I am trying to stop pumping?

Question

I pump my milk and give it to my baby and I am quitting and wonder if anyone had any suggestions on things to do to stop engorgement?

Answer 1

You need to SLOWLY cut out pumping, not stop cold turkey. Stopping cold turkey can lead to painful engorgement, plugged ducts and possibly mastitis. Instead, slowly cut back on how many times you pump. Every 3-5 days, cut a pumping session out. This will let your body step down production so that you don't get so uncomfortable.

Bags of frozen peas work well as ice packs on engorged breasts. It's fine to take ibuprofen. Wearing cabbage leaves in your bra helps too.

Answer 2

I am doing the same thing right now.I used to pump every 3 to 4 hours 24/7 for 5 months!!My son is allergic to dairy,soy and something else in my milk that we cannot figure out so we decided to go to formula.Start with cutting down to every 5 or 6 hours for a day or 2,then try 7 or 8 hours,then i got to the point after about 5 days I just pumped in the morning and the evening,be sure NOT to drain your breasts,just take out what you need to be comforatble.I am now on my 3rd day of pumping once a day and only when I start to hurt.If you can feel lumps in your breast be sure to massage them out.I think i will be done in a day or 2.Myslef i didnt need to put cabbage or any other fruits or vegys on my breasts.LOL!!

Answer 3

discontinue at a gradual pace. The less you pump, the less you will produce.

When you are engorged and are not ready to pump - apply very warm towels to help with the discomfort. Any milk you release will soak into the towels, but it will be less milk every time.

Also - keep in mind that as you decrease - the more difficult it can become to pump what you do need.

Answer 4

OK say you pump 6 oz normally per feeding
pump 5 oz day 1 / add 1/2 scoop formula plus 1 oz water that way baby can get the taste for formula and still have his/her milk
day 2 : pump 4 oz 1 scoop formula 2 oz water
day 3: pump 3 oz 1 1/2 formula 3 oz water
day 4: pump 2 oz 2 scoops formula 4 oz water
and continue on the same path until you are giving baby all formula
this way your body gets used to lactating less and baby gradually gets used to formula
During this time make sure you are not running hot water over your boobs ie in the shower hot tub ect. avoid stimulation of your boobs wear pads Good luck !!!

Answer 5

I stopped breast feeding "cold turkey" so if you do it that way, you're bound to become extremely engorged. Ice packs and cold showers help a lot.

However, if you gradually reduce the number of times you pump every day, I heard that helps with becoming TOO engorged because you're slowly reducing your milk supply.

Answer 6

oftentimes while weaning you elect to drop one feed/pumping consultation at a time. So in case you have been pumping, say, 8 situations/day then you definately'll drop all of it the way down to 7 for some days etc till you're all the way down to 0. Doing it too quickly could reason engorgement and soreness. you additionally can attempt hand expressing in simple terms adequate milk to make you experience gentle. as much as now as how long it particularly is going to take, that varies. With my first(I purely breast fed him for greater or less 2 weeks) i became nonetheless waiting to supply tiny quantities 3-4 weeks after he became weaned. It wasn't adequate to reason any soreness or soreness and that i actually purely observed it on an identical time as interior the bathe or at as quickly as after. you may dry up suitable away or it ought to take some weeks.

Answer 7

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/pump 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.

Take 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/pumping session at a time is ideal. Night feedings should be the last to go.

HTH

Answer 8

The less you pump the less you will produce. Try to slowly stop pumping. Another words, you may pump 6oz this time and do only 5oz next. continue to decrease over a period of time and you will be off in no time.

Answer 9

Gradually reducing the number of times you pump would be best for your breasts/body and baby. Your body will slowly produce less milk and you won't have pain.

Answer 10

Stop gradually. Eliminate one feeding / pumping session every two weeks, that is what I did and had no problems