Breast Milk?

Question

How long will it take after delivery for my breast to dry up? it has been two weeks and they still pour. I haven't pumped or breastfeed. any ideas on how to make it stop. Also, why are you supposed to wait 6 weeks to have sex. Any medical reasoning? TIA

Answer 1

You should be feeding your baby, not trying to dry up the supply. This is the ideal and perfect food for infants! Do not delude yourself into thinking cow's milk or cow based formula is better food.

Humans are the only animal that drinks milk past infancy, and then it's not even from the correct species! Too many people are still trying to defend milk's supposed health benefits. Unfortunately, they are either using old information or information obtained from research funded by the dairy association. How many people would enjoy a glass of dog's milk or rat's milk? What makes cows special?

There are only two reasons which I've found to support humans drinking cow's milk. We have grown up hearing that it's good for us and we've grown accustomed to the taste and texture. There is absolutely no nutrition that can not be obtained elsewhere, minus the negatives. Calcium seems to be the major claim for milk. It can be found elsewhere in green vegetables, almonds, and many other sources. Where do you think the cows obtain the calcium to put into the milk? Where do other larger animals (elephants, horses, deer, whales, etc) get calcium? Why we continue to drink cow's milk laced with growth hormones, antibiotics, and who knows what else is beyond me.

Since I've given up drinking milk about 5 years ago my health has greatly improved. I suffer fewer allergy problems, asthma and breathing problems are greatly reduced, I'm sleeping better, and I have more energy.

In the '50s smoking was considered harmless but now we realize its dangers. One person at a time and eventually the truth will become widely known that cow's milk is only for baby cows. Milk is indeed the perfect food, but only for infants of the proper species.

Do some research online and decide for yourself.
http://www.strongbones.org/
http://www.notmilk.com/
http://www.nomilk.com/

Answer 2

If they are still pouring, this is nature giving you a chance for your child to get his birthright, human milk. Formula lowers the iq by 10 points (highly significant), increases risk of diabetes and allergies and Cancers in the mom and child
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Which was not what was asked.

Some women have a lot more milk than others. If you had chosen to breastfeed, you would have had plenty! It WILL dry up, but that too, like your body healing, can take a while. Mine leaked with my first daughter for 6 weeks, and I mean, it would shoot out across the room,LOL!

Your body has been through a LOT. You passed a human being through your "female parts". You need to give your body time to recover from that, even if you feel pretty good right now. That is the reason for the 6 week waiting period.

Answer 3

Some might think differently, but I feel like as long as she is getting the breast milk right now, it doesn't matter HOW she gets it. It will definately be easier for you at first to use the bottle, because newborn babies eat roughtly every two hours and if you are two hours away and she is in the hospital, that might not be possible. But int he long-run, you are more likely to continue breast feeding longer is she is actually taking the breast. Once she's a few months old and her number of feedings decrease, you'll be able to do things like nurse her before class and then leave her with a sitter. Not to mention that the act of feeding the baby stimulates milk production much much better than even the best pumps will. And the level of closeness that can be achieved between a mother and a nursing child is harder to develop in a bottle-fed baby, simply because you are not the ONLY one who can do it. Yes, it hurts at first, but it doesn't always hurt. Once you get throught the first couple days and the baby learns to latch correctly, then it doesn't really hurt at all anymore. Maybe some uncomfortalbe moments or pinches. And I do know a lady who successfully pumped and bottle fed for over ten months. But she is definately the exception to the rule. Most ladies who pump only, only manage to do it for a matter of weeks, not months, before their supply decreases so low it's no longer worth it. You have to pump more than your baby needs, really, because of growth spurts and wasted bottles and such. So while I think it's best to actually nurse her, right now the most important thing is that she gets the milk in some form. So if you can only manage to bottle-feed the pumped milk to her, then that is what you should continue to do.

Answer 4

There is medical reasoning to wait to have sex. Your organs haven't gone back to the correct place yet and it can also rip the stitches.

Breast milk can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on the person. I, personally, put a sports bra on and then wrapped an ace bandage around that to bind everything and it took about 3 weeks to dry and harden completely. Hurting all the time. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

http://www.babycenter.com/expert/baby/babybreastfeed/11730.html
You let nature take its course, in a week to ten days, your breasts will typically dry up and feel like they did before pregnancy. Most women find they are most uncomfortable when their milk comes in — around day three after delivery. There are some measures you can take, though, to ease the discomfort caused by engorgement and hurry the process along.
• Wear a snug-fitting bra to "bind" your breasts.
• Avoid nipple stimulation, which encourages your breasts to produce milk.
• Don't pump, even to relieve engorgement — it encourages milk production.
• Apply cold compresses to your breasts a couple of times a day.
• Place a large, fresh, slightly crushed green cabbage leaf inside each of your bra cups, changing the leaves when they wilt, until your breasts are soft again (it may take 48 hours or so). No one knows for sure why cabbage leaves are so soothing. Some lactation experts speculate that there's an anti-inflammatory agent in cabbage that helps ease pain and reduce swelling.
• Drink two to three cups of sage tea each day (sage discourages milk production).
• Take a mild pain reliever such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, as needed.

