Sudden Weaning

Good morning, A.! Unfortunately, there's not much you can do about the engorgement because expressing the milk will just signal your body that it needs to make more. My doctor says to avoid hot showers because it causes your milk to flow which, again, will signal your body to make more. I've been there so I understand completely how painful and uncomfortable it is. Try some ibuprofen or tylenol around the clock and keep your breasts clean, warm, and dry. You don't want to develop mastitis, which is an infection which afflicts nursing mothers. Baby yourself for just a bit longer. Hang in there - you'll start feeling better in a few days. Watch out for red blotches on your breasts, fever, and increased pain. See your doctor if that happens! Hope you feel better soon!

Just give it some time, your body needs time to adjust to the fact that it's not supposed to make milk anymore. If you weaned suddenly instead of gradually, your body just got a shock of sorts. I would take hot showers, and let the spray hit the your breasts, so that it can give you some relief. It will cause a let down, but it's not as effective as your baby nursing, but it will proved relief, while you are in the weaning process.

Hi A.,

It does take awhile.Like up to a month. I have heard of using cabbage leaves to help the process of drying up.Crazy I know but its to be put in the bra. I personally used warm wash clothes and did little hand expressions cause your body produces basically by supply and demand.So by expressing a little it will produce in littler amoutns.I personally nursed for 4 1/2 yrs straight. Good luck and best wishes.

When I was weaning my girls I did it sudden for them but gradually for me. I'd pump when I got really full and uncomfortable (every 8 hours or so) within a couple days my body naturally slowed down milk production and I went down to pumping once a day then eventually never.
I know when mothers who decide not to breastfeed after delivery are told to wear a tight sports bra to help with discomfort.

Good Luck!!

ace wrap your chest and back only to shower

I've also heard that cabbage leaves in your bra will help with engorgement. Apparently, if you eat cabbage, your milk supply will diminish. So, go out for some fish and coleslaw! :)

I don't know if this is the right way to do it, but this is what I did. I pumped just enough milk to take the pressure off. each day it seamed to be less. It might have taken a little longer, but I had no pain. It worked for me. Also, the more fluids you drink, the more milk you make. Maybe try to cut back for a couple days on the amount of water you drink. ...just a thought.

The only thing that really helped me was the cabbage leaves. It might be an old wives tale, but it really seemed to help when nothing else did.

You can also express some milk by hand in the shower, just enough to relieve your pain/discomfort, or pump a little bit.

<<<<HUGS>>>>

I had to do the same thing and what worked for me was the putting cabbage leaves in my bra thing. It may sound corny, but it works. Somehow it helps with inflamation and pain. You just put one - two cabbage leaves in your bra and change them once they are wilted. Good Luck!

Hi A., I went "cold turkey" and it took me 11 days with one child and then 14 days with the other child until my boobs finally felt better! I feel for you- it seems like a long time to be in pain, I know. Maybe yours will be a shorter time?? I hope so...
Things that I found really helped me with the discomfort were extra-strength Tylenol; warm showers where I would just let the water run over my chest (also try lifting your arms up in the shower and let the water pound under your armpits and the side of your chest- this really helped me!); and then small bags of frozen peas stuck in a sports bra after showering. I did wear a sports bra or nursing bra all day and all night the whole time. I would have to have nursing pads in there too since I would leak occassionally. I don't know if you have a pump or not, but in the middle of it, I HAD to relieve some pressure and ended up pumping off an ounce off each breast on about day 5 or day 6. I didn't want to do this as I thought it would stimulate my breasts to make more milk, but it didn't seem to and that little bit of relief helped me a lot. I only pumped off that little bit once or twice during that time and by the end of 2 weeks, it was finally over! :-)
Best of luck to you- make sure you take good care of yourself during this- it will get better....
Tami

wrap cold cabbage leaves around your breasts- they can hide in the bra. I would expect several weeks before your milk would completely dry up. Perhaps you could even start nursing again if the personal issues allow before it completely dries up.

Ice packs! You could even pump or manually extract a tiny bit before hand. This will doubly help the discomfort and as long as you only pump a tiny bit (maybe even you could bottle it to help your son transition as well?) and then apply the ice packs directly to your breasts, you should be fine. Hang in there. We all know how uncomfortable being engorged is!

A. is my nieces name... such a pretty name.

Years ago, I would put pretty warm wet wash clothes over my breasts when they would get that way. It helps with the discomfort. Sometimes you need to release a bit of milk, just enough to calm it down a bit, but it should only take a few days before the milk is dried up... as long as your husband leaves them alone too...lol.

Hi there!
You have already received a few responses, but I myself, have just weaned my son. I did it gradually, which is what is recommended. Doing it cold turkey could be painful, obviously, and I have read that you can even get infection (mastitis). I did it over the course of about 2 weeks. I started substituting formual a few bottles a day, then gradually increase it. By the end of the 2 weeks, I was only able to breast feed once, b/c my body had naturally decrease it's milk supply. Then to diminish the rest of my supply i wore a tight, but comfortable sports bra for 48 hours, only taking it off to shower. I never had an discomfort or pain at all doing it this way. They say wearing a sports bra constantly helps decrease milk supply and using ice packs/cold packs helps with the discomfort. Or like a few other people stated, pumping out once or twice once you have stopped will help too.

This happened to me on my first and I was so sore I nursed her one time to relieve the pressure and then that was it...milk went away.

I had to stop suddenly with my son because he wouldn't let me do it gradually... I would say I was hurting 4-5 days. I did pump minimally to ease some of the pain. And, I think I used cold packs and tylenol too. I feel your pain... That is such an uncomfortable feeling! Best of luck!

It was almost 2 weeks for me on my last one. Use cold packs. I used to sleep with them because it hurt to lay on them.

A.,

When I weaned my daughter it took a little over a week to not hurt. What I did was when I couldn't take the pain anymore I would nurse her just enough to get some relief, then I wasn't in pain. It worked for me and after a couple days of pain and nursing about once a day, I could handle it better.

A.,
When I suddenly stopped breast feeding it was at least a week that I felt sore and engorged. After that I started "drying up". It will get less painful but remember if you release the pressure that it will only take longer to feel better.

Did you just stop cold turkey? If so , you will probably have a harder time....I started substituting a bottle for the breast, once a day, then 3-4 days later, a couple a day, then started alternating breast then bottle....then 3-4 days later took out another breast feeding....took about3-4 days for my breasts to adjust to lower production, but that was only taking out one feeding at a time. I think it took about 2 months to fully wean.

I have no experience gonig cold turkey, but I have heard cold green cabbage leaves work wonders...refrigerate them, then rinse them in cold water, smoosh/break the veins in them, and put them in your bra over your breasts. I also would pump, but just a little to relieve the pressure....when I was engorged, or take a hot shower to help let down some of that milk....just don't pump or express too much, or you will get the opposite effect of increasing supply rather than decreasing...only enough to let off some pressure.

Good Luck,

Jessie

I know you stated personal circumstances, but sudden weaning is not good foryou or the baby. For on, your body needs to be weaned as well, and doing it suddenly severly throws your hormones out of whack, and it could lead to plugged ducts and mastitis. DONT WRAP OR BIND YOUR BREASTS right now your body is making milk, and used to having that milk come out, so milk sitting in your milk ducts, and then if you wrapped your breasts, it'll lead to infection.

Pump, even for a little bit, 2-3 times a day, and each week cut out one pumping session. It will help your body decrease milk supply, you won't get sick or mastitis, and your hormones will have a bit of a chance to gradually come down instead of crashing.