Lactating Issues

I didn't breastfeed. I bound myself w/ an ace bandage and wore a sports bra 24/7 for about 1.5 weeks. I also took COLD showers as my nurse told me warm water would bring on more milk.

I was a freak about keeping my bandage TIGHT! I wanted to make sure the process went as quick as possible.

The only thing I can add is that I put the cabbage in the freezer before putting it in my bra to make it last longer and to help a little with the relief.

Oh! Don't pump! It will just make the problem worse. What she needs is for her milk supply to dry up. Taking a decongestant can help. In a few days it will get better. Wearing a bra even for sleeping makes it better too. I went through this with both of my children, because I was unable to nurse.

An old wives tale perhaps, but I was always told it worked - use cabbage leaves to dry up. It would certainly be worth the try to help alleviate some of the pain...

Opposite of Warm Compresses! COLD! and keep her breasts OUT of the warm water in the shower :) Another one I did not try was cabbage leaves--sounds weird, I know, but more than one mama swore by them. Just putting them on and resting for awhile. I used frozen veggies bags. But warm things just encourage milk production. Hope you get some other advice, too. I think she could also take pain meds like tylenol.

I would avoid warm compresses and warm showers if she is not planning to breast feed. Instead she should bind her breasts, either by wrapping with an ace bandage or wearing a snug sports bra. Also she should try cold compresses. The warmth actually stimulates the breasts to lactate which will not be helpful for her.

NO! Everything you told her is backwards! It will encourage the milk to come in ... tell her to stop! LOL
She needs to wear a sports bra, or a tight one with a wide ace wrap wrapped around her. Ice packs. Cold cabbage leaves against the breasts. Tylenol for the pain. No pumping, no hot water. She can try taking sudafed or something similar that "dries" your sinuses, I've heard it can help. It will take a few days, but will help.
Tell her good luck!
D. (OB nurse)

I was always told Sudafed would help to dry up the milk.

She could use homeopathy : ricinus 30ch, 5 pellets several times a day, she could also use cabbage leaves in between her bra and her breasts, it will decrease the lactation.

Have her take some Sudafed (to help dry up the milk quicker) and use cabbage leafs (buy a head of cabbabge, but in the fridge) but a cabbage leaf in each cup of the bra and switch when they start to wilt. This does work. I used both the sudafed and cabbage leaves when I stopped breastfeeding my daughter.

advil and binding...she can try to manually pump in the shower, but the more you stimulate your breast the more they are going to hurt b/c they are thinking they need to produce milk for the baby. hope this helps...

I'm not sure what the other ladies are telling you - didn't read them first. The advice I was given was to not touch them, other than to gently wash them. I didn't massage them or use warm compresses. I was also told to wear a tight fitting bra at all times - including bed time. I found a good sports bra to sleep in. The reasoning was that the more you touch or massage them, the more likely they are to release some milk and then that only prolongs the "drying up". It took about a week or two to really find complete relief though. She could try some pain relief (Ibuprofen or Tylenol).

In Europe, they drink peppermint tea to reduce milk. She could also ask her Gyn, because there is a pill and/or shot, to stop lactating.

Hi D.,

I'm an LC and answer this question all the time. She can take Ibuprofen to help with the swelling. If the Dr. gave her a prescription, tell her not to add on to that though. She can use regular green cabbage leaves over her breast (between her breasts and her bra. Wear them for an hour or two. When wilted, throw it away, and put a new leaf or 2 on each breast. She can also drink sage tea 3-4 times a day. Take 1/2 a teaspoon of sage (from the grocery dried spice aisle) and put a cup of boiling water over it. Let it steep for 5 minutes. She can put a regular tea bag in it if she wants and sweeten however she wants as well. Instead of warm compresses (That causes more swelling) she can use cold compresses (ice in a bag, but put a dry cloth on the breast first)3-4 times a day for 15-20 minutes. These should really help. She can also use Tylenol for the pain. It doesn't relieve the swelling though. Last but not least, she could try breastfeeding. Even if she only did it for a few feeds. The baby would benefit from the milk and mom would get relief. But honestly, she'd need to soften the areola first, as she's probably too full to put baby to breast right now. Any questions, feel free to email me privately. I'd be happy to answer any further questions.

S.

I used to work for an Ob/Gyn and they always recommended buying a head of cabbage, cutting it in half and putting it in the freezer and then applying each half to each breast to help. I never tried it, so not sure if it works, but it was always being said everytime I turned around. Good luck.

Oh, do I remember that pain! I found that motrin and cold compresses (frozen peas) were the most beneficial and helped alleviate the pain. She IS going to feel some heat and see some redness, but as long as this doesn't last more than a week, she shouldn't be concerned. It is normal because of the engorgement. I was also told that leaving a sports bra on (even while showering) helped, but I had winter babies, so I didn't want to be in a wet bra all day.

Cabbage leaves (appling the cold leaves directly to her breasts) will help relieve the pain and if done often, will help dry up her milk.