Yeah, there are MEDICAL REASONS for waiting:

There are good reasons for the recommendation not to have intercourse immediately following delivery, whether you've had a vaginal birth or a c-section. The uterus and cervix undergo significant changes during the process of delivering a baby, and they need time to heal. During this healing phase the lining of the uterus, especially the site where the placenta was attached, is susceptible to infection. Intercourse, douching, tampons, and anything placed in the vagina may introduce bacteria, and cause an infection. The flow of lochia, which is a sign that the lining is healing, can last from three to eight weeks. When the lochia flow is no longer bright red, it signals that healing is near completion, and it's probably safe to have intercourse again. However, if you're still healing from an episiotomy or vaginal tear, you'll need to wait longer still.

A vaginal laceration, rectal tear, or episiotomy that requires stitches can take three weeks or longer to heal, depending on the extent of the injury. If you attempt intercourse too soon, not only can you cause yourself pain, you can also disrupt the healing of the wound and possibly cause a rupture that requires another surgical procedure. I recommend waiting six weeks before having intercourse mainly because that's when most women go in for their postpartum exam. At that time your healthcare provider will make sure that your vagina and perineum have healed enough for sex to be safe and pleasurable.

http://www.babycenter.com/expert/baby/postpartumsex/11810.html

Answer 6

Why on earth do you want your milk to dry up? Did your baby not live? If that is the case then please excuse my question and let me tell you how very, very sorry I am for your tragedy.
But...other than that, why would you not be giving that wonderful milk to your precious baby?
Hasn't anyone told you of the tremendous benefits of breast feeding for both you and your baby?
The fact that your breast milk has not dried up is a sure indication that you have a good supply of milk and would no doubt be able to easily nurse your baby.
Formula is full of horrible artifical ingredients and is SO expensive. Even the formula companies admit that breast milk is better than their product.
If you have not been nursing your baby and need help getting started go to La Leche League for advice. They have a website also.
You know, if for some reason you can only nurse for a short time it is still better than nothing.
You can give your baby all the immunities that it has taken you a lifetime to build up by nursing him or her for a relatively short time.
Did they encourage you in the hospital to give the baby your colosturm? This "fore-milk" is so full of things that your baby needs that it would be an awful shame if your baby did not at least get that much.
I am sorry if I am misunderstanding your question, I am just at a loss as to why any mother would so deprive her child. As I said, if there was a tragedy of some sort, or if you put your baby up for adoption then just ignore what I have said. I have all the respect in the world for adoptive mothers. My youngest child is here because of a courageous mother who gave her life.
Blessings
Lady Trinity~ BTW, you need to wait 6 weeks so that your cervix can close up properly and so that your body can heal. Also most doctors wait until 6 weeks to see you and let you know that everything has healed to the point where it is safe to have sex.

Answer 7

You may want to try "binding" you breasts to keep them from leaking. Breastmilk is created on supply and demand. When they leak your breasts automatically feel like they need to reproduce the amount they have lost (just like they would if you were nursing). Wrap your breasts tightly with an ace bandage for a few days and see if this helps. If you get the "let down" feeling, press your hands against your breasts untill the feeling passes to keep them from leaking. Your hospital probably has a lactation consultant that you can call to get some help and advice. You should call and see! You wait 6 weeks to have sex to give your body a chance to heal and try to get back to "normal". You may be a little sore your first time after labor! GOOD LUCK!

Answer 8

It will take a long time for your milk to dry up, somewhere between 6 weeks to 3 months. Mother Nature wants to make sure you have enough milk to breastfeed even if you aren't .

Answer 9

I know that some doctors will give you a shot to help dry up your breast milk as for the No sex for six weeks it is to give you body time to heal after giving birth all so be care-full because you are very fertile during that time.

Answer 10

The milk should go away eventually, especially if you aren't using it at all. Every woman is different.

As for sex after delivery - they want to make sure you are healed completely, especially if you tore and have stiches. You don't want those to get infected - it's awful! Or if you had a c-section they want to make sure you are completely healed since you could tear the incision, etc.
Also, you can ovulate very soon after childbirth so they are also concerned that you are protecting against becoming pregnant again.