Moms that have nursed in the past, I have a funny question for you!

Patricia - posted on 03/17/2012

I really appreciate everyones help!! It took two weeks for the girls to go back to normal (pre pregnancy) size!! I am not even going to try and see if I am still making milk for now because I am scared that I might start the whole process again. My husband was able to bond with our daughter (when I was in pain for those couple of days), which he didnt have a close relationship with her till now, so atleast there is a bright light that came out of my discomfort. Thank y'all!!!

Laura Zoey - posted on 03/17/2012

Yes clogs and engorgement, mastitis, these often happen a lot while baby is young. My daughter is 10 months old and I still get clogs a lot!

But you won't get clogs and engorgement during weaning if it's done slow over the course of a few years.

When you nurse til your child grows out of the need, your body slows milk down until it stops making so much.

Weaning a young baby makes engorgement and clogs and mastitis but weaning over years with an older child is pain free and won't risk infected ducts etc.

I hope I'm making more sense, I think I wasn't clear in my first post!

Kelsey - posted on 03/17/2012

I'm telling you it happened to me within my first month. On top of several other issues.

Laura Zoey - posted on 03/17/2012

Yes Kelsey, if you nurse 2-4 years or so and let your child decide when to wean there is no clogged ducts or soreness or engorgement.

Kelsey - posted on 03/16/2012

Oh, Laura ? Mom never gets engorged or sore or clogged? I breastfed religiously for the first full month and I still made too much milk and my son was not taking it well. I started pumping and was sure of how much he was drinking, and he was having bad stomach cramps and just not doing well with it, I changed my diet and it didn't help. Even when I pumped more than he drank to relieve pressure, I still got a clogged duct and terrible pain. Even the process of letdown felt like hot lightening through my breasts every time. It was quite a painful experience in just about every aspect. Breastfeeding is not for everyone... not everyone is so lucky to have no issues. Some women have more reasons for weaning than others.



I, surprisingly, am trying again this go around and am hoping for better luck. Every baby is different, too.

Laura Zoey - posted on 03/15/2012

I've never weaned a child and my son is 3 and daughter is 10 months. So idk really.



But I do know that it's risky for both mom and baby to wean so very very early as 6 months. Mom risks clogged ducts, mastitis,etc

Baby risks general immunities and health.



When you let your child self wean it happens gradually over years and by the time the child stops nursing, moms milk is nearly gone anyways.

Soil you let nature take its course and don't force weaning, mom never gets engorged sore clogged etc.

Jeannine - posted on 03/14/2012

My youngest is 6 years old, and I still produce milk. The girls are one size larger than before I got pregnant with him. I nursed all 4 of my kids for the first year, the last month with only bedtime feedings, and I didn't have any engorgement at all. I thought about being a wetnurse for a lot of years, (found out the stuff is really valuable, and people will pay handsomely for it) but then started to feel a little weird about it. Good Luck to you!! If you still have problems, go online and find your local chapter of the LLL (La Leche League) which is usually a gathering of "seasoned" nursing mothers with wonderful advice.

Michele - posted on 03/14/2012

I know a lot of people disagree with this method but I pushed my nipples in to my breast bone and wrapped with an ace bandage. You will feel fever and a little discomfort but within a week that and your milk supply goes away. I took tylenol for the fever. Good luck!

Chiquita - posted on 03/14/2012

I srroppesd at 10 months and went threw the engorement i used the cabbage leaves , tomato juice and oregeno. I am still the same size breast. But since I stopped my son has not , he breast feeds himself at least once a week. He is now 1. I mean he goes in my shirt and get the breast, of he sees a boob he is jumping on it , it does not even have to be the nipple . i thought i didnt have milk left bit its still a small supply. I breastfed all my.children and with my first one i had milk for 2 yrs after. I knew cuz i squeezed my nipple.

Patricia - posted on 03/13/2012

Thank you ladies for all the help! I am so glad to get opinions of other moms.

Kate - posted on 03/13/2012

If you shower don't let the spray go on the girls as it will stimulate the milk! Hot damp flannel on each should reduce the pain but make sure you don't scaled them!

Liza - posted on 03/12/2012

Sure wish I could nurse some if those beautiful babies in the horn of Africa right now and put this milk makin' to good use.

Liza - posted on 03/12/2012

I nursed my 2nd for 10 mos and 8 months llater still occasionally felt engorged and had to manually express a little. Even thinking about nursing I'm getting the milky feeling and it's been a year since I've nursed.

Fran - posted on 03/12/2012

I stopped feeding my second son 6 months ago and can still produce milk. I didn't have any engorgement problems when I weaned him though, only in the first few months of feeding. As for size, with my first bub I went from a D to an E and only went back to a DD after weaning. With bub number two I went up to an F but am now back to a DD, and I'm 10kgs lighter than when I got pregnant so I think they are here to stay.

Maurica - posted on 03/12/2012

I stopped breast feeding my son @ 8 months and he's 18 months now and I still produce a little milk. I think it depends on your body. I gradually stopped producing but am not completely dried up yet.

Heather - posted on 03/12/2012

My 3rd child that happened to me. After a week I nursed him just once to "empty" it. It was a relief to me and the milk didn't come back.

