How to Stop Breastfeeding - Reston, VA

Dear A.-

I agree with the 'drop a feed' every day or so...

And christine...I SO agree with you with respect to the 'other' poster...and I just sent a private message to that poster.

Best of luck A.!
catwalk/michele

Hi A.,

Two wonderful resources I used and recommend are www.breastfeeding.com and www.kellymom.com. Both sites offer great advice and have excellent discussion forums.

HTH!

S.

every day or two just dont nurse him one extra time than the last day. so if you nurse 5 times today and tomorrow do it 4 times the next two days then 3 the next two and so on. if you feel engorged nurse a little or pump just to relieve the pressure. a cold compress should help with that too. i hear cabage leaves are great because of their shape.

This is going to be a longer process since you till producing milk. You are going to have to convince your body that its producing too much. My first suggestion would be to only pump. Pumping is not as effective as breast feeding and your body will slowly produce less. My second tip is to slowly stretch out the time between pumpings. Eventually your milk should dry up.

What not to do stop nursing or pumping all together because you will get engorged and probably get mastitis. You are going to have to wean your body slowly. It wont happen over night, it may take a month but thats the only way to do it and not get sick.

Hi A.,
When I weaned my daughter at 17 months, I cut out one feeding at a time, waited a few days and cut out another one. I never had any problems with engorgement. Best of luck! And, don't worry about not continuing, you have to do what is right for you and for your family.

I also wanted to express my support as well as give some (hopefully helpful) advice. I almost spilled my coffee this morning when I read that one exceedingly rude post! I am glad it has been removed and I hope you will chalk it up to her ignorance and not take it personally. I also had 3 under 3 for a while- my twins had just turned 2 when my youngest was born- and though I did breastfeed her I really wish I'd had the courage to give it up earlier or supplement more. There were just too many interrupted and missed feedings with so many demands for attention! In some cases breastfeeding is not necessarily the best thing. I am sure you have plenty of good reasons for giving it up and I wouldn't question your decision or want you to feel bad about it for a minute.

So, as far as making it easier, I agree with what the other posters said. Drop a feeding every few days, decreasing as you begin to feel comfortable with each missed feeding. You can use a manual pump if you have one to take out just enough milk to relieve engorgement. It will be a bit harder this early on, since milk production is more hormonally driven the first few months as opposed to supply and demand, but your body will learn. I have heard, though not tried it myself, that cold cabbage leaves in your bra help a lot, and also that eating peppermint (pure extract- not artificial flavorings) and sage can help too. A tight sports bra can cut down on milk production as well, though I'm not sure if that could contribute to mastitis.
Good luck!

I had to stop breastfeeding my son around the same age and a breastpump became my best friend! I rented one from the hospital where I delivered (I only owned a single manual and needed a double electric). I just started only pumping (no breastfeeding) every day, several times a day (almost as often as he ate). Then I gradually decreased the number of times a day I pumped and the amount of time I pumped (I wrote it all down and kept the list next to the pump or I would NEVER have remembered). It was a very gradual change for my body so I didn't deal with heavy or swollen breasts. (I did leak now and again in the shower for a couple of weeks after, but it went away. . .sorry if that's TMI!)

The benefit was that I could transition my son to formula, rather than go from breastmilk straight to formula. He would get some formula and some milk bottles each day. Slowly, he got more formula and less milk until eventually it was all formula. I think it allowed his system to make the transition more easily (vs. my daughter, when I stopped cold turkey to switch to formula--much harder for both of us).

Good luck with your new little one! I'm sure you're hands are very full now!
B.

Just skip 1 feeding/pumping for about 3-4 days and then start skipping a second feeding and so on. Your body will start making less milk as you cut it down. Don't just stop cold turkey or you will get engorged. It'll take a couple weeks for your body to stop.

Jenni F- Your response was totally inappropriate and I am reporting you for abusive behavior. She does not need facts about breastfeeding...that is not what she asked. She breastfed her other children and this is a choice she is making. How dare you make her feel guilty. I am sick of people acting like formula is poison. BTW - I breastfed all of my children, but I do not push my views on others. It's a family decision. Also, two of my breasfed children have food allergies so it's not like nothing can happen to your child if you breastfeed.

