Weaning Question

My breasts didn't stop producing for MONTHS! It was weird. I talked to my doctor about it, and she told me that everyone is different, it is impossible to predict when they will stop. I wish had some advise, but I don't, sorry. Hopefully uou won't be like me, and they will stop soon.

I recently weaned my daughter and was troubled when it took 3 weeks for the milk to really go away. I was sore and engorged even though I weaned slowly. I tried cabbage leaves in my bra, ACE bandaging my breasts, hot showers, and massage. Really what helped was wearing a sports bra 24/7 and time! Good luck and see a DR. if things don't improve. A.

Hi K.,
My son weaned himself when he was 17 months old. He was only nursing once a day then and I still (4 months later!) have some milk. I can feel it drying up slowly and went to my OB/GYN to ask about it and she told me that in some women it can take a long time, even a year in some cases. I always assumed that the milk went away when the nursing did and was very dissapointed! It freaks me out too, you are not crazy or alone in that. Just be sure not to try to "get the milk out" because that stimulates production and be assured that it will dry up eventually. Good luck and take care!!

throw some raw cabbage on them....helps dry them out and eases the pain!

May sound a bit odd..but try peppermint. Get things with real peppermint oil and drink the tea. Also if they get too engorged...cabbage leaves. Put them on and it will draw the heat and reduce swelling. Oh, and if you figure out a way to reduce the laundry issue..please share it with me ;)

I've heard (from a LLL meeting, I believe) that some women will still be able to squeeze out, or even leak, a few drops even many years after not nursing. It depends on the woman - some have problems keeping milk, others have the opposite of issue of getting them to stay dry! :) I'll hope that doesn't happen for you, since obviously you wouldn't like that.
Good luck, N.

All women are different. I stopped breastfeeding last January and actually asked this same question. Well.....I am still producing milk:} If I lean up against anything it still leaks. I found that the more I left them alone, the less they would produce. If you are always touching them they are getting stimulated and continue to produce. My husband doesn't have any issues anymore, so it's not like it is a lot of milk, but I know that it is there. Good luck and you are awesome for breastfeeding twins! It might be taking me longer too since I had been breastfeeding for three years straight!!!

It all depends. For me it was about three and a half weeks, then I got my period. You won't get pancakes right away, hee hee. Just call your OBGYN and ask them they can help you understand too, I think all women are different.

For me, after my son was weaned, I would pump once a day for a few weeks, it took about a month for the milk to go away.

I thihk you will find your 'major' production dropping off very soon. I hate to tell you however that I found that I was still leaking on rare occasion for up to a year (usually only when they were squeezed like during a self breast exam).

It could be quite a few months...so be patient.

I think it took me a little over a week...and yes, you will have deflated pancakes (sigh)

If you want to dry them up quickly, wrap an ace bandage around your boobs to bind yourself for 2 to 3 days. Wear the bandage day and night and when you take it off 2 to 3 days later, your milk will be gone and it will all be without pain. It worked to me and many of my girlfriends. As a matter of fact, I have not met a person who tried it and it did not work and best of all without any pain! Good luck.

Hi K.,

I have twins too! A boy and girl, 8 months, and I have a daughter who is 10yrs old. I am still breastfeeding. Are you a member of the twins club? There is a lactation consultant we can contact with nursing/weaning questions any time. Let me know if you would like her name/number.
-G. M

I ran out after nursing for 4 1/2 years (2 kids), and so now have my very own deflated pancakes!! You can take or eat alot of sage to dry your breastmilk. Good luck!

My OBGYN told me that a woman can express breastmilk for up to a year or so after weaning. The amounts will vary of course from person to person.

K.,

I weaned my daughter and it took a month for me to feel like I was not producing any more milk. I can still feel some of the milk glands but not producing/leaking anymore. I am not sure if it will take longer seeing that you were feeding twins (congratulations on that, by the way) With my son I think that I could have breastfeed the arm with the amount of milk that I had and I think that it took about a month also, it is also going to depend on how often you were feeding. Don't worry it will happen.

I have stopped for 10 months now and still get an occassional spot in my bra! I wondered the same thing and my doc said that it's nothing to worry about. It will eventually dry up. also, if your husband likes to play and squeeze them, it doesn't help. Your breasts may think that you still need to produce is what she told me. Congrats on your twins! I have three and always wanted twins before having kids, now, I can't imagine!!! Have a good day,K.

