How to stop breastfeeding?

[Jcliff]

Hi all. After two weeks of pumping hell, i have decided to strickly formula feed. My baby never latched and I decided pumping would be the best option. But now that she is two weeks old, Im realizing pumping is a nightmare. But my question is does anyone have any advice on how to stop the breast feeding? My friends tld me to stop cold turkey but ive been so much pain all day. I have to pump for like a minute just for some relief. Baby has been eating formula all day so thats not the problem, the problem is me! Also, im suffering from terrible PPD.

 

[CandyDay]

you can probably pump just enough to keep yourself comfortable and then you will milk will eventually dry up. You could also try cabbage leaves.

•Cabbage leaf compresses are a home remedy that has been used for over a hundred years to reduce engorgement and dry up milk. (See article ‘Engorgement’) 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.
•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
https://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/articles/lactation-suppression

 

[Sarah Lou 80]

I breastfed for almost 5 months and was worried about engorgement. I didn't stop cold turkey but did it quicker than a lot of people recommended.

For 2-3 days I would hand express a bit in the morning while I was in the shower but only enough so I was comfortable. Then by late afternoon they would be really sore so I pumped about an oz. over the next 2-3 days I just pumped a small amount (prob about half oz) in the afternoon and hand expressed in the shower the teensiest amount in the evening (a lot of the time, the shower would make my boobies squirt anyway-so glam!) Then, over the next couple of days I only hand expressed if I felt really uncomfortable but I stopped as soon as the hind milk was coming out (the white stuff) I would only express the clear fore milk to try and tell my body that it didn't need to make any more milk. After about a week, I just left it and they were fine.

Hope that helps. Play it by ear though as I'm sure it's different for everyone.

Hope it goes ok!

 

[Leesy]

I stopped cold turkey and personally didn't have any problem doing so, but I've heard if you don't want to pump a little for relief having a hot shower and letting the water run over your boobs can help, only problem with that is finding time for a relaxing shower!

 

[Jendra]

I think there are a few ways to approach it.

Do you want it over with fast? If so, strap on your boots, go cold turkey and understand the pain is temporary. Get out the Tylenol and cabbage! If you can't bear more pain and can take the pump a little longer, take it slow with a reduced pumping schedule over time. I would recommend, though, from personal experience, letting go of the pump and hand expressing as needed. It's still a fast way to get the job done, it's just a little bit slower and a little less painful than cold turkey.

For the record, I felt the same as you, pumping was a nightmare. I now only BF in the morning (the only time my breasts ever had enough milk), but I FF all day long. It's glorious, the freedom from that damn machine. Finally started enjoying motherhood. Good luck to you with all my heart!

 

[Jcliff]

Its been 48 hours since Ive last pumped. Breasts still hurt but not as bad. Hoping they feel back to normal soon. Baby has been fussy today. I think she is trying to adjust to the formula. I hope she feels better soon. It breaks my heart to see her cry over something I have decided to do.

 

[fieryphoenix]

Have you tried latching her recently? Now that she a bit bigger and stronger she may be able to latch, just a thought

 

[Jcliff]

I cant start breastfeed now. I need more hormone levels to go down as soon as possible for a few reasons.

 

[Jendra]

Have you tried latching her recently? Now that she a bit bigger and stronger she may be able to latch, just a thought

I think we can trust her to make her own BF/FF decisions.

 

[fieryphoenix]

I cant start breastfeed now. I need more hormone levels to go down as soon as possible for a few reasons.

Gotcha!

 

[HanaK]

I stopped cold turkey. It was painful for about three days and uncomfortable for roughly another three. Now my boobs are back to pre pregnancy size. I had Diclofenac left over from my episiotomy (they're like ibuprofen anti inflammatory but stronger and one lasts 24 hours) and used those. My GP said this was ok. I was advised to express/cut down feeds gradually but felt I couldn't do this (complicated lol). It took my LO around a week to get used to being ff (although he always had about 1 bottle of f a day/if I went out) and he was very fussy to begin with - still snacking, still cluster feeding (this actually got pretty bad for a few days and I doubted that I'd made the right decision switching). After around a week he settled. I encouraged him to eat more in one go and go longer between feeds gradually - by 10 minutes every couple of days. Hope that helps!

 

[Fortune Cooki]

I was reading somewhere that peppermint tea can cause a decrease. Someone posted about a hot shower. I thought hot compresses just increase supply and cold compresses decrease it.

 

[Jcliff]

Its been about a week ive stopped nursing. Havent pumped in about 8 days. all going well. breasts dont hurt anymore and are no longer really hard, still leaking alittle bit however so still need to wear pads.

 

[julybaby2013]

Its been 48 hours since Ive last pumped. Breasts still hurt but not as bad. Hoping they feel back to normal soon. Baby has been fussy today. I think she is trying to adjust to the formula. I hope she feels better soon. It breaks my heart to see her cry over something I have decided to do.

Hugs to you! I'm in a similar situation. I just stopped BFing on Thursday, tried pumping but wasn't getting enough and hated being hooked to the pump. I stopped purposefully pumping on Friday. I pumped once overnight Friday just for a couple minutes to relieve the pain, hand expressed in the shower yesterday morning and pumped again around 1 for just a few minutes. I haven't had to pump since. I'm still sore but not getting engorged. I've been putting ice packs in my bra every so often and taking some ibuprofen. I took sudafed with my first and it seemed to help dry things up but it gives me insomnia now so I can't try that.

My son has been a bit fussier at night since I stopped BFing and it breaks my heart to see him try to root on me but I know this is the best decision for us! I can't be screaming in pain every time my child wants to eat! I had issues BFing my first in 2009 as well and developed PPD. When I had problems with the get go with this little guy it was like I was transported back 4 years and put right in the same position!

 

[YouandMe]

My son is 4 months now and I still have nightmares about the terrible time we had for the first 2 months! He has severe acid reflux, struggled with jaundice, couldn't latch, was losing weight rapidly and I had severe PPD! We were a MESS! It was absolute hell, I have never felt more depressed in my entire life, and I was feeling so guilty about stopping breastfeeding! I wanted it so badly, I thought FOR SURE I wouldn't have any problems because I figured if you want something bad enough you make it happen. I was so naive! I can't believe that prior to going through it myself I was one of those people who thought the women who "gave up" were being weak! Boy did I eat my own words!!! I just couldn't survive the constant pumping and failure to latch, not to mention LO screamed so long and so hard all day every day. This is no exaggeration! My poor newborn baby was getting 6 hours of sleep MAX, we knew this because we logged everything...looking back I truly don't know how we survived it all!

What worked best for me was the cabbage leaves!! I pumped just enough to not feel in pain and that did the trick. I leaked for weeks after every time LO would cry which killed me. It was a constant leaky reminder of my failure! Thank god for my amazing midwife and ZOLOFT!