Kelsey - posted on 03/12/2012

Actually the cabbage is suggested because of certain enzymes in them. You can do the research on your own, but I've heard it helps and when I quit breastfeeding my son (I actually made too MUCH milk) I use them with terrible terrible engorgement and it seemed to make it possibly go faster.

Erica - posted on 03/12/2012

I could still squeeze out milk 18 months AFTER i stopped nursing. The doc said everyone stops producing at different times. They should go down to *almost* normal size about a month after you stop. Hot showers help to soften them. DONT express milk, if you can help it. That encourages your body to keep making it.

Amanda - posted on 03/12/2012

Be careful expressing too much milk. If you express too much you will continue the milk production. When my first was weaned I didn't have any engorgement problems but I was working 6 days a week, 10 hour days and I pumped when I had time and breastfed when I was home. Eventually I just couldn't keep up and my milk just "dried" up. When I got pregnant with my first I wore a C-cup. While breastfeeding I wore a D-cup. After breastfeeding I was borderline between the two. Now I am breastfeeding my second and I am supposed to wear an E but only own D-cup nursing bras and don't feel like buying new bras, lol.



Also, the cabbage leaves won't dry up the milk; what they do is help reduce the swelling that is caused by engorgement.

Penny - posted on 03/12/2012

It took me a couple of weeks for them to stop filling up and I had help from my homopath medicine.

Patricia - posted on 03/12/2012

See I am past the pain, and I am nolonger leaking but I can tell I still have milk. I guess I was hoping to have one of those stories that I dried up entirely in 24 hrs and didn't have to worry about it anymore. I really want to fit the clothes and bras I fit before but I see that that might not happen... I may not be happy about that but my husband will be .

Lyssa - posted on 03/12/2012

My mother nursed 8 children and when I (the youngest) was 36 she managed to express some milk. With stimulation it never goes away. My milk didn't go away until I had a masdectomy.

Gale - posted on 03/12/2012

If your still producing milk and getting engorged you can pump just enough to release engorgement, not to empty. You will eventually stop producing milk. Mine pretty much stopped right away, I weaned slowly. No other stimulation to the breast, stand with your back to the shower when showering and no rubbing or handling the breast at all other than washing them and releasing the milk when you fill engorged.



Good Luck.

Francine - posted on 03/12/2012

I think it changes for every women, personally I was a very small chested woman before becoming pregnant with my two boys and since the last pregnancy 14 years ago my chest never went down to its former size. I started out being a A cup and ended with a D cup and like I said I've been this size for 14 years.

Kyla - posted on 03/12/2012

Cabbage is the best way to stop this. It will take a couple weeks but use cabbage especially at night and change it often

Sophie - posted on 03/12/2012

I stopped nursing my eldest daughter when she was 8 months old because I was no longer producing milk and could only manage one feeding a day (which she eventually started to refuse). My breasts went back to their original size immediately but I noticed that I continued to have the occasional letdown up until I became pregnant with my second child about a year and a half later.

Elfrieda - posted on 03/12/2012

When I stopped nursing my son I didn't have any engorgement or continued milk (the reason I stopped was because I was barely making any milk and it was frustrating my son), but my breasts were and still are (almost 2 years later) bigger than before I got pregnant. I went up a cup size, and even after losing the baby weight, I'm still up a size. I don't think it goes away.



About the cabbage leaves, I don't have personal experience, but I've been told that it works even better if you scrunch them up (and then unscrunch them) before putting them in your bra. Something about the juices?

Connie - posted on 03/12/2012

I made milk for a year after my youngest daughter was weaned. but the amount gradually got smaller and yes, they go back to normal. God bless!

Claire - posted on 03/11/2012

I stopped nursing my daughter when she was 5 months old, in preparation for returning to work, I was never able to express so that unfortunately wasn't an option for me. I don't remember suffering any engorgement, during nursing or pregnancy, however I've friend's who have....the old tried and tested white cabbage leaf in the bra and warm (not hot!) showers helped them.

Bonnie - posted on 03/11/2012

Yes, cabbage in the bra helps with engorgement, but I was always told that it has to be green cabbage only. Warm showers also help.



As far as size, after I stopped nursing, I went back to my regular chest size in no time, except they were flatter :-(. I am going to try my best to nurse this time too and i'm hoping once I stop nursing, maybe this time they will stay a bit larger at least.

Amanda - posted on 03/11/2012

I breastfed my son for 10 1/2 months, I didn't dry up at all, I think it was because I was pregnant with my daughter although I was producing a ridiculous amount of milk. I went from a pre pregnancy b cup to a d cup when I was feeding, when I fininshed with baby number 1 I went to a c cup and stayed that size until after I finished feeding my daughter at 8 months.

After my daughter it took about 3 months before I was totally dried up and my boobs shrunk back down to a shrivelled barely b cup again

Kate CP - posted on 03/11/2012

Yup, cold cabbage leaves (like out of the fridge) help with engorgement.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 03/11/2012

I have heard that cabbage leaves in the bra help reduce the milk supply and help the pain.

Chrystal - posted on 03/11/2012

When I stopped nursing my daughter it took about 3 weeks to fully stop producing milk and I stayed a cup larger than I was before pregnant but they are smaller than when I was nursing.