Also, if she expresses (can be done by hand) enough milk JUST TO RELIEVE THE PRESSURE it will signal her body to stop producing. It will take a few days, maybe a week. But the production will slow down. Massaging in the shower is fine, but she has to keep in mind, the warm water from the shower can and most likely will stimulate let down. Whatever her body gets rid of, it will replace. Expressing milk just to relieve the pressure keeps the breast fairly full, which signals the body to stop producing. She just has to be careful to ensure her breasts don't become hard and engorged and possibly infected. If she feels her breasts are hot to the touch or red she should get it checked out. Mastis is a concern.

I know a lot of my friends used cabbage leaves. Actually they have sworn by it! Hope this helps out. Best of luck to your cousin.

D.,

I agree with April. A friend of mine did this and swore by it as the best pain reliever. When the cabbage wilts then you replace it with another leaf. I don't know how this works but it's said to work great!

Cabbage leaves inside a tight sports bra or ace bandage wrapped tightly (not so it's uncomfortable though) will help to dry her up more quickly. Cabbage leaves leave an awful smell, but they work. She could also try refrigerating the cabbage leaves first which will help relieve some of the pain. She should use frozen veggies for cold compresses. Warm compresses are not the answer as that will signal a letdown and then her body will produce more milk to make up for the lost amount. Tea that has an herb called sage will also help if she drinks a cup of it 2-3 times daily.

Also, in addition to the cabbage leaves, she should eat lots of fresh parsley. It helps the milk dry up naturally.

please go to www.lli.org and find a la leche league support group in her area. very knowledgable folks, free support.

tight bra
motrin (will help with pain and swelling)
COLD compress
No massage
no pumping (will only make more milk)
crushed cabbage leaves in her bra

it will take a few days for the discomfort to go away. She may also want to look into some homeopathic remedies (I think sage tea might be one of them). Limiting her liquids will only dehydrate her- she should drink to thirst- she has been thru a lot with delivery and every thing, being dehydrated will only add to her problems.

she may run a bit of a fever, if she gets flu like symptoms, she needs to see her doc- it may be a breast infection which will need treatment.

D.,
Tell your cousin to use cold cabbage leaves! It does work! Just have her refridgerate the cabbage and put the cold leaves in her ace bandage (best to wrap around breasts tightly). And when it gets warm, put new cold cabbage in there. It really does help! In a couple of days, she will feel good. My grandmother told me this & then to my surprise the nurses at the hospital told me the same thing! Good luck to your cousin, I feel her pain!

Cabbage leaves(from the fridge) in her bra every 2 hours, and sage tea, just use regular sage if that is all you can find, but fresh or whole leaf is better. The cabbage leaves relieve the burning and swelling, the sage dries up the milk, the shower and massaging should *stop* unless she gets mastitis. This encourages more milk! So sad she doesn't want to nurse :(

Cabbage Leaves in her bra.

If she's not breastfeeding she shouldn't stimulate the breasts at all.

Hi D.,

When a friend of mine needed her milk to "disappear" she wore tighter than normal sports bras all day every day. If she normally wore a C she bought a B.

I hope this helps your cousin out!

M.

The main thing that helped me, make sure she has a bra with very good support, the snugger the better. I heard they have a pill that will help"dry" up the milk, not sure what its called.

Hi,
I have had the same issues....
I did not breastfeed my son but I now do breastfeed my daughter. The issue here is that her milk is going to come in regardless of if she murses or not. If she chooses not to nurse the compresses are the best thing and the engorgment should go down in 3-4 days... However, if it does not go away within that time or shortly there after, of if there reddness,lines or any pussy looking fluid coming from the nipples it may be a condition called mastitis which is infection, or inflamation of the breast which usually requires antibiotics and pain medication. It can be quite serious and very painful so if it does not resolve soon, you should tell her to see a DR. It would be her best bet. Motrin, (ibproufin, advil) would be best until then for pain management because of the anti-inflamatorys. Hope this helps and hope your cousin feels better soon! Good luck, I hope its not mastitis, I went through it and its just no fun, and tell her congrats on the little one!!!
E.

I have heard that putting cabbage leaves in the bra helps. I did not have to try it because I breastfed and my daughter gradually weaned herself, so I had no problems. Also sudafed helps dry things up.

A warm shower and messaging will help the discomfort for awhile, but will only prolong the process needed to stop her body from making milk. She needs to limit her liquids and bind herself up with an Ace bandage with a coldpack...frozen peas are good. ANY stimulation will alert her body to make milk and make her very uncomfortable.

I had a friend tell me that cold cabbage leaves right on the breast. I know it sounds nasty but it works.

this may sound REALLY weird, but I also made the same desicion not to breastfeed. My freind told me to put a cabbage leaf in each breast inside the bra. As weird as it sounded I tryed it because I was in sooo much pain, I was willing to try any thing. Well much to my surprize. It worked great!!! The pain and the swelling helped tremdously. You jusy change them when the coldness wears off. Its something in the cabbage that makes this work.
I hope this helps, J.

Tell her not to massage them, or stand with her breasts under warm water in the shower, that makes the milk come in! I wore a sports bra 24/7 and used ice packs and didn't have any problems.