Help with Pain and Cessation of Breastfeeding

You are not just supposed to stop. You are supposed to gradually reduce the feedings. Otherwise, you not only can get engorged, but get plugged ducts and an infection.

Slow is best. Reduce one feeding at a time.

Otherwise, you will likely need to pump off a little to reduce pressure. Warm showers help. I have heard cabbage leaves help too.

My big problem was getting blocked ducts when I didn't empty the breasts enough. Soy lecithin can help that.

A.
www.snuggleandread.com

I didnt try anything like cabbage or anything, but I found that pressure on my breasts like a tight sports bra/ ace bandage etc really helped. When they became somewhat painful, I would just take a hot shower to ease them a little. It took about 4-5 days from what I remember. Good luck! I did it cold turkey and it wasn't so bad!

Don't discount the cabbage leaves until you try them. It worked for me when my DD decided she didn't want to nurse anymore.

Hot showers, they have the benefit of making you let down without stimulation. If your breasts get stimulated in any way, it'll only prolong your agony, but letting down without stimulation will ease your swelling without compounding the problem.

Another thing to think about doing is taking some Sudafed. It had the effect of almost drying my milk up when my son was only a few months old and I was normally producing enough to feed him all day and pump several bottles too. I had to fight to maintain my supply when I was on that medication. Maybe it would help.

Other than that and what you've already tried, I don't have any suggestions. This is just one of those things that we girls have to generally suffer through with a minimum of effective treatment options, like cramps.

Spirit of Camphor rubbed topically

i just take hot shower when it got too bad and then express by hand, only until the discomfort had subsided, and continue expressing by hand or machine, only till the engorgement is down but no more because your telling it to keep making, the more you take ...do until you are taking less than the previous times .. and so forth.

oh yeah and dont forget to keep that secure bra on just about at all times because the gravity will pull the milk down.

A. f.

C.-

Did you just stop cold turkey? I bf'd both of my kids and never had that discomfort when stopping. What worked for me was to gradually cut out a feeding, about one a week. I got them down to once in the morning and once before bed. Then I cut out the morning and lastly I stopped the before bed one. If I recall correctly, with my first dd, I had one day after stopping where I felt "full", but not uncomfortable or in pain. With my 2nd dd, I had just cut back to the once a day before bed feeding when we had an evening wedding to go to. She ended up going to bed before we got home and did it w/o nursing, so at that point I figured we were done. I didn't have any uncomfortable feeling or pain after that time either.

I don't know if you tried to slowly wean your baby or not. I think it would be easier to do it gradually over a few weeks rather than in just a couple days. If you did indeed try to do this over an extended period of time and are still in that much pain. I'm not sure what to tell you. :o\ I'm sure that more great advice will be on it's way from all the other moms here shortly. :o) Good luck!

As soon as you feel discomfort pump just enough out to make you feel comfortable. Use the lowest setting you can for a electric pump or use a hand pump. I NEVER had to use anything else but this when I quit breast feeding either of my children. Good luck!

Drink one cup of sage tea three times a day for one week. This will dry up your milk supply.

G. T

this is probably not what a doctor would recommend, but I cut back on my fluid intake and veggie intake for about a week, which made a big difference, and then took hot showers or used warm washclothes when it got too bad. I self-expressed a tablespoon or so of milk when i couldn't handle it, but the "too full" feeling only lasted a few days for me.

My Ob/gyn told me the best way to stop it fast was to wrap my breasts with ace bandages or a really tight sports bra. I forget the reason why it works, but I did it with both of my kids and it worked.

M. - mom of a 4 yr old boy and 8 month old daughter.

Frozen cabbage leaves as compresses actually helped. Smelled terrible as they thawed, but the pain eased considerably.

This may sound crazy, but get the large outside leaves from green cabbage and put them in your bra. You should feel relief rather quickly. For a less natural approach, take a few antihistamines which should also help in drying up your milk.

look into cabbage leaves. I think sage tea also helps.

have a look on kellymom.com for weaning tips. also contact your local LLL, they have great tips on weaning.

Hi C. -
First, great job breastfeeding for a year!! Second, I
bf'd all 3 of mine for a year or a little more and found the best way was to wean gradually. It seems it is too late for that in your case (just remember it for next time:). I used cabbage leaves with my last one as we struggled with thrush and a lot of pain the entire year so slow weaning was sort of a moot point for me - I needed to stop. I found that breaking the spine of the leaf helped it fit in my bra better and possibly helped dry things up faster; some people say the fluid helps. I don't know about that but it is a cheap earth-friendly way to go. Don't forget a little Tylenol goes a long way, too.

Very hot shower or bath with some manual handpumping... to relieve the pressure. Maybe if you pump once a day with the electric pump but just enough to relieve the pressure... that might work too... my friend did that and it worked for her.