34 | I Had No Idea Stopping Breastfeeding Could Make Me Feel This Low | Sarah | Post-Weaning Depression, Two Under Two, Gentle Sleep Training & Toddler Bedtime

Sarah had no idea that stopping breastfeeding could leave her feeling so low, and nobody had warned her. She only found out when she Googled it.

Sarah is a mum of two under two, and for months bedtime with her toddler, Charlie, could take up to three hours, sometimes ending in screaming tantrums while she had a newborn in her arms. She’d tried two sleep consultants, car rides and the TV, and people kept telling her the gentle approach she wanted wasn’t possible.

In this episode, Sarah talks about the post-weaning low that hit when she stopped breastfeeding, which she compares to her postnatal depression, and why she thinks more mums should be told it can happen. She also shares how role-playing with toy trucks during the day helped prepare Charlie for his own room, how bedtime went from hours to around an hour and a half on the very first night with his dad in the room, and how it now ends with “Mummy working” and straight to sleep.

This episode explores:

• Post-weaning depression and the hormone drop after stopping breastfeeding
• Mood changes after weaning with a history of postnatal depression
• Two under two: looking after a toddler and a newborn
• Gentle sleep training for toddlers
• Toddler bedtime battles and bedtimes that take hours
• Using role play to prepare a toddler for sleep changes
• Moving a toddler into their own room
• Breastfeeding to sleep and parental preference at bedtime
• Bed sharing and co-sleeping with a toddler and a newborn
• Partner-led bedtime and settling
• Mum guilt, and stepping away for five minutes when you’re overwhelmed

If you’ve ever been told the gentle way isn’t possible, or felt strangely low after stopping breastfeeding and had no idea why, this conversation is for you.

Follow at Awake at 3am and Sophia’s Sleep School for more real stories of motherhood, sleep and survival.