But the reality for a small subset of women is quite different.
For some moms, this can happen, and its not postpartum depression.
Its a quite different condition known as dysphoric milk ejection reflex, or D-MER.
What is D-MER?
Dysphoric milk ejection reflex, or D-MER, is a condition that can affect some lactating women.
It doesnt last more than a few minutes.
After doing some research, she learned that other women anecdotally reported the same symptoms.
What are the symptoms of D-MER?
These feelings usually disappear as quickly as they showed up within 10 minutes of initiating a feeding.
(Some women have only mild symptoms, but for others the feelings can be severe.)
This is one reason why D-MER can go undiagnosed.
What causes D-MER?
This is temporary, however, as your dopamine levels bounce back after your prolactin goes up.
How is D-MER diagnosed?
Unfortunately, there’s no official way to diagnose D-MER.
But if your symptoms only crop up during nursing, theres a good chance that you do have it.
How is D-MER different from postpartum depression or the “baby blues”?
Traditional antidepressants also seem to do little to relieve D-MERs symptoms.
How is D-MER managed?
Since theres very little research surrounding D-MER, its hard to know what the best treatment is.
Happily, D-MER doesnt last forever most of the time, it resolves in days or weeks.
Even if it persists longer than that, it will disappear once you stop nursing.
