Hi Moms,
Two weeks ago I stopped nursing my daughter. At that point she was only nursing at night for comfort. When I weaned my son two years ago, I had the initial pain and tenderness until my milk dried up. Last week I was tender and sore, but this week, I am still leaking breastmilk. Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks in advance!
I have three kids, the youngest is 2 1/2. Up until about two months ago, a couple of drops would leak out of one side when I showered. It has finally dried completely now though.
With all three of my babies it took about 2 months for my milk to completely dry up. I have heard some say that it could take longer than that, but other have told me theirs dried up in a few weeks. I guess it depends on your body.
Hi H.,
I stopped nursing my son about 6 mo. ago and still leak occasionally (usually when I'm not wearing a bra). I asked my OB about it at my recent appointment. She said something I could try is wearing a tight bra (like a too small sports bra). She said that might help. However she said for some women it never totally goes away.
I am pregnant for the first time, so I don't have any first hand advice. However, I can tell you that a friend of mine has a 6 week old that she attempted to nurse for two weeks - the baby refused! She has told me it took her 4 weeks to be dry and that was after only 2 weeks of attempting to nurse at every feeding and pumping occasionally.
My son weaned himself at 11 months... 7 months later, I still leak occasionally. I was told that it could last as long as a year, and that it is perfectly normal!
I leaked for almost 6 months, then it just stopped. If it's a lot of milk, or interrupting your life ask your doctor, but my guess is it's fine.
There are several options available.
1. Cabbage leaves in the bra is not an old wives tale.
2. Anything that will dry out your sinuses, like Sudafed, will reduce your supply.
3. Wearing a tight bra will help some, but will only go so far.
4. Weaning gradually has the best results as your supply tapers off with the decreasing demand.
Be sure that nursing at night for comfort wasn't a mini nursing strike. All of the guidelines on nursing out there suggest a minimum of 1 or 2 years of offering breast milk for optimal development, health, and nutrition. And besides, offering comfort at the breast isn't a bad thing as it's an easy way to help meet your child's emotional needs while filling their nutritional ones.
H. I had the same thing when I was nursing my now 5 yr old, I was told to take an inner leaf of cabbage and lay over your breast and the helps pull the remaining breast milk out, It worked for me. Good Luck.
Hi H.,
I used cabbage leafs to help with stopping my milk production. I know that it is a wives tale but it truely does work! Just keep changing the leaves every 1/2 hour and within a few days you should be good to go!
A.
Ask your doctor. It is normal, a friend of mine breast fed three all within 2 years of eachother and never stopped lactating between all three and it would only stop when she got pregnant again (which she is again now!). She said her doctor told her that it is normal and sometimes it will go away eventually and sometimes it won't. My guess is that since you have gone through this befoe and it has stopped it probably will again, just may take some time. Don't pump or anything though b/c that will keep it going.
