Help with Weaning

When I weaned, I did the same as you and got down to one feeding. Then after that, I would pump just enough to offer relief. If you pump too much, then you could boost your milk production. I have also read about people wearing cabbage leaves in their bra to dry up their milk.

Good luck.

First of all, congratulations on nursing your daughter for so long! I'm still nursing my 19 month old, and with all the bottle-fed toddlers running around, we sure are few and far between, but our kids really benefit.

You definitely have engorgement associated with the weaning. Since you only dropped one feeding, slowing down nursing is not really an option. I think you just need to follow the recommendations for engorgement. This is a very reputable breastfeeding site:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/engorgement.html

Take some Tylenol for the pain. If it's still really intense ( I went through horrible engorgement when my second was born, with fever, etc., so I can sympathize!), you can alternate tylenol with advil every 3 hours. You definitely need to relieve the symptoms, though, or you could end up with a plugged duct or mastitis. :( Good luck!

cabage leaves and tylenol for the pain

Hi J.,
I weaned my 15 month old about 3 weeks ago and I too was in agony! I took Tylenol and put cabbage leaves in my bra. Crumple the leaves first and change them every 2 hours. I also heard Benadryl works well but I didn't try because I didn't want to be drowsy. Also wear a tight fitting bra and express milk only to feel comfortable, not completely. Congrats on nursing so long! It will get better in about a week.

Hello, I have attached info from three reputable sites of natural milk suppresent methods.

This is a great company whose sage tincture is for stopping production.
1)
http://motherlove.com/product_sage.php

The following two sited also speak of sage and its properties as well as other useful tips.

2)
http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/herbs-oversuppl...

Too much milk: Sage and other herbs for decreasing milk supply
Sage
This is best used only if you are in the process of weaning, though it may also be used in extreme cases of oversupply when the usual measures are not effective. Be careful with this if you are not in the weaning process! Don't overdo it once you're seeing some results.

To use dried sage (Salvia officinalis) for reducing milk supply, take 1/4 teaspoon of sage 3x per day for 1-3 days. You can mix the sage in vegetable juice (for example, V-8), but it won't mix well into other juices. You can also mix it into other foods. If you don't like the taste of sage, try putting it into a tiny piece of sandwich and swallowing it whole - peanut butter or something else a bit sticky seems to work best for holding the sage in place. Tear off the corner of the sandwich containing the sage (it should be a very small section) and swallow it without chewing (that's why you need a very small section).

To use sage tea for decreasing milk supply, infuse 1 tablespoon of dried sage in 1 cup of boiling water (or 20g dried sage in 50 ml boiling water). Steep for 5-15 minutes. Drink 1 cup, 2 - 6 times per day.

You can use a tincture of sage instead: 30-60 drops of tincture, 3-6 times a day.

See Sage for additional safety information for nursing moms.

Cabbage
Green cabbage leaves can also be used topically on the breast to reduce milk supply. Again, be careful with this if you are not in the weaning process.

Jasmine
Another effective treatment is to apply fresh, crushed jasmine flowers (Jasminum sambac) to the breasts to decrease milk flow. A study has shown this to be effective: Shrivastav P, George K, Balasubramaniam N, Jasper MP, Thomas M, Kanagasabhapathy AS. Suppression of puerperal lactation using jasmine flowers (Jasminum sambac). Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 1988 Feb;28(1):68-71.

Other herbs
Other herbs that can decrease milk supply: Peppermint (Mentha piperita), Spearmint, Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), Chickweed, Black Walnut, stinging nettles (not nettle - that increases milk supply), Yarrow, Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum), Lemon Balm, Oregano, Periwinkle Herb (Vinca minor), Sorrel (Rumex acetosa).

Sage, peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm, oregano, and cabbage leaves can all be incorporated into a pressed oil (cold pressed or hot) to make massage oils for milk suppression.

Peppermint essential oil has been used traditionally for decreasing milk supply. Peppermint tea is a very weak form of peppermint and only large amounts (quarts) would be expected to decrease milk supply. Some women have successfully used the strong peppermint candies (for example, Altoids® Curiously Strong Peppermints) for decreasing milk supply (a few per day aren't likely to affect supply, though).

3) http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/html/lactation_suppres...

Once your milk supply is established, stopping abruptly causes certain physical changes. Your breasts will continue to produce milk for a while, and if some isn’t removed, you may become engorged, and possibly develop mastitis. You will also experience a sudden drop in prolaction levels, which may add to your feelings of depression.

Here are some suggestions that may minimize your discomfort, and avoid potential problems.

Don’t bind your breasts. This is an old fashioned idea which is no longer recommended because it can make you very uncomfortable, and may cause plugged ducts and mastitis. Using drugs to “dry up” the milk is also not recommended because they are not very effective, and may cause serious side effects.

Wear a supportive (but not tight) bra for support. Choose clothing that is less likely to show wet spots if you leak, and wear nursing pads to absorb leaking milk.

