I had a woman contact me with her story about D-MER, or Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex. According to the D-MER website:
Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex is a newly recognized condition affecting lactating women that is characterized by an abrupt dysphoria, or negative emotions that occur just before milk release and continuing not more then a few minutes.
This mother of 4 had experienced D-MER when breastfeeding her first 3 babies.
“As soon as [my milk] let down, I felt disgusting, and embarrassed and it was awful for just a few moments, then it passed. I thought it was just me.”
After the birth of her fourth baby, she encapsulated the baby’s placenta and took the placenta capsules every day. She was relieved to discover that she did NOT experience D-MER with her fourth baby.
She emailed me to let me know that she attributes the relief of her symptoms to the placenta capsules. What another great reason to use your baby’s placenta! Breastfeeding should not make you feel horrible, and placenta may be able to help.
Preliminary research shows that inappropriate dopamine activity at the time of the milk ejection reflex is the cause of D-MER. It could be the wonderful hormones contained in the placenta that help balance the mother’s levels enough so she does not experience the unusual drop of dopamine just prior to milk release.
Thank you for sharing your story, A.S. You could be helping many mothers avoid this emotional and unsettling condition when breastfeeding their babies.
