Stopped BFing and breast won't stop leaking. :(

[PregnantKitty]

I breastfed my daughter as much as I could for her first few days but by the 3rd day it was obvious she was not getting enough milk as she was constantly feeding and would drain one breast and then the other over and over and still cry for more when they were both drained - if I could even get her to latch on the right one.

I've always had issues with my LOs latching on my right breast as when I was young and stupid I had my nipples pierced and gauged and now that nipple doesn't get hard. But my left breast has never produced much milk, while my right has always produced a lot.

Well, long story short I would struggle to get her to latch on the right over and over so she could feed and even then afterwards she'd still be hungry so I'd put her on the left but it got to the point where the pediatrician at the hospital suggested I formula feed because she wasn't getting enough even as my milk was coming in.

After taking her home I still breastfed her and supplements for a few more days but it still wasn't working out so I decided to formula feed. (Please don't judge).

Well, it's been almost a month now and my left breast has pretty much dried up but my right leaks just as much, if not more, than it did when I was BFing. I can bend over and it'll start flowing. I soak through about 6-10 breast pads a day and it's showing no signs of stopping.

I am considering pumping on that side and supplementing her formula with that but if I do will it make my breast uneven?

Regardless if I decide to pump or not is this normal? With my other two children I breastfed longer even and it didn't take this long to dry up and definitely didn't leak like this after the first week.

Advice? Thoughts? What would you do?


Sorry about the long post. Thank you for reading.

 

[noon_child]

I'm really sorry your hospital couldn't support you to breastfeed.

I have heard of some women who leaked for a few months after stopping bf, but usually when a baby cried etc. but it may be that being around your newborn is keeping the hormones flowing.

If you'd like baby to get some breastmilk then there is no reason not to pump and give in a bottle. It will probably mean your breasts get a little uneven in size, but only if you are pumping for multiple feeds a day. If you only pump enough for one or two feeds, it shouldn't be too noticeable and it may even continue to dry up.

If you are interested, it is quite possible to get a baby to latch at a month old having never breastfed. As a slightly older and bigger baby she may be able to cope more with any fast flow that might have put her off at the beginning.

 

[luz]

I know there are medications you can take to stop milk from coming in, if this is what you want, maybe call your doctor and see if that is an option? It is possible to pump one side, or only feed from one side, i have heard of women doing it before. how do you look now? I don't think pumping and supplementing the formula with that milk would cause you to look any more uneven than you already do - if you do at all.