It depends on how much milk you were producing. If you nursed often (with twins, you probably did!) then it will take more time for your milk to dry up. My doctor suggested wearing a good, supportive bra night and day to discourage my milk from continuing to come in. I have 5 children and have nursed all of them for at least 1 year. If they were nursing a lot when I weaned them, then it took close to a week to not be engorged anymore and I got mastitis (breast infection). If I wasn't nursing very much when I weaned them, then I hardly even noticed my milk coming in and it was only a couple of days. You might have leakage even weeks later for no apparent reason. But engorgement (if you have it) only lasts a few days to a week. Hope that helps!

Hi K.,

I don’t know if you want to hear this.. My son is now almost 2 and 1/2 and I’m still “producing”. I nursed him for a year and weaned him over a three month period. The before bed nursing took a month to give because of traveling around holidays it was just easier for us. I sometimes wonder if that was my big mistake weaning him that slowly, but what is done is done... Nursing was very natural for us and we had no problems since day one. After a year I went to my doctor, and she told me not to over stimulate (like I was doing that) and that some women just takes longer to dry up sometimes up to 2 years. I notice that it’s worse around my periods or if I’m around crying babies. If I don’t dry up soon I’m considering becoming a wet nurse. Ha! Just kidding! I’m tired of it and just last week I had a huge let down. This is getting ridiculous. I’ll be going to the doctor for my yearly check up and I’ll see what they say. I hope you don’t experience the same thing as me, give yourself some time and hope for the best.

you are too funny!! :) actually, i'm VERY new at this whole mom thing, but i have heard from SEVERAL sources that in order to dry up your milk, you can (as RIDICULOUS as this may sound!!!) put a cabbage leaf on each side and wear a rather tight fitting sports bra to bed (with the cabbage leaves underneath, of course). this should dry you up. i believe it's pretty quick and easy!!

Hi there! I have been wondering the same thing because I have been done with nursing for about 8 months now, and I can still squeeze what looks like colostrum. Wierd! But I'm pretty sure that's normal, as long as your not producing like before.

It's been almost a year for me since my little one quit nursing and now and then, I will still leak. When he stopped nursing, he was down to one nursing a day and only one breast at a time, so each side would go 48 hours between nursings. I was told milk production could continue up to 2 years, hopefully neither of us go that long.

Hi K.,
Great that you nursed twins as long as you could. I know it's a lot of work. I have 2 boys, not twins, but my great friend nursed her twins for a year and I know what work that is. So... I just weaned my 2 1/2 year old around Oct and they deflated, I thought the milk was gone. Then just last week I noticed milk still available in one. I think I heard my "baby" crying or was feeling so bad for him because he was sick. Be glad it doesn't go away completely for a while, just in case one of your kids gets sick. You can express a little out and put it in some pudding to make him better. It's liquid gold. :p
Guess I should add that I weaned very gradually and so I never experienced any problems. If you are having problems, wean yourself gradually by pumping a little out. It's a supply and demand system, so as less milk gets used, your body will make less.

It took me about 6 to 8 months to dry up completely. This also caused less pain for me. When getting in the shower I would help empty out and after a while it was less and less producing for me. My doctor told me it was normal for mothers who produced well to stop quickly and that having it take long helps with the pain to be little or none at all. Don't worry I also found out the longer it takes the less droppy they will be. Im not sure if that is completely true but mine never went to pancakes.. Just give it time and your body will ajust naturally.

I believe it takes up to a year to stop producing, it slows down a lot first though. I slowly weaned my son and so when he decided to stop, it only took about 6 months and did not hurt at all. I wasn't completely back down in size until a year later though.

it can vary greatly for everyone. after our first son died, i was still producing some small amount when i got pg again 7 mos later. with our second, he nursed for 2 years and when he was done i produced the tiniest amount for a long time.

when we lost jesper, i was told to drink sage tea. it helps dry up your supply. i found some blackberry sage tea (for the flavor of something other than just sage) and then added dried sage leaves from the spice aisle when i brewed it. it took care of the engorgement and major production of the early weeks. i think by the time i got my cycle back (at 12 weeks post-partum) i was at the very low level of production that held until i got pg again.

cold cabbage leaves against your skin (under your bra) help, too. once they are warm and floppy, switch them out. it shouldn't take too long. a couple of days maybe.

really, you are already well on your way. simply not nursing and not expressing anything will trigger a shut-down. the methods above (and binding--which is uncomfortable for me) will speed it up.

hope this helps.