Need your advice… I have been stopping breastfeeding gradually, my baby is now 10 months old she is already taken formula and I really don’t have that much breast milk but I feel that my breasts are full, but because I want to stop pumping I don’t do so until every 2 or 3 days so I start to pump and really don’t get too much milk like less than 1oz but that little amount feels a relief to me. Also I have big breasts before pregnancy so now they are even bigger and really I want to stop pumping and I don’t want to feel that my breast are feeling heavy (you know what I mean). Anyways how can I also have stop this bad habit, sensation and have my breast to feel normal and look less big? Any miracle that you know that is not surgery? Thanks so much for your help.
I know exactly what you mean...I had the same problem. I used cabbage leaves and for some reason, it worked!
I pumped exclusively for 11 months with my last one. It took a couple weeks to stop feeling uncomfortable (Ibuprofin and Tylenol PM help a lot with the pain), and a couple months for my breasts to shrink from an H cup to an F- something that didn't happen at all after my first. It was a relief to go down at all, even if it took a while. It's worth it to invest in a good supportive bra or sports bra to hold them still as much as possible. Now I'm pregnant again (less than a year after I stopped pumping!) and back to square one. Good luck!
Good for you for nursing! I would encourage you to keep a night time or morning nursing if at all possible. The lifelong benefits are significant. If your baby wants to keep nursing, why not cut down, but not cut it out completely.
This is a short era in both of your lives and she will be eating processed foods and solids for the rest of her life.
I nursed for quite some time and after the 1 year mark, breasts seem to go back to the original size for many. Mine did, even though I continued to nurse.
A really wonderful site is lightlink.com/hilinda/Diane/breastorbottle.html that would be refreshing to read.
The days are long, but the years are short. Enjoy this fleeting time with your daughter.
Good luck!
J.
whats a bad habit? nursing or pumping or what?
i want you to know there is nothing wrong with nursing, its not a bad habit, and pumping here and there isnt either.
you just have to take time, your milk might not go away for... months. it took me 5 months before the milk stopped ....
i want to let you know that nursing after a year is encouraged, and it is not a bad habit. however, its not for everyone. just have patience, trust me, your boobs will not ever be the same, theres nothing you can do about size, sagging, shape, etc. all that is determined by genes. so accept the body you have, if you feel into fitness, there are some lifting positions that work well for the chest area, but there is not miracle "cure" that will ever bring your breasts back to the way they were before, and that should be a GOOD thing - you nursed, nurtured and fed your baby with those - they SHOULD be different than they were before! you are a SUPERWOMAN! :D
congrats for nursing!
You just need to stop pumping. Period. You may have a few days of discomfort but it will pass. You can wrap an ace bandage around if your breasts become too uncomfortable. As for the size, my boobs went back to their normal size (well 34DD to 36DD) after I stopped breast feeding. Failing that, try a minimizer bra.
If you want to stop pumping then you need to stop. DO NOT pump every 3 days even. THis is telling your body to make milk. It will take some time, but you will go back. I know some people say it can takes months, but I did not experience that. IT was maybe a month before my breast's returned to "normal". GOod Luck
Quit pumping or you will keep making that little bit of milk. After about a week or so your breasts will start to feel better. If you don't you will keep having that sensation every few days.
Hi,
When I took a breastfeeding class before my daughter was born, one of the class participants mentioned that cabbage leaves (yes, the cabbage you buy in the grocery store) will dry up your milk production. Apparently you just lay the leaves over your breasts and they work magic. I haven't investigated it myself, but it may be worth looking into.
When you pump, pump a little less each time. Your pumping 1 oz now so pump only 1/2 oz than skip a normal time you would pump. Also taking a HoT shower will help stand with your chest in the water it relieves pressure by naturally letting the milk out. It might be painful at first but I take it the same way as the baby getting weined, they don't like it at first either. I put my pump in the basement so it wouldn't be a temptation, I used the hand pump and just took a few suctions at a time. In less than a week I had smaller boobs and it was such a relief-------A. mother of 3 breastfed all.......youngest 11 months
I think that if you keep pumping, your body will keep producing milk. So even though it's uncomfortable, I think you need to stop pumping and just let your body stop on its own. It shouldn't take too long. Good luck!
I went to work out at the gym in the evenings during bedtime and had a friend put my last baby to bed otherwise she would not stop breasfeeding. The working-out actually helped slow the milk and my trainer showed me a few exercises to build the muscle and loose the bulkiness of the breasts. Most women loose their breasts, so when you are one of us that they get larger every baby.......you will have enemies!!! (that wear push-up bras)
L., I echo what everyone else has said. You're almost there. Just quit pumping and nursing and the milk will dry up. It won't be that bad since you have done it so gradually. And your breasts will shrink with time. As I recall, I noticed a real difference in size within 6 months of stopping breastfeeding.
For both kids, I did the gradual decrease in breastfeeding. I didn't pump towards the end b/c I knew it increased milk production usually. I personally haven't done the cabbage leaves but a lot of my friends that I met through a nursing group (when I lived in KC, MO) used that at it worked for them. The last feedings that I recommend would be the morning and night (that way you're empty before bedtime and empty the start of the day). My last feeding was in the morning then. I started as a C cup b4 pregnancy - went to a DD after pregnancy. Then, I went down to a large B cup (along with using extra baby wt). 2nd pregnancy - went up to a D cup, DD+ cup after pregnancy and it's been about a year (6 months since I've stopped nursing) and I'm down to a C cup. Your body will go back to normal - depending on your wt of course too. Hang in there!
I just stoped pumping. About 1 1/2 weeks later my breast hurt I let to go for about three days and could not stand it anymore so I pumped for 5 min. The next day they still hurt but by the next day they were fine and have gone back to my pre prg size. Good luck :)
You will need to stop nursing and pumping cold turkey and it will take a few days, maybe up to a week for the uncomfortable feeling to go away. I don't think anyone's mentioned yet that cold cabbage leaves inside your bra seem to help for some reason. As for the size, that could take months and if you still have "baby weight" to lose your breasts will get smaller as you lose weight. I was in the same situation you are in. It also helps to lift weights or do exercises that build up your chest muscles. Those exercises don't make the breasts bigger, they help support them. Good luck!
Not sure if this works for others, but when I was at your point, I took one sudafed and it dried me right up. My nose felt kind of dry for a day or so, but it was worth it for me. Good Luck!
My daughter just recently stopped breastfeeding overnight. She went from nursing 3-4 times on Sunday to nothing on Tuesday. I had to wear breast pads for a couple of days because I started leaking again and I did pump a couple of times just enough to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling. I think it only took a couple of days for me to go back to "normal".
As long as you continue to pump, you will continue to produce- even if it's just a little. I would first increase the number of days between pumping and use ice packs. Not only does it relieve the pain, but the cold reduces production. Best of luck...we all know how painful being engorged can be...and take it from another large busted woman- people just don't get how much of a pain it can be to deal with.
Once you stop--BOTH breastfeeding and pumping--it will only take a couple of days for the full sensation to go away. It is painful, but once you go cold turkey, it happens quickly. Ibuprofen and cold or hot packs will get you through it. Good luck, and way to go on breastfeeding for so long!!
I went cold turkey at 3 months because my milk didn't come in very well and it would take me 3 days to get 4 ounces of milk. My milk still came in just enough to have leaked through at the end of the day even three weeks after I stopped. By the end of week four I was dry. The best advice you can get is to call a local lactation consultant and ask her, and it's free! Good luck.
