I currently pump 4 times/day for 20-30 min and get 12-14 oz/day. I think I want to stop like... Now. I just realized my baby is allergic to soy in addition to dairy and I'm just over this trial and error when she is doing great with 2/3 nutramigen already. But that means I think I don't want to give her any more milk at all, so i'd like to dry up ASAP without ending up with mastitis on a holiday weekend! Tips?
-
Decongestants will dry you up pretty quickly.
-
Earth Mama Angel No more milk tea.
-
Cabbage leaves. Freeze them and then let them wilt on your breasts. It works really well, but you will smell like coleslaw.
-
@AmeliaBedilia: oh yes, No More Milk Tea worked for me, too.
-
Sudafed!
-
I quit for the exact same reasons but LO was only 4 weeks. I took Sudafed like a nut.
-
Any tips on what to do about pumping? I mean I assume I don't just..... stop? How quickly can I try dropping pumps? And do I just drop sessions or sessions and also minutes?
-
@Mae: just express a bit when you feel full, rather than do full nursing sessions. Your body will get the memo pretty quickly.
-
@Mae: I'd just hand express for comfort. I think if you're at 4 sessions yielding 12-14oz, you could get away with just hand expressing as needed!
-
@Dandelion: @Applesandbananas: I've never felt uncomfortably full like... ever. Low supply I guess? But I'm just worried if I just stop I'll get a plugged duct and/or mastitis bc I am prone to plugged ducts.
-
You could try adding hours in between pumping sessions I went from every 4 to 6, 8, then 12 for a couple of days and then I was done. I never took any meds. Good luck!
-
I dropped by minutes over the course of a week until my sessions were non-existent. It didn't take long and was painless.
-
Decongestants (ex: Sudafed). I would still pump - not as frequently and not for very long - to avoid engorgement and mastitis. Maybe try dropping one pumping session per day?
-
Since I'm only pumping 4x/day now I'm thinking maybe just reducing a session every few days? I've only pumped twice so far today so I think I'll just do one more. And maybe do 3 for the next 2 days, then 3 days at 2, then 3 days at 1 and then done. Just over a week seems reasonable to me and hopefully my boobs comply
-
@Mae: That sounds like a good plan!
-
Wow, I'm excited for you! I don't know anything about it, but I hope it goes well and you can avoid more plugged ducts!!
-
I just stopped and had no issues. I was pumping 3x and nursing 1-2x...probably the same output.
-
@Mae: I think I read somewhere that either sage or peppermint tea is good for drying up, you could also try wearing a really tight / compressive crop top and avoiding hot showers on your boobs.
And can I just say that I really admire the way you're dealing with your LO's feeding issues (bf'ing included), you're doing awesome!!
-
@twodoghouse: Thanks! I'll be excited when it's all done and Fia is doing well on the formula! I have a (probably irrational) fear that she is going to just stop drinking the formula and my milk will be dried up and I won't know what to do. But she's been doing really well with the nutramigen so I don't know why I'm worried about it!
@Kemma: thanks
-
@Mae: I just spaced them out - one day I did 5 hrs between pumps and the next 6-7 until I was only doing it on wakeup and bed time. Then just morning. It took me a month Bc I had a 40 oz A day supply but I think you could probably pump wean in a week.
-
I had low supply too... I just stopped cold turkey. About 28 hours in I was a little sore, so I let the baby nurse (or in your case pump) to relieve pressure / tenderness. Then it was another 3 days before I did it again. Don't stay on the pump 20 minutes, just until you feel more comfortable!
-
Well I only pumped 3 times yesterday (down from 4) and the last session I left the suction on low rather than my usual medium.
Woke up with a plugged duct. Boooo.
I will be so glad when I'm done with this!
-
I didn't have much supply to begin with, so weaning wasn't terribly hard for me... but something that did help was to do a small amount of pumping with a hand pump when I felt really full. In my case, I was able to completely wean off of the hand pump within a week or so.
-
Agree on the mint tea. You could also go on birth control. Also be aware that as you stop lactating you will have a big hormone shift. It's common to have some sleep disturbance and night sweats.
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
24 comments