ok awhile back i wrote about weaning my baby, well for about 2 months i was down to just one feding in the morning for less than 5 mins. the other day she woke up and didn't want to nurse, now i am in so much pain. my question is how long does the engorgement last. it has been four days since she nursed and my breast are so tender to the touch i can't even hold her. is there anything to do or so i just have to stick it out for a few days.
p.s. i am happy with not breastfeeding anymore i didn't it exclusivley for the past 16 months.
Thank you everyone who responded, i woke up Monday morning not in as much pain. Sunday i wrapped my breast in an ace bandage that seemed to help the most. they are still a little tender but not as bad.
you have to pump that milk out. get a breast pump and pump it out. you can save the milk or throw it out. It's up to you but if you save it it's only good for 6 months in the freezer.
use a pump to relieve the surplus.
maybe a doctor can suggest something to start a decrease in amounts and discomfort.
By the time you get this you'll probably be fine. I nursed 4 children and had the engorgement probably also when quitting not matter how gradually I tried to wean them off. The doctor says the more the breasts are stimulated the more milk they produce. So I know you don't want to pump.....however if you don't pump a little to relieve the pressure you feel your breasts will just explode. I also hated to pump as I didn't have the nice electric ones they have today. The pumping hurt too. There is just no easy answer. You have to grin and bear it. I used warm wash cloths sometimes or soaked in a bath tub of warm water. It will eventually subside. I think I leaked for 3 weaks after I stopped. Some of us just are good producers. Ha. C.
Express just enough to relieve the pressure. NO MORE. The more you express the more you will make. But you do need to relieve pressure, certainly. And want to avoid infections.
I would give it another week and if you are still having so much trouble, call your doctor.
You could always try taking sudafed, or some other decongestant. Even call the doctor and they can tell you. Since sudafed help dry things out, it can do the same for your milk.
I didn't know that when i got sick, and took some sudafed in the middle of the night so I could sleep and found out the next day when called the doctor. And I spent about the next 3 days drinking water and nursing constantly to bring my milk supply back. So it wouldn't hurt to try it, or even call and ask the doctor if it's ok to do that
L.,
I responded to your last request and just sent you a message recently. Congrats on BF for so long, and for being done! Hooray to having our bodies back to normal for a while (the new normal!) When my daughter went from 2 feedings to none. It was terrible! If you're four days in, it should start to get better now. It took exactly one week for me to feel ok. For days I was like you and couldn't even hold my daughter, which was really hard, because she seemed to need a little extra lovin'. she had to get it from her dad! I didn't take anything. I just let it go. I don't think it works anyway. I tried cold compresses, but I think time is what it takes....
I have 5 boys and each one weaned a little differently. One of them nursed and quit slowly like you are describing. We took him down to about one feeding, when he finished allogether, I would feel engorged and in pain. After a few days, I expressed every last drop I could. I know it is based on supply and demand. But even if you make some more, you don't make enough to feel so engorged and in pain. The pressure is relieved. My advice to you is to pump or hand express as much as you can. You will feel instant relief and then even when you make some more, it won't be to that extent. I hope this helps. Mom to 5 boys!
A little about me: I am 42 and have 5 boys ages 16 to 5. I homeschool the bottom 3 and the top 2 are in high school. I have been married to my great hubby for 19 years.
Buy a head of cabbage keep it in the fridge and put a leaf of cabbage in each cup of your bra until it is wilted or not cold anymore. Not sure why it helps but it does. I nursed exclusively for a year and within a couple of days of stopping I was in no pain at all. Also if you must pump for maybe a minute or as little as you can to relieve your pain maybe once a day. Good luck.
L. good for you, give yourself a pat on the back for breastfeeding your daughter so long. A couple of things you can try is cut back on your fluids, wear a good tight supportive bra and take an adult dose of benadryl at bedtime. The benadryl will help dry up your milk. Not recommended taking during the day because it does cause drowsiness. Good luck.
L.,
My mom was a lactation consultant at the hospital where she works and said that as crazy as it sounds, cabbage leaves tucked inside your bra next to your skin help with engorgement. I never actually tried it, but a friend of mine who decided not to nurse her son did and said it worked great. Hope this helps and God Bless!
The cabbage when at home and the bandage when you are not are the things to do. It will be over soon. Hang in there.
take a bandage and rap it around as tight as you can. it helped. I remember taking a lot hot shower and let the water hit. it will be over soon.
hang in there... It does get better... The down side to having more than one kid is that the more you have the longer it takes for your milk to dry up completely... Your body just clicks into gear and goes and goes.
Use all the tricks you know about from when babys was new... Cold compresses, frozen cabbage, tylenol. Try not to use warm comresses since that may stimulate a let down reflex... But if you must, you must... A little bit down the drain won't cause you to relactate, just don't help it at all... Drink lots and relax. If it does go on for a week or more and you do get to the point where your "done" with the discomfort and pain you may want to call your DR and ask them what your options are.
Good luck!!
When I was going thru that, I pumped(expressed) my breastmilk for a little bit each day. Even if its just for a couple minutes, it relieves some of the pressure. You can mix that with formula or cereal and its really good for your baby.
After nursing my oldest son for 16 months, I had to start taking a medication that I couldn't take while breastfeeding, so I quit nursing. He was very against it, and was still nursing quite often, so I had a big supply still. After two days, my breast s were extremely swollen and even moving my arms hurt. My doctor said to pump as much as I wanted once to empty them and then if I needed to again in a few days. The longer the period between pumping, the less you'll produce. I only pumped once to empty them completely, and then after that I was fine. Good luck!!
Try eating peppermint altoids or the herb sage...I think they make a sage tea or I just put it on my food...it didn't taste good, but it made the engorgement go away!
