How long does it take breast milk to dry up?

Question

I have been breast feeding for the last 5 months straight and Just stopped 3 days ago! they hurt so bad! What can I do?

Answer 1

You need to express your milk to relieve the pressure. It won't take too long for your milk to dry up.

You should not go cold turkey on quitting if you don't want it to hurt. You should just eliminate one feeding at a time over a couple days/weeks.

Answer 2

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RE:
How long does it take breast milk to dry up?
I have been breast feeding for the last 5 months straight and Just stopped 3 days ago! they hurt so bad! What can I do?

Answer 3

Today is the end of my second day of not feeding. I went cold turkey because my daughter is stubborn. I am still engorged but it is starting to go down. Frozen veggies or soft ice packs and ibuprofen have really helped. Also I have been wearing a sports bra which has also helped. I have noticed that if my daughter touches my breast they started making milk. So I have not been holding her as much which has been hard for both of us. I suggest pain pills if it's bad. I used Norco the first day.

Answer 4

I found for myself wearing a bra constantly helped...its not as bad as binding them and then you can use leftover size 1 diapers as breast pads until you stop leaking. A hot shower and some hand expressing will help with the pain. I found that even several months after i had "dried up" if i went without a bra for several days it would start coming back in. I hope this helps, good luck.

Answer 5

HANG IN THERE!! This is the worst of it! Do not express your milk, you will only produce more! Instead, put on a sports bra or some tight bandages around your chest, take two tylenol and put ice packs on yourself if you can to help. I wore two sports bras and put ice packs in the middle.

It will get better in the next day or two, i promise! Don't take any hot showers and if you do, keep your back to the water. Just hang in there, this hardness will be gone very soon and from there keep bound for another two weeks at least. I had to wear breast pads for about two months, but it was just very minor.

I promise it will get better! I have been there twice! Stick it out today and those two bricks that are your breasts will slowly begin to return to normal! :)

If you have any more questions, contact your OB or midwife.

Answer 6

About 2-3 weeks. I stopped late Dec and still have some coming out. Keep draining the breast to get the supply back up and running unless you are stopping. Warm compress will make you let down so it should releive the pressure and pain.

Answer 7

This may sound odd, but this is an actual suggestion I got from a lactation nurse...get a head of cabbage. Peel off the big top layers and place on breasts. If the cabbage is cold it will act as a numbing agent. But basically the cabbage will draw out the pain. I used this myself and amazingly enough, it worked!! It took me about 5 days before I felt better. Good luck!!

Answer 8

I had to stop breastfeeding after day 9 (due to a c-section related infection I had to be hospitalized for) so my milk had only been in for a few days, and I was completely engorged. It was horrible, and painful, and soaking wet!!

I didn't stop leaking for about three months. I didn't need to continue using breast pads after about one month.

Answer 9

WEANING-DRYING UP MILK
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/lactation-suppression.html
http://www.bflrc.com/ljs/breastfeeding/dryupfst.htm

Cabbage leaves work, but only cause they are cold. People say to use cabbage leaves because of their shape, molds nicely to, lets say, ummmmm . . . an engorged breast. cutting the veins simply soften the leaves.

Do not bind your breasts to help your milk "dry up." This is an outdated practice that can cause plugged ducts, breast infection, or breast abscess.

Don't eat oatmeal (some women with over supply swear it is evil! LOL)

If your breasts feel full and uncomfortable when you don't nurse at a specific time, then express just enough milk to relieve the fullness. You can do this by pumping for a couple of minutes or hand expressing. The less milk you remove, the quicker your body will realize it doesn't need to produce. Sometimes just taking a hot shower will do the job - anything that relieves the fullness is fine. If you are comfortable without expressing at all, that's okay too.

Do express or pump if you get uncomfortably full. It's not good for your body to not have any way of relieving the fullness. Pumping or hand expressing (learn how at http://www.lactationinstitute.org/MANUALEX.html)just enough milk to relieve discomfort will not prevent your milk supply from decreasing. What causes milk production to stay the same or increase is adequate milk removal. If only a small amount of milk is removed from the breast, then milk production will decrease. In addition, expressing a little milk will relieve your discomfort and make it less likely that you'll develop plugged ducts, a breast infection, or an abscess.

Tylenol or Advil for discomfort

Take pseudoephedrine--120 mg/day, a decongestant. research shows that it can decrease milk supply by as much as 24%. (found in Sudafed, Actifed)

To use dried sage (Salvia officinalis) for reducing milk supply, take 1/4 teaspoon of sage 3x per day for 1-3 days. You can mix the sage in vegetable juice (for example, V-8), but it won't mix well into other juices. You can also mix it into other foods. If you don't like the taste of sage, try putting it into a tiny piece of sandwich and swallowing it whole - peanut butter or something else a bit sticky seems to work best for holding the sage in place. Tear off the corner of the sandwich containing the sage (it should be a very small section) and swallow it without chewing (that's why you need a very small section).

To use sage tea for decreasing milk supply, infuse 1 tablespoon of dried sage in 1 cup of boiling water (or 20g dried sage in 50 ml boiling water). Steep for 5-15 minutes. Drink 1 cup, 2 - 6 times per day.

You can use a tincture of sage instead: 30-60 drops of tincture, 3-6 times a day.

Another effective treatment is to apply fresh, crushed jasmine flowers (Jasminum sambac) to the breasts to decrease milk flow. A study has shown this to be effective

Other herbs that can decrease milk supply: Peppermint (Mentha piperita), Spearmint, Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), Chickweed, Black Walnut, stinging nettles (not nettle - that increases milk supply), Yarrow, Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum), Lemon Balm, Oregano, Periwinkle Herb (Vinca minor), Sorrel (Rumex acetosa).

Sage, peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm, oregano, and cabbage leaves can all be incorporated into a pressed oil (cold pressed or hot) to make massage oils for milk suppression.

Peppermint essential oil has been used traditionally for decreasing milk supply. Peppermint tea is a very weak form of peppermint and only large amounts (quarts) would be expected to decrease milk supply. Some women have successfully used the strong peppermint candies (for example, Altoids® Curiously Strong Peppermints) for decreasing milk supply (a few per day aren't likely to affect supply, though).

If your not planning on another baby soon Estrogen-containing contraceptives have been linked to low milk supply

However, weaning should not be done cold turkey. Elimanating one feeding at a time is ideal. Night feedings should be the last to go.

Answer 10

You could ask a doctor for a shot to dry them up faster with less pain.