Breastfeeding is one of the greatest things you could ever do for your baby and yourself. For your little one, there are too many health benefits to name. And the same goes for yourself, its cleansing to the body, and trust me, if you’re breastfeeding, your body has never been more efficient. You’re quite literally a well oiled machine and you should be proud of what you’ve done! 

But like all good things, this too, must come to an end. As a first time mother, I breast fed my little girl for 12 months. The day she turned 1, she was off the boob, and I was so relieved. I had all the first time mommy issues. Sleep deprivation, PPD, weight loss, and not the healthy kind, I was just all over the place. So once I stopped I wasn’t even mentally clear enough to notice how my body responded. It could also be that a month later I was pregnant again but that’s a story for another time.

With my second baby, I breastfed for a little over 15 months. It was a completely different experience. I wasn’t in a rush to stop because now im a mom of 2, kind of an expert, right (not)? My newfound confidence in parenting afforded me an easier breastfeeding experience this time around. So I was instantly able to notice what was going on with my body after I stopped. 

I got happy.

Now, I would classify myself as a fairly happy person. I’m not happy all day, but I’m pretty sure I’m happy about SOMETHING everyday. I get my jollies where I can and I celebrate the small wins. It works for me. But if I’m being transparent, I’ve always felt like breastfeeding had my emotions in a choke hold. Breastfeeding means that a tiny human is tugging at your boobs all day. Paired with my husband also wanting to tug on my boobs, means I was exhausted and really wanted my boobs to myself sometimes. Most days I couldn’t make sense of my emotions, I would be sad or upset, and didn’t really know why. 

After I stopped, I just started to feel like myself again. Minor annoyances would just roll off my back. And I found joy in the little things again. It was like a switch went off. I wasn’t as snappy, I laughed more, all within 7 days of stopping. Simply put, I stopped having so many feelings about everything. And it was refreshing. 

I got horny. 

There is extensive research about how breastfeeding can effect a woman’s libido. I’m here to tell you, there’s no need to research that particular topic if you haven’t already. It’s true, sis. It’s all true. I don’t know if its the exhaustion, or the hormonal ups and downs, your body releasing a hormone every time your baby latches, or just feeling like a utility is pretty unsexy. But sex was not on my mind. Not nearly as much as it was before. But baby when I tell you I got my little sexy back! I started to throw cat again. And like magic, small and lingering tensions in my marriage finally broke. Proving that your sex drive comes back post breastfeeding, and also, men are predictable. 

I got energy.

With or without my morning coffee, I had a lil pep in my step. My kid was still waking through the night, but I started maintaining quite a bit of energy. Don’t get me wrong, a bxtch is still tired! But I’ll take my current energy supply over that other mess any day. I was too sleepy to function. Breastfeeding is natural, but that doesn’t mean it is easy. It is time and energy consuming. It takes commitment. And if you’re feeling like you’ve got no gas in the tank, it’s not your imagination, you probably don’t. Your body is working overtime to do this miraculous thing for your baby, so take care of YOU!

For all the mamas who are navigating the path to successful breastfeeding, I encourage you to enjoy It while you can. You may have some bad days, you may run into hiccups, but when it’s done you’ll feel like yourself again. You’ll feel even better than before, because you’ll gain an experience that only makes you better and bonds you with you tiny human! And you’ll surely miss it. Hang in there, sis!