Drink to thirst. Restricting fluids doesn’t help.

Cut down on salt intake. Salt causes your body to retain fluids.

Take 200 mg of vitamin B6 each day for 5 days to relieve engorgement.

Sage tea contains a natural form of estrogen and can decrease your supply and help dry up your milk. You can buy it at the health food store, or use the spice from your kitchen. Take 1 tsp of rubbed sage with 1 cup of hot water and let it steep for about 15 minutes. You will want to add some milk or honey to it as it is very bitter. 3-4 ml every 6 hours usually dries up the milk quickly and goes down a little faster than the tea. The tincture is more readily absorbed in the mucous membranes, so it is somewhat more efficient at decreasing your milk supply.
Cabbage leaf compresses are a home remedy that has been used for over a hundred years to reduce engorgement and dry up milk. Here’s how to use them: Buy plain green cabbage. Rinse and dry leaves. Put them in the refrigerator. Remove base of hard core vein and gently pound leaves. Wrap around breast and areola, leaving nipple exposed. The leaves fit nicely around the breast, and the cold feels good. Cover entire breast, and if needed, the area under your arms. Change every 30 minutes or sooner if the leaves become wilted.
Don’t be afraid to relieve your discomfort by expressing some milk. Express just enough to soften your breasts, but not enough to empty them completely. A warm shower will help relieve the discomfort of full breasts, and is a good place to express a little milk to relieve the fullness.

How often you express should be determined by your comfort level. Always go as long as you can before pumping (or hand expressing) and take out as little milk as possible. If you have been pumping every 3 hours, start out by pumping every 4 hours, then every 6, then every 8, then every 12, etc. If you have been pumping 6 ounces at each session, pump 4 ounces, then 3, then 2, etc. By gradually expressing less milk less and less often your supply will decrease without causing physical problems for you.

The amount of time it takes for your milk to dry up depends on how full a supply you have built up. If you have very little milk when you wean, it may be possible to quit cold turkey with a minimum of discomfort. For most mothers, a more gradual approach is recommended. If you have a full supply when you wean, and you taper off gradually, you should be able to stop expressing completely within 2-3 weeks, and often sooner. It is normal for you to be able to express a few drops of milk or have a little leaking for weeks or months after you stop nursing.

Good luck and have a glass of wine for the pain!!!

GOD'S BLESSINGS!!!

Hi J.,
Having nursed three kids, my advice is to let them wean gradually. No need to rush quitting, unless you're going back to work or something. It sounds weird to nurse a child who's two, probably, but if you can do that, the child will help decide when she's ready to wean and it'll be easier on your body, too.
Good luck!

By pumping you are prolonging the agaony. As long as your body thinks there is someone who still wants milk it will still produce milk. The best advice I got was to take an old bra and cut out a whole for your nipples, if you have a smaller bra that would help. Put this on and with out your nipples being constricted they will leak easily. This will help relieve the pressure. Ice helped me as well. If you are going out and you really do not want to leak everywhere you may want to pump before you go, but only in absolute emergencys. Everytime you pump you are telling your body to make more milk. Good Luck and Congratulations on giving your baby one of the bests gifts you could give her.

lanolin cream for your breast also when they fill up go in the bathroom and just squeeze some milk in the sink or in the shower only enough to releve the pressure and doing this will make your breast slowly stop producing the milk i had this problem and this really works well your breast only keep producing on a supply and demand basis so you just need to train them to stop supplying hope this helps

Since she is down to only one nursing a day, and is still only 15 months (WHO recommends nursing until age 2...) I would consider keeping the one nursing a day for a while...until your body adjusts AND through the upcoming flu season. You don't know how many moms posts to these boards saying that if it wasn't for the nursing that their child would have ended up dehydrated and on IV in the hosp when coping with an illness, infection, reaction from a vaccine, etc when they wold eat or keep anything else down. You will have the perfect answer and remedy to a sick or hurting child...the perfect medicine and comfort :-)

To me it sounds like she is still taking in alot of milk in that one nursing a day for you to feel that engorged and uncomfortable. If you let her continue once a day, over time she will take less and less milk in (wean herself) and you will feel very minimal discomfort from a missed nursing.

I had that problem both times. Don't listen to people that don't know what they are talking about. Do NOT pump your breasts, put hot towels on them, take hot showers or anything else to stimulate them. Wear a tight fitting bra and just live with it. It will go away a lot faster if you leave them alone. Or you can go to the doctor and he can actually give you a pill to dry up, my friend took that route. I just let them dry up naturally, within just a few days you will not even notice any pain.........Hot showers will make your milk continue to produce. It's ok to put cold on them. Any stimulation makes the milk produce more and delays the drying out process............

Ending the breast feeding was one of the worst breast pains I have ever had. My aunt, who was a pediatric nurse for years, suggested I use frozen veggies as a cold compress. She recommended peas as they are small and if you bang the bag a little to loosen the peas they mold around your breast better then any ice pack. I know it kind of sounds crazy but it worked for me.