Not breastfeeding how do I get my milk to dry up? How long does it take?

Question

I've been doing the cabbage thing since Monday. My breasts don't hurt but leaking is that normal. Its driving me crazy please please help!!!!

Answer 1

It takes awhile. Do not pump it because it will just prolong the problem. Wear a tight bra and keep some nursing pads on hand so you don't leak everywhere. It may take a couple of months for them to completely dry up. The less stimulation they have the quicker the milk will dry up.

Answer 2

What ever you do don't pump your breasts because all that will happen is that you will fill up again. Just like if you were nursing, you'll produce more milk to feed the baby. I don't breastfeed and I have had 4 kids and am pregnant with #5. My Dr. had offered me Parlodil to dry up the breast milk but, I refused that all the times because there can be harmful side effects. What I did was, take a towel and fold it in half longways and then you put the towel up against your breasts and have your husband or someone else pull on the towel as if they were going to tie it in a bow . This is binding the breasts and it will relieve the pain. If your not throbbing at all and don't have any pain just don't do anything and you'll notice a big difference in a few days.You can use the nursing pads to put in your bra so that way you won't get the wet circles that show through your shirt. Congratulations on your new baby

Answer 3

If you are trying to dry up your breastmilk, don't use a pump because that will only cause your breasts to make more milk. Cabbage is mostly for pain and will not help with drying up milk. The best thing you can do is buy a good maternity bra and wear a sports bra over it. Try not to take very hot showers beause it will increase your flow and try not to let baby get close to your bare breasts. When u hold baby, wear breast pads and the maternity/sports bra combo and place a blanket between you and baby. As long as baby can't smell the milk and you continue to apply pressure to your breasts, you will dry up sooner or later. Some women leak up to a year after giving birth, but it usually isn't a lot of milk.

Answer 4

Whatever you do, do NOT pump or stimulate your breasts to make more milk. If you pump you are only telling your body to produce more. Try keeping the cabbage leaves on and within a few days you should see some results.

Answer 5

The green cabbage is the best thing on EARTH to put on the boobs..Anyway I leaked for a while. Probably a good couple weeks after I delieved my son. It takes soom time. Good Luck

Answer 6

Do NOT pump. Pumping your milk will increase your supply. The cheapest and easiest way is to place a cabbage leaf over each breast and bind them with a towel as tightly as you can.

Answer 7

Don't pump, it makes your milk continue flowing. The leaking is normal, it will continue until your milk dries up. It could take up to 2 weeks to completely dry up.

Answer 8

I know that everyone has said not to pump, but I remember reading somewhere that you should pump a little bit, but not drain the breast. That way it takes the edge off, but the breast won't drain enough to produce a lot of milk.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Don't pump them empty as empty breasts make milk faster than full ones. If you are in alot of pain, you may want to express a little in the shower so they are full. Wear a supportive but not tight bra. Use ice packs for pain. Cabbage is good for pain and I think it has a chemical (a nurse told our childbirth class this) that does help in drying up milk, but the LC said to replace the leaves every 2 hrs with fresh cold ones.

BabyCenter.com:
It's not uncommon to be able to express milk for several months after weaning. Eventually it will dry up on its own. If you're feeling a slight engorgement, or if milk is leaking and annoying you, you can try putting fresh green cabbage leaves over your breasts to help dry up the milk supply.

Wash the leaves, crush them slightly and place them over your breasts inside your bra. Change them when they wilt, but leave them on around-the-clock for 48 hours or so. Drinking two to three cups of sage tea a day will also help dry up your milk. Or, you can just wait and let nature take its course.

Breast pads can help control wetness but they won't do anything to diminish your milk supply. Whatever you do, don't pump routinely. If your breasts are uncomfortably full, you can certainly pump once to empty your breasts completely, and make yourself more comfortable. After that, only pump if you get really miserable, and then pump only for comfort.

Also see:
http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bbreastfeed/0,,3x41,00.html

http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/html/lactation_suppression.shtml :
Once your milk supply is established, stopping abruptly causes certain physical changes. Your breasts will continue to produce milk for a while, and if some isn’t removed, you may become engorged, and possibly develop mastitis. You will also experience a sudden drop in prolaction levels, which may add to your feelings of depression.

Here are some suggestions that may minimize your discomfort, and avoid potential problems.

1.

Don’t bind your breasts. This is an old fashioned idea which is no longer recommended because it can make you very uncomfortable, and may cause plugged ducts and mastitis. Using drugs to “dry up” the milk is also not recommended because they are not very effective, and may cause serious side effects.
2.

Wear a supportive (but not tight) bra for support. Choose clothing that is less likely to show wet spots if you leak, and wear nursing pads to absorb leaking milk.
3.

Drink to thirst. Restricting fluids doesn’t help.
4.

Cut down on salt intake. Salt causes your body to retain fluids.
5.

Take 200 mg of vitamin B6 each day for 5 days to relieve engorgement.
6. Sage tea contains a natural form of estrogen and can decrease your supply and help dry up your milk. You can buy it at the health food store, or use the spice from your kitchen. Take 1 tsp of rubbed sage with 1 cup of hot water and let it steep for about 15 minutes. You will want to add some milk or honey to it as it is very bitter. 3-4 ml every 6 hours usually dries up the milk quickly and goes down a little faster than the tea. The tincture is more readily absorbed in the mucous membranes, so it is somewhat more efficient at decreasing your milk supply.
7. Cabbage leaf compresses are a home remedy that has been used for over a hundred years to reduce engorgement and dry up milk. Here’s how to use them: Buy plain green cabbage. Rinse and dry leaves. Put them in the refrigerator. Remove base of hard core vein and gently pound leaves. Wrap around breast and areola, leaving nipple exposed. The leaves fit nicely around the breast, and the cold feels good. Cover entire breast, and if needed, the area under your arms. Change every 30 minutes or sooner if the leaves become wilted.
8.

Don’t be afraid to relieve your discomfort by expressing some milk. Express just enough to soften your breasts, but not enough to empty them completely. A warm shower will help relieve the discomfort of full breasts, and is a good place to express a little milk to relieve the fullness.

How often you express should be determined by your comfort level. Always go as long as you can before pumping (or hand expressing) and take out as little milk as possible. If you have been pumping every 3 hours, start out by pumping every 4 hours, then every 6, then every 8, then every 12, etc. If you have been pumping 6 ounces at each session, pump 4 ounces, then 3, then 2, etc. By gradually expressing less milk less and less often your supply will decrease without causing physical problems for you.

The amount of time it takes for your milk to dry up depends on how full a supply you have built up. If you have very little milk when you wean, it may be possible to quit cold turkey with a minimum of discomfort. For most mothers, a more gradual approach is recommended. If you have a full supply when you wean, and you taper off gradually, you should be able to stop expressing completely within 2-3 weeks, and often sooner. It is normal for you to be able to express a few drops of milk or have a little leaking for weeks or months after you stop nursing.