Can't breastfeed, engorged breasts D:

Amanda - posted on 09/06/2012

aw - so sorry to hear this. i know a mom who lost her second baby and chose to pump a few times each day to release and then store the milk and donated it to another mom. it may be helpful for you. just slowly reduce the # of times you're pumping. you can find others in need of milk through eatsonfeets.org or there's another one but I forget the side.

Benjalynn - posted on 09/05/2012

I am so sorry for your loss!! Praying that the Lord will be with you and your loved ones in this hard time.



As for HUGE Engorged Breast. I wear a size Double D and when i gave birth they swelled up even more i was a triple E. My son wouldnt not latch but i did pump. I still felt like super sore. So i like the others took a HOT shower but this would cause the milk to produce more. This is what worked for me cold cabbage and very tight sports bras. i would even wear 2 it took maybe about 2-3 days and it went down. Hope this helps.

Johnna - posted on 09/01/2012

I'm so sorry for your loss, my prayers are with you and your loved ones in this difficult time. About 4weeks ago I had to stop breastfeeding my son, he was having almost allergic reactions to it and projectile vomiting at every feeding, and had to let my milk supply dry up. I too had the same problem, both breast huge and painful! I continued to pump, but instead of pumping the whole amount I could get, I would do just enough to take the pain away, which was usually around 1oz. Many people say don't do this because it tells the body to create more, but in actuality it tricks your body into thinking that your only needing the 1oz to feed, so it will make less. I gradually had to pump less, from 3-4 times a day, to 2 times, to eventually none, and within a week my milk supply was dried up. Everyone's body is different though, this is just what worked for me!

Teshuah - posted on 08/29/2012

I am so sorry for your loss

Laura - posted on 08/29/2012

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. I've heard that putting hot (as hot as u can stand) flannel on them in the shower and smoothing up and down, kinda like stroking can help if they r unbearable. Stay strong.

Helen - posted on 08/28/2012

I wasn't able to breastfeed either of my sons, and had much the same problem with breast engorgement as you.

Basically do nothing.

It IS painful, emotionally and physically, but the less you do the quicker your body will realise that you don't need the milk and stop producing it. It should ease within a few days and the milk production should stop completely within a few weeks (with my first son it was 10 weeks before I stopped leaking, and the midwife/health visitors told me that was a long time and most people stop before that).

I am really sorry for your loss - I cannot begin to image how you are feeling right now, but hope that the information from my own experience helps.

Diane - posted on 08/18/2012

I'm so sorry for your loss. Have you spoken to your Dr about milk supression. I know there is medication you can take to stop you lactating.

Faith - posted on 08/15/2012

i couldnt because of my medicTION

Christina - posted on 08/12/2012

i had do it on both sides with the cabage and about the shower face away from the water wear the water wont hit ur breast and u be fine

Selma - posted on 08/10/2012

Do the cabbage dry out both breasts when you put it on one breast?? Because im only feeding on one breast and trying to dry out the other because it is too painful to feed my baby on it. ...

Christina - posted on 08/02/2012

put fresh cabage leaves in ur bra on ur breast and it will dry out ur milk and swelling

Megan - posted on 07/24/2012

Other then the comment about cabbage, I completely dissagree with the hot shower/warm cloths suggestion. I was not able to breast feed, and my breasts were very large and painful. The doctors/nurses said the worst thing to do was hot shower. The warmth makes the breast "think" baby warmth from their face is there and will continue to produce more milk. As it may feel good hot is not the answer. Cold cloths/cabbage did the trick for me. Also pressure from a sports bra helped with the pain.

Very sorry for your loss.

Chrissy - posted on 07/21/2012

Hi sweet. I am so sorry for your loss. I can not begin to think about what your going through :( rip little angel xx the ladies here have given some gd advice - but I would like to make a suggestion which could help. You could go to the neonatal ward and ask if you can pump off in sterile containers and donate your milk. Some ladies do this for a few reasons, including helping them along the painful journey of brievement but it is a very personal choice. You don't have to do this for long and you can gradually cut the amounts down over a small period of time so your milk eventually goes which will make it less painful ( physically ) for you. Your a string women hun and your little angel will be looking down on u so proud your her mum xx

Melissa - posted on 07/20/2012

I am extremely sorry for your loss...

As stated above a nice hot shower or some warm washcloths can express them a bit for you for comfort. You don't want to get so engorged that an infection occurs. After that, cold washcloths and I also heard the cabbage leaves work. Just refrigerate and stick in bra the same as nursing pads.

Smoking also works. (I would never encourage you to start if you were never a smoker to begin with, or if you did and were going to quit). But if you were previously a smoker and were going to start back up anyways, that greatly slows down milk production.

Top reasons are obviously better. But good luck and God Bless.

-Melissa

~♥Little Miss - posted on 07/20/2012

I am so sorry about your loss, how awful.

As far as the engorge breasts go, this is fairly normal when any mother stops bfing or cannot bf. I have heard that getting cabbage, sticking it in the fridge to get cool, and then putting it into your bra helps reduce your milk supply and reduce your pain. You can use new ones all day long. Do not play with your breast or try to express them, because this will initiate stimulate and encourage your milk supply to continue.

Catalina - posted on 07/19/2012

First of all i am so sorry about your loss. I read your previous post and it brought tears to my eyes. I must say you are a very strong woman. I will keep you and your family in my prayers. As for the pain from being engorged ... you can take a hot shower the warm water will help the milk come out. You can get a couple wash clothes or small hand towels and put them in the microwave (not to long though cause you could burn them) then put one on each breast this will also help the milk come out and definitely relieve the pain. I did both of these things when i was engorged and it worked wonders.