My Breasts Are Going to Explode!

Hi T.,

I hope you are feeling better soon!

While I don't have advice on ending the pumping, I do have another suggestion:

If you are interested there is a milk bank here in Columbus that takes milks from moms who have extra, pasteurizes it, and gives it to very sick babies who need it to get better (moms can't breastfeed, etc.). It is such a wonderful gift to be able to help these poor babies, and there is always a need for more milk! I am also a first-time mom and have been donating for the past 7 months or so.

You can check out the website if you're interested:
http://www.ohiohealth.com/bodymaternity.cfm?id=1049

Hi, T.,
I was like you when I had my first child. My breast were comming to my chin all the time full, and engorged. I was breastfeeding but still had to pump to relieve the pain. I had so much milk stored up in the freezer that my mom suggested that I donate them to a milk bank because a lot of people can't breastfeed and that way their babies still get the opportunities if breastmilk. So You can look into it, the process is very easy and it's a good feeling to be able to help that way. And pretty soon your body produces less milk and get some relief. Hope this helps.

Mastitis hurts big time. When I had it with my first child, I would sit there practicing my Lamaze while my daughter was nursing. The warm compresses will work as well as hot showers. Try massaging the knots, I know this is painful. The other thing I tried when I was done nursing and wanted to dry up was taking a decongestant. Sounds crazy but it worked all 3 times for me. Not only did my milk dry up but my allergies didn't bother me. :-)

Hi T.,
Believe it or not, a lot of women wish they had your problem. That is, there are many women who can't breast-feed for one reason or another. I had heard that it is possible to donate breast milk. I just looked it up and found that there is a milk bank here in Columbus, at Grant Medical Center. Here's a link:
http://www.ohiohealth.net/bodyriverside.cfm?xyzpdqabc=0&a...

And here's a link to a donor's story:
http://thelactivist.blogspot.com/2005/12/donor-moms-story...

And a link about how to get started donating:
http://thelactivist.blogspot.com/2005/12/how-can-you-beco...

So, while this is not exactly helpful in terms of ideas for slowing down production, it's an idea for if you have excess. I would not be surprised at all to find that the folks at Grant Medical Center would be able to help with ideas for slowing down production also, because it looks like that's a common problem for donors.

Contact information:

Mothers' Milk Bank of Ohio
Grant Medical Center @ Victorian Village Health Center
1087 Dennison Avenue
Columbus, OH 43201
Phone ###-###-####
email: ____@____.com

Good luck! :)

I think I was on my way to mastitis with my first son and I found that running a very warm bath (as hot as you can stand) and laying on your side (the side that has the problem) and just letting your breast soak in the water helped tremendously!! I had called the doc and they had called in antibiotics and after a couple of hours in the tub (on 2 occasions) the pain was gone.
Never picked up the drugs.........

Stopping nursing is painful! I have done it three times, and it was difficult every time. The best thing I did was wear a really tight sports bra (aka binding). You can continue to pump at decreasing intervals since you have been doing it so often, but you will be uncomfortable for a while. Once you're down to a couple of times a day, then you must just give it up. The pain and subsides and your breasts return to soft within a few days or a week; I think it's different for everyone. I feel for you. The binding does help, though. Kudos on providing breast milk even though your son can't nurse!

K.
Mom of 8, 5, and 3 year olds (so yes, I endured this 3 times)

Hi T.!
When I weaned my two kids from breastfeeding, what I did was just drop one feeding a week. So if I was giving 6 feedings, then I dropped down to 5 and gave myself a week just doing 5. Then the following week I'd go down to 4 and give it another week, and so on. So ahead and pump until you are completely empty - I think the dropped feeding will slow you down enough that you don't have to worry about not emptying your breasts. When you drop the final feeding, it takes about 2 weeks for your body to stop producing. But don't stress it. If you find you can't stand the pain, go ahead and pump a little until you are comfortable. This might slow things down a little, but don't worry about it. Eventually your body will learn that it can stop.
Good luck!