No Longer Breastfeeding

Weening slowly is best for engorgement...My kids were down to once a day when I stopped and had no problems. If that's not possible, then you may need to express just a LITTLE tiny bit here and there to get relief. But don't do too much, or you will keep producing milk. Good luck.

I would pump out just enough to be comfortable and no more. Your body will sense then that you do not need as much milk and will begin to decrease your supply.

Please do not bind your breasts! It can lead to plugged ducts and mastitis. Not what you want! This is the advice that used to be given to women and it is no longer recommended. Wear a good fitting bra and possibly nursing pads to catch any leaks. This is taken from breastfeeding.com:

"The advice about binding your breasts is pretty routine for doctors to give out--however, it's very outdated, no longer recommended, and can actually be hazardous to your health! First of all, as you found out, it's very painful! Second, I personally know of two women who ended up in surgery for a breast abscess because of binding, so you see it can actually be dangerous!" Cher Sealy RN, BSN, IBCLC, LLLL

It will take a little while for your body to adjust. Use a pump or hand express just a tiny amount to the point of comfort and only when you need to.

When this site was previously called mamasource, I read a response (years ago) to someone with a similar question and there was a recommendation to wrap your breasts tight (not extremely tight where it hurts or you can't breathe) with a gauze bandage. It is apparently an old-wives tale or something they did "back in the day". Well, I did it for a couple days and it worked great!

Are you able to span out the weening over time? When I weened my daughter, I would take out one feeding a week. At that point in time, I think I was nursing/pumping 5x each day, so it took several weeks, but I didn't have any issues with engorgement. By the time I was ready to drop the last 2 feedings, my breasts pretty much felt the same as the were pre-pregnancy/nursing.

Good luck and congrats on making it for 4.5 months!

your daughter will be healthier if you keep breastfeeding. if you still want to stop there are herbs like sage that can help dry up your milk.

good luck.

I would encourage you to continue breastfeeding even if it's just once a day. I nursed my first for a year and after he was weaned, he got several ear infections in a row. That lead to several rounds of antiobiotics which are not very good for the little ones' systems. With my twins, I've decided to continue nursing. They will be 19 months old on Tuesday. They have not had the ear infections that my older son had.

My daughter was the same age when she self weaned herself. Oh....my boobies hurt and I begged her to please have just a little to take some of the pressure off. But, no way. And I didn't pump because if she was done with me and happy with formula, I didn't see the point in continuing.
The best relief for me was getting in a hot shower and just letting the milk fly. I was able to express enough to feel better without the sucking or pumping action actually creating more. At home, I just went a few days without my bra and just let myself leak in an old sweatshirt. Between that and the showers, I was pretty much dried up within a week or so. It was a long week! If you are truly done nursing and really seriously uncomfortable, your doctor can give you something to help dry up. I never needed that. I just did it the old fashioned way. I never bound my breasts, I just kind of let them empty themselves out. I've had two kids and I've got small boobs so it all worked out okay. I won't lie, you might suffer for a while, but try the hot showers.

Best wishes!

I apologize for the length of my response, but I'm a peer counselor with Nursing Mothers Counsel and want to be thorough :)

No judgement, but is there a specific reason you're weaning at 4.5mo? The American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as several organizations worldwide, recommend exclusive breastfeeding until 6mo, then with the introduction of solids, as long as mom & baby are comfortable with the relationship. I know I'm on the extreme end for the typical United States mother, but my son nursed until he was 2.5 years old and probably would've gone longer, but I got pregnant with my now 6mo daughter.

If it's a medical reason, you could talk to a breastfeeding-friendly doctor/surgeon, lactation consultant or breastfeeding counselor to find out if you really need to wean for whatever medical procedure or drug is being prescribed. Dr. Jack Newman has a wonderful website that explains about certain drugs, etc at http://www.drjacknewman.com.

Another option if you want to wean your daughter off the breast only, is to pump and feed her your breast milk from an alternative feeding source, such as bottle, cup, spoon, etc. There is actually a newer group who are "exclusive pumpers." This way, she'll still benefit from the hundreds of advantages of breast milk, including antibodies and the perfect food for her whatever age she is. For the many benefits, if you're interested, you can go to http://www.promom.org.

Regardless of the reason, try to avoid weaning suddenly. This can lead to engorgement (especially at 4.5mo), plugged ducts, and even mastitis. NMC counselors, as well as LCs and Le Leche League, recommend dropping one feeding every 3-4 days to allow your body to adjust to the change. If your baby is feeding 8 times per day, this means ideally, it should take you 24-32 days to completely wean. However, time may be shorter or longer depending on how well your daughter takes to the bottle and how attached she is to nursing.

To help with fullness and aches, you can:
- PLEASE DO NOT BIND YOUR BREASTS! This is not recommended any longer, as binding can damage breast tissue.
- Use cold cabbage leaves in your bra (replace them when they wilt).
- Use ice/cold packs to relieve swelling, but be sure to use a barrier between the ice and your breasts (ie: towel).
- Take ibuprofen or Tylenol for any pain or ache.
- Express JUST enough to relieve some of the pressure, but not enough to signal to your body that you still want to make milk.
- Try not to pump, as this will also stimulate your breasts.
- Try not to take a hot shower, as heat will keep the milk flowing. You can take a warm shower, but try not to let the water directly flow on your breasts.
- There are also several herbs that you can use in your foods to help decrease milk supply, such as rosemary, sage, peppermint, parsley, thyme, and paprika. Some foods and others that have been shown to decrease supply include cucumbers, tomatoes and anything citrus, bananas, apples, chocolate, avocado, coffee (caffeine), soft drink, Vitamin C supplements, and tea. Keep in mind, these may need to be taken in greater volume than we would use in normal day-to-day life.

You can also check out our website at http://www.nursingmothers.org for much more information. Another great breastfeeding website, that may have more tips, is http://www.kellymom.com. Whatever you decide, good luck, and feel free to contact me off-list at ____@____.com if you have any additional questions.

Good job for breastfeeding for 4 1/2 months!!!! As far as engorgement, it can last up to 2 weeks. You can try binding your breasts with an ace bandage or tight sports bra and put cabage leaves in your bra as well. Be sure to massage your breasts while in the shower to reduce the chance of clogged ducts.

Wrap your chest in ace bandage (not too tight), it keeps them from being stimulated. Use an ice pack on them often. If you get too engorged or get clogged, take a shower let the warm water run over your shoulders onto your breasts but not directly on them and lightly massage them (if clogged start from right before the clog and work towards your nipple). It will release a little milk but it will help relieve the pressure.

I'm just curious as to why you are weening this early? I can understand if you have a situation where you need her to take her milk from the bottles, but would it be better for you to continue to pump the breast milk and give that to her from the bottles for a while? If you could, I think it would be better for her health in the long run. I do agree with the posts that suggest you take the weening slowly as far as your own comfort and health is concerned, unless there is a compelling reason that you end the breast feeding entirely sooner.

Sounds crazy, but a lot of women use cabbage leaves in their bra's. If you want your milk to go away. Keep the your breasts cool, don't take hot showers, and avoid as much of any other stimulation possible.