A Wee Bit O' Weaning

b48kate

A place for all advice and discussion about weaning.

This has come up a bit in other threads, but I thought it would be useful on a move forward basis if we had a place to put our collective knowledge and/or concerns on the topic.

So, whether weaning from breast or pump...this is the place to share issues and/or knowledge!

b48kate

As a heads up...I am day 2 in weaning from the pump and trying to avoid the dreaded clogged ducts or mastitis. All advice welcome!

JESNYC

Great idea! I'm also on day 2. I had leftover newborn diapers and have been making frozen compresses from them. I don't know if it is helping reduce my supply but it is easing the discomfort from spacing out my pumping sessions.

tbmadeamistake

Day two here as well! Advil and I had dh get me some cabbage to stuff my bra with tonight. Word if warning, weaning can mess with certain hormones and cause short-term depression until things even out. I went through it when I weaned C. This time I'm not feeling it as much, but then I'm already depressed and the bottle feeding formula is making such a positive change that maybe its counteracting things?

b48kate

Nice to hear from you ladies! Today I am dropping down to about give hours between pumps.

Will definitely watch out for the hormone fluctuations @Lilygrace48‌ (that is a good heads up).

We also had such a great day today...freedom from the pump meant two long uninterrupted naps with the LO snuggled right in my chest. It feels like I am getting so many hours back in the day to focus on him. Heaven!

I did the Sudafed today and I swear that it is really helping bring the production level down. Have on my tightest sports bra and hoping that I can manage overnight (when my production is highest) without too much discomfort. Biggest complaint so far is itching! When the girls get full they itch like crazy...

ElTrain5

I hear alcohol reduces your supply. Just putting that out there.

JESNYC

@ElTrain5‌ Thanks for justifying the glass of wine I'm drinking while I watch The Leftovers.

b48kate

ElTrain5 said:

I hear alcohol reduces your supply. Just putting that out there.

Bless you @ElTrain5‌...

I also forgot to mention I had by husband take a picture of me last night wearing a low cut top. I will probably never have boobs like this again...

kks4471

I'm on day 7, and absolutely think the Sudafed has helped!  I last pumped 5 hours ago, and am just starting to feel full.  Will pump right before bed, and maybe get a good night of sleep.  I was in a lot of pain last Tuesday through Friday, but started the Sudafed on Friday.  My pain definitely decreased Saturday, as did my supply.  I have over 120 ounces of milk in the freezer, hoping DS can eventually drink it.  For us, FF = happy healthy baby.

tbmadeamistake

Internationalkate said:

ElTrain5 said:

I hear alcohol reduces your supply. Just putting that out there.

Bless you @ElTrain5‌...

I also forgot to mention I had by husband take a picture of me last night wearing a low cut top. I will probably never have boobs like this again...

Dh was taking a picture of charlie as he was sleeping on me and totally snuck in a picture of my boobs. Last time I was five months pp when I weaned and I did a boudoir photo shoot the week I started. He loved it and I have proof that I once had double D's!

otter1103

Damn I didn't even think to snap a pic of the girls and now they are already shrinking ( No proof I, for a brief time, was a D.
I am a week tomorrow of going cold turkey due to complete utter pain I experienced last week on what was decided to be my last day of pumping. Wish I would've known about the potential depression. Then maybe I would not have thought I was totally fruit loops when I cried at every feeding the next day. I also had the added stress of a growth spurt and leap all while Hubs was gone. So yeah, hot mess here!
The boobs are 75% back to feeling normal. Which helps me regain a little sanity. I was having a really hard time watching the rest of the family carry on while I'm attached to a pump or nursing. I felt like my body was no longer mine and I wasn't a person, just a body serving a purpose. No Bueno! That's better now. But I was very jealous of the women I saw nursing today while at the zoo. Oh well, I tried, got assistance when I needed it, adjusted when things didn't work one way, tried another way, then another. So I didn't go down without a fight.

Eta - Holy crap - I didn't mean for that to be so long!!

shellbell813

I'm on day 4 of weaning. I went 12 hours without pumping and didn't die which I was surprised by. I'm a bit sore but only mostly sore immediately after pumping because I'm not getting it all. Still got 14 ounces... so to the store tomorrow to get sudafed and hopefully force my supply to chill the eff out.

Glad to know about the depression... will be keeping an eye on that! Definitely having lots of mixed feelings. Relief to not be attached to the pump and guilt for not trying harder to pump/bf for LO. Feels like I'm failing a bit since I'm quitting out of selfish reasons mostly (can't handle the stress of LO always screaming whenever I'm pumping. It always happens and I just can't do the hold between the boobs thing. Also sick of engorgement pain when I choose not to pump every 2 hours which I refuse to do.)

Anyways good luck to all you ladies! I'll let yall