milk. It’s also the hormone behind all the “aww” sensations you get when your baby tucks into your chest and exhales that tiny sigh that honestly could melt your whole heart. But she’s not just about warmth; oxytocin also lowers stress hormones, which is why feeding can sometimes make you feel calm even on the days when everything else feels like chaos.
But here’s the twist, oxytocin is actually a bit dramatic. Because she intensifies feelings, all of them. So, this hormone can make love feel deeper, but anxiety, overwhelm and sadness feel heavier too. You’re not imagining that emotional whiplash, It’s biochemistry.
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What is Prolactin and What Does It Do During Breastfeeding?
Prolactin is the milk-making hormone that helps you produce milk and feel calmer during night feeds, but it also suppresses estrogen — leading to lower libido, vaginal dryness, and fatigue.
If oxytocin is the emotional one, prolactin is the practical one. It’s the reason milk exists in the first place. Its release rises each time you nurse, which is why your milk supply naturally shifts, increasing or stabilizing based on how often your baby feeds.
Prolactin creates that almost dreamy, zoned‑out feeling during nighttime feeds, the kind that take the edge off just enough to keep you going. This effect is so powerful that this study found that parents who exclusively breastfeed end up getting more total sleep than parents who didn’t breastfeed, despite their frequent night wakings.
But prolactin also has a side hustle, it suppresses estrogen. And that’s where the prolactin breastfeeding symptoms show up, like vaginal dryness, lower libido, fatigue, the works. So if you feel like your desire dial has been turned way down, that’s not you being “off.” That’s breastfeeding libido changes being governed by a hormone trying to keep you focused on the tiny human depending on you.
When comfort feels hard to come by, small acts of self-care make a real difference. Here’s what we built to help with sore nipples.
How Does Low Estrogen Impact Your Body While Breastfeeding?
Low estrogen during breastfeeding causes vaginal dryness, reduced elasticity, discomfort with intimacy, mood shifts, and changes to skin, hair, and even body odour.
Nobody tells you that estrogen basically leaves the chat when you’re breastfeeding. Because prolactin is high, estrogen drops, and that sharp dip contributes to many of the postpartum hormonal changes you’re feeling in the background.
The estrogen breastfeeding impact is sneaky like lower elasticity in vaginal tissues, dryness, discomfort with intimacy, and sometimes a shift in your natural lubrication or even body odour. It’s not glamorous, but it’s real, and honestly, it’s something more people should talk about without shame.
The drop in estrogen can also play into breastfeeding hormone imbalance sensations like sudden weepiness, mood shifts, or feeling “not like yourself” some days.
What Role Does Dopamine Play in Breastfeeding?
Dopamine is the motivation hormone that dips when prolactin rises, which can cause a brief wave of sadness or “blah” feelings right before milk release, especially if you experience D-MER.
Dopamine is the motivation and reward hormone, and it plays a surprisingly big role in breastfeeding. Prolactin and dopamine have an inverse relationship, when one is high, the other tends to lower.
So when prolactin rises to help you produce milk, dopamine can temporarily dip. Thanks to this, you feel…
- That strange “blah” feeling right before milk is released, especially if you’ve experienced D‑MER ( which according to research is a quick, hormone-driven dip that triggers a sudden wave of sadness or anxiety).
- Lower motivation or enjoyment around things you usually love
- That sense of “I’m doing this because I have to” rather than “I feel good doing this”
But dopamine also spikes during positive bonding moments like the eye contact, the skin‑to‑skin, the tiny coos. That’s why breastfeeding can feel rewarding one moment and draining the next. It’s a neurochemical back‑and‑forth.
Dopamine doesn’t get enough credit in the conversation about hormones affecting postpartum mood, but it shapes far more than we tend to realise.
How Do Breastfeeding Hormones Work Together?
Oxytocin, prolactin, and estrogen work as a trio to regulate milk production, emotional sensitivity, physical healing, and overall postpartum recovery, creating an ongoing balancing act.
These three hormones don’t operate separately. They’re a trio orchestrating everything from your milk supply to your sleep patterns to how sensitive you feel emotionally and physically.
They influence:
- How much milk you produce (mostly prolactin)
- How easily you release milk (oxytocin again)
- How your body heals (estrogen’s absence matters here)
- How you feel in your own skin (all of them, honestly)
- And most importantly, how connected or overwhelmed you feel
This hormonal blend makes the breastfeeding hormones experience an ongoing balancing act. One moment you might feel intense connection and the next you’re Googling “Why am I crying during breastfeeding?” at 3 a.m.
And it’s not just emotional. These hormones affect metabolism, energy levels, hydration, sleep cycles, and even how hungry you feel. Many people underestimate how deeply hormones affecting postpartum mood are tied to these breastfeeding‑specific biochemical shifts.
What Are the Physical and Emotional Effects of Breastfeeding Hormones?
The breastfeeding hormone cocktail causes a wide range of experiences from sudden crying and brain fog to hunger, bone changes, and shifts in libido, skin, and hair.
Here’s how this hormonal mix shows up in your day-to-day life:
1. Negative Emotions
When oxytocin, dopamine, estrogen, prolactin, and progesterone all shift at once, your emotional baseline becomes more sensitive. That’s why you might suddenly cry during milk release (thanks, D-MER), feel anxious for no clear reason, or experience mood drops that come out of nowhere.
