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Who stopped breast-feeding and went into a flare?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/18/2009 10:28 AM (GMT 0)
My pregnancy was so wonderful. After my pregnancy has been hell. cry Terrible flare I went from Asocal to prednisone, to remicade. I have breast-fed for over 8 months now I'd like to stop but I am scared. I heard from RobynByrd about her horrible experience. The Remicade is not working completely to keep me in remission now so....... I just don't know what that kind of hormone drop would do to my body? I am breast and bottle feeding my son and still have not gotten my cycle back which is nice but once that starts up again after breast-feeding is ended;I just don't know what this crazy disease will do next. I don't want to stop breast-feeding and end-up in surgery. Surgery is an option for me but man at this time in my life it would be really bad timing. I know everyone is different so I'd like to hear your stories as well.
Posted 6/18/2009 1:24 PM (GMT 0)
While my story isn't exactly like yours, it's similar. I developed UC right after childbirth, which I've been told is fairly common. The thought is that since your immune system is suppressed during pregnancy, it tends to bounce back with a vengeance after the child is born. Which can cause many autoimmune disorders to flare up. I got my UC diagnosed & was put on Rowasa enemas & Asacol, which helped tremendously. I breastfed for 27 months, & had no surge in UC symptoms upon weaning. I would think that stopping breastfeeding itself shouldn't cause your flares to worsen- your body is still in that postpartum stage where the immune system is overcompensating. So weaning may help your UC. I became really awful when I stopped my Asacol, about 3 years into the disease. Then everything fell apart, leading to pred, Imuran, Remicade, etc. I'm doing ok now, not great, but manageable. Surgery may be in my future also. You may flare up a bit around your period, but overall I don't think weaning your child will have much effect on your UC, good or bad.
Posted 6/18/2009 3:14 PM (GMT 0)
Like Eva Lou, I was diagnosed after childbirth. I had to quit breastfeeding around 8 weeks because I was so sick (I hadn't been diagnosed yet) that I lost my supply. If anything, I got a bit better after I quit breastfeeding, but it definitely did not make my symptoms worse.
Posted 6/18/2009 3:15 PM (GMT 0)
I flared up when I stopped breast feeding 3 months post-partum. I started on Remicade in T2 due to a flare caused by pregnancy. At that time, my doctors stopped the Remicade once I got within 6 weeks of delivering because they said it would pass through to the baby at that point. So when I flared 3 months post-partum, I hadn't had any Remicade for over 4 months. So I can't say whether I flared because I stopped breast feeding or if it was because I had gone so long without Remicade. I suspect it was a combination of the two. For me, I felt awful throughout pregnancy but felt the best I have ever felt while breast feeding. I didn't want to stop but it was my decision not to breast feed while getting Remicade.
Posted 6/18/2009 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
I also think I got a little better after I quit breastfeeding. It was easier to take care of myself. I was exhausting myself breastfeeding all the time and any spare moment between was in the bathroom. Ugh those were long nights. I wasn't on remicade so I'm not sure if that makes any difference for you. Good luck!
Posted 6/22/2009 12:03 PM (GMT 0)
I breastfed my daughter for 13 months. After weaning I actually felt a lot better. I didn't have any UC flares. I think making milk put a bit of stress on my body and when I stopped my body was relieved. Plus I had lost a lot of weight during that time and when I quit breastfeeding I got back to my normal weight.
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