Hi, I had a friend who had mastitis 3 times within a month of her daughter's birth. She also had an oversupply of milk. She cut out the feedings one at a time every few days as was suggested. However, when her daughter was about two months old, she was still doing 1-2 feedins per day. Instead of giving those up, she found she actually had a good enought supply to continue - I think she basically fed for wake-up and bedtime. And she didn't have any more bouts of mastitis, so she kept it up for over a year. So, as you start cutting feedings you may want to see if that works for you.

For engogrement, I heard that frozen peas or frozen cabbage leaves worked (place on breasts). Weird, I know. I never had that problem so I never tried it.

Also, ask your doctor for "all purpose nipple ointment" perscription (you can google this formula). I had mastitis as a result of infected irritations on the nipple. This ointment is good for sore nipples for pain relief and also for preventing infection. Might help prevent infection as you reduce feedings.

Yes, yes we all know the benefits of breastfeeding but sometimes it's just not possible! My son flatly refused to breastfeed. I expressed my milk for 5 weeks. I was so exhausted from feeding him a bottle then pumping for 20 mins. that I couldn't see straight! My husband was working a lot and we do not have any family nearby so I was doing it all alone. I cried from sheer exhaustion and felt SO guilty when I made the decision to stop and switch 100% to formula. I'm sure you are feeling the same but you know what - DON'T!!! Don't feel guilty for making your health a priority! If Mommy isn't well (emotionally or physically) no one will be. So please don't let people get on here and make you feel guilty. Now as for stopping the breastfeeding, I quit cold turkey - just stopped pumping. My breasts hurt terribly for about 2 days but dried up in about 4-5 days. I put cold, washed cabbage leaves in my bra. Nature's solution and it worked like a charm! Good luck.

Hi A.,

You are right, I could give you LOTS of reasons to keep going :) But I understand your dilemma, I had LOTS of problems with my first child and nursing. I have heard that cabbage leaves help, putting them in your bra. Check out www.llli.org, www.kellymom.com and www.mothering.com. Good luck to you!!
S.

I have never done this (nursed my first till 22 months and was already pregnant with my 2nd when he weaned himself) BUT, this has worked for every person I have ever recommended this too. Buy cabbage. Put enouch cabbage leaves to cover each breast over each breast inside your nursing bra when you go to bed every night. It should work within 3 nights or a week at the most if you have an extra abundant supply. It will be stinky and a bit nasty but well worth it because it's the most natural and pain free way to stop nursing. Don't take the pills because they are chemicals. This will work. And no one should judge you for wanting to stop. You owe no one an explanation of why you want to stop. If you are not happy with breastfeeding then it no longer is the best thing for your baby. It's only the best for your baby when it makes both of you content. Good luck! And stop feeling bad!

I am so glad I fouind this. I too am exhausted from breast feeding, but am going to do it for 1 month, and then introduce 1 formula bottle a day, and she will also have enough frozem breast milk to have made it over 6 weeks ( maybe longer). I am also sick of being made to feel guilty- i was even treated that way in the hospital by the lactation specialist, i finally had to get very rude with her bc I only wanted to feed 6 weeks and not a year. Anyways~ I currently feed her about 3 times a day from the breast and the other time is a bottle. I pump about 4 times a day. Should I cut the pumping back or actual breast feeding or both?

As far as being prone to mastitis/engorgement, I can relate. I finally learned that I produce thick milk and it causes lumps and they are ever so painful. I take soy lecithin daily and that has helped a great deal to thin out the milk. I have not had any problems since. As far as stopping breastfeeding, you need to do what you think is best, try not to worry about people judging you.

I've read that mint and sage reduce supply. Try drinking homemade mint tea, eat tabouli with lots of mint, eat watermelon with mint leaves, season chicken and potatoes with lots of sage, make soup...get creative. Taking Sudafed - the kind you buy from the pharmacy counter - pseudoephedrine - should help dry you up. And put cabbage leaves in your bra. I too suffered from mastitis early on, but it gets better if you can hang on and continue with a few breast feedings a day, or switch to pumping. I exclusively pumped with my first baby for a year after dealing with 3 bouts of mastitis, poor latch, etc. Even a small amount of breastmilk will provide priceless benefits for your baby. Good luck.

Just go very slowly. Cut out one feeding or pumping session for a week, then cut out another one, etc. Ask your doctor, of course, about how to proceed.
Also, do not let anyone guilt trip you on this issue. You know what is best for you and your children. Good luck!