2. Sudden Crying (D-MER)
That intense dip right before milk releases? That’s D-MER, a split-second dopamine drop triggered because prolactin rises sharply to initiate milk flow, and the sudden hormonal shift momentarily suppresses dopamine. That dip can trigger sadness, dread, or irritability. It usually passes within minutes, but it can feel overwhelming when it hits.
3. Brain Fog
This one’s a mix of sleep disruption, hormonal turbulence, and prolactin’s calming-but-zoning-out quality. You might forget what you were saying mid-sentence or struggle to focus. It’s not “mom brain”, it’s neurological overload.
4. Aches and Pains
Some of the aches you feel come from the simple mechanics of breastfeeding like holding your baby in one position for long stretches, hunching forward without realising it, or tensing your shoulders while you latch them. Add in falling estrogen levels and the physical work of milk production, and your body is basically doing a full-time job while staying still. Your joints can also feel looser thanks to lingering relaxin from pregnancy, which makes certain positions more tiring if you’re not well-supported.
5. Feeling Hungrier and Thirstier
Milk production burns a significant amount of energy, which is why hunger can come out of nowhere. Your body needs more water and energy to sustain milk production. That ravenous feeling after a feed or the spontaneous thirst as let-down hits? That’s your body keeping up with demand.
6. Weight and Metabolism Changes
Breastfeeding burns a lot of calories, but that doesn’t automatically mean weight loss. Some people lose weight while breastfeeding, while others gain or stay the same. Everyone’s hormones respond differently, so appetite spikes, cravings, or plateaus are all completely normal.
7. Bone Loss (Temporary!)
Low estrogen during breastfeeding can decrease bone density slightly, but it’s reversible. Once your cycle returns or you wean, your bones typically regain what was lost.
8. Lose Your Period
High prolactin suppresses ovulation, which is why many breastfeeding parents don’t get their period for months. It’s your body’s natural way of spacing pregnancies, though not a reliable contraceptive.
9. No Libido
Low estrogen + high prolactin + exhaustion + constant physical touch = intimacy moving way down the priority list. It’s hormonal, not personal, and completely reversible.
10. Skin & Hair Changes
With estrogen low and nutrients going toward milk production, your skin might feel drier, your hair might shed more, and your nails may weaken. This isn’t problematic, it’s just redistribution.
11. Sweating More
Night sweats and daytime sweatiness are common because your body is literally recalibrating its entire hormone system while also trying to release extra fluid from pregnancy.
12. Feeling Depressed During Weaning
Dopamine and oxytocin both drop more sharply when feeds begin to decrease. That’s why weaning, even when it’s planned and wanted, can trigger a wave of unexpected grief or sadness.
How Can You Take Care of Yourself During Postpartum Hormonal Changes?
Create small moments of physical comfort throughout your day, protect your nipples from cracking, use proper postpartum products, stay hydrated, eat enough, and don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Here’s an actionable guide to caring for yourself through the hormone storm:
1. Prioritize nipple comfort
Cracked or sore nipples make everything harder, physically and emotionally. Use a nourishing balm after each feed to protect and soothe the skin barrier.
2. Use proper postpartum products
Postpartum bleeding is real, especially when hormones are still working themselves out. Products made specifically for this season bring massive comfort when your body is healing.
3. Keep water and snacks nearby
Milk production burns energy and requires hydration. Keep a water bottle and nutrient-dense snacks within arm’s reach during feeds.
4. Rest when you can
Even 15 minutes of rest can help. Your body is doing intense biochemical work around the clock.
5. Ask for support
Whether it’s someone to hold the baby while you shower or a friend to bring a meal, accepting help isn’t weakness — it’s survival.
6. Move gently
Light movement can ease aches and improve mood, but this isn’t the time for intense exercise. Walk, stretch, breathe.
7. Speak up if something feels wrong
Not every mood shift is “just hormones.” Trust your instincts and reach out for professional support if needed.
For nipples that need real relief, check this out!
What Warning Signs Mean You Need Professional Support?
If you feel persistently hopeless, lose interest in things you normally enjoy, or experience overwhelming nonstop anxiety, reach out for professional help — these may be signs of postpartum depression or anxiety.
Not every mood shift is “just hormones,” so pay attention if:
- You feel persistently hopeless
- You lose interest in things you normally enjoy
- Anxiety becomes overwhelming or nonstop
Sometimes hormones affecting postpartum mood blend with postpartum depression or anxiety (more on that here), and that deserves care and support, not silence.
You are not meant to power through alone. Ever.
You’re Not “Too Emotional”, You’re Human
Your body is doing ancient, primal, demanding work. These breastfeeding hormones are powerful, and they shape everything from milk flow to identity reshaping. Feeling shifted, stretched, softened and confused is all part of a very real neurological and biological transformation.
You’re allowed to grow into this slowly. You’re allowed to have days where it feels like magic and days where it feels like too much. Because postpartum isn’t just recovery, it’s evolution. And you’re doing it beautifully.
Disclaimer:
The content of this article is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information shared is of a general nature and may not be appropriate for all individuals or specific circumstances. Readers should not disregard, delay, or substitute professional medical advice based on the information contained herein.
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