I recently stopped nursing and my breasts are so hard and sore. Any suggestions on how to ease the pain?

Question

When I decided to stop nursing I slowly eased into the weaning process, cutting out one feeding per day until I finally was only nursing first thing in the morning. I thought this process would alleviate the engorgement but so far it's quite painful. Is this normal? How long before the milk goes away?

Answer 1

You can express milk manually to relieve some of the pressure (you will be expressing such a small amount, it won't effect the amount of milk your body is producing).

I used heating pads or warm wash cloths (I never used ice packs, because the cold just made them hurt worse) - it seemed like the heat helped reduce the pain. With me, it seemed like within a few days, my breasts started softening up and the ache went away (they were still tender, but bearable) - I think I started drying up almost immediately - I was basically finished within a couple of weeks.

Answer 2

You poor thing! You had the right idea - slowly weaning should not have made your breasts painful. I noticed that you said you cut out one feeding per day until you were only nursing once in the morning. Did you mean that literally, day after each day, in the same week, you cut out a feeding? If that is what you did, it makes sense that you're engorged. Slow weaning takes months...

Answer 3

I had three kids and went through this. Do not let the milk come out or they will keep on producing milk. This may sound weird but take the outer part of an ice cold head of cabbage and break the stem. Put just the outer layer on your breasts and then wrap it very tight with a towel or put on a very tight bra. There is something in the stem of the outer part of the cabbage that dries up milk. You have to break it, though. I did that and was dried up in 48 hours. Stay away from warm/hot water and don't massage them. Those things will make the milk produce more. Trust me, I know what what i'm saying.

Answer 4

Despite your best efforts to take it slow, you still may end up with lumps, plugged ducts, engorged breasts and sometimes even a painful condition called mastitis. For lumps that pop up, James suggests massaging them away gently. If the lump is tender, that may indicate a blocked duct, and she suggests applying a hot pack, massaging and expressing some milk, and then applying a cold pack afterward to clear the blockage.
Pumping or expressing a little milk can also help relieve the discomfort, but she cautions mothers not to fully empty the breast. Otherwise, you are just encouraging milk production.

Ginny Carson of Charleston, S.C., found the pump to be a good friend throughout the process of weaning her then 6-month-old daughter. "Whenever I felt uncomfortable, I would pump just enough to relieve the discomfort in hopes that I was telling my body to slow down production," she says. "Over the course of a couple of weeks, I felt that discomfort less and less until I wasn't pumping at all."

You thought when you stopped nursing, your milk would magically disappear, right? Wrong. Believe me, I was in the same boat and was quite surprised when drops of milk kept showing up week after week after week. And I'm not alone. "I was a little taken aback by how long it took for the milk to completely dry up," says Carson. "Several weeks after I had stopped breastfeeding and pumping, I noticed that I could still produce milk."

According to James, milk can be expressed for weeks, and even months (yes, it's true), after the weaning process ends. In addition, she says, "Leaking is common early in weaning, but stops when the breasts acclimate to the decrease in breastfeeding." For moms who are ready to leave milk-stained bras behind, the slowness of milk to dry up can be disconcerting, especially when you're surprised with a sudden spray during an intimate moment with your husband (any stimulation, even your shirt, apparently, can encourage milk flow).

While you're drying up, you may be wondering where the leftover milk goes. According to James, any remaining milk is reabsorbed into the body. Mystery solved.


Managing Weaning Discomfort

Avoid breast stimulation.
Wear a supportive bra.
Take mild analgesics, i.e. Tylenol, as needed.
Pump or express milk if necessary to relieve discomfort, but don't empty the breast.
Wean gradually by dropping no more than one feeding a week.
Apply chilled cabbage leaves to the breast to relieve discomfort and discard after they become warm.

Answer 5

I know this sounds really weird but this is what I did. I put a head of lettuce or cabbage into the refrigerator and let it get cold. (Cabbage works best) then put it into your bra. The cold will ease the pain and relive the engorgement that you are feeling. It only took about a day and a half and I felt completely better.

Answer 6

Talk with your Gynecologist to receive the best assistance, also standing under a hot shower and expressing the milk yourself will also alleviate your discomfort. Good Luck Sweetie! Eventually the milk goes away or "dries up" on it's own.

Answer 7

It's normal, the pain will go away, you may want to try taking hot showers, and may want to consider calling your OBGYN to see if they can prescribe anything to help you stop milk production? I just went through this myself, and the pain/engorgement stopped after two to three days, but I'm sure it's different for everyone. Good luck!

Answer 8

Take nice hot showers, helps your breast release the extra milk. You will still hurt and throb, but it will eventually go away after a few days to a week. You can also hand pump out the milk, and if you have a freaky streak as well as a freaky mate, then let 'em suck some out.
This is very normal.

Answer 9

Icepacks or cold lettuce leaves in your bra!

Take warm baths, use ibuprofen or motrin to ease the soreness, maybe pump or express a small amount of milk to ease the pain (but don't pump too much or your body will make even more milk!).

Answer 10

First take a hot shower massage your breasts while you are in there, after you are out get some ice packs put them on for about 10 min., then wrap your breasts with an ace wrap as tight as you can stand. I did this with my 3rd child and it helped big time. In a few days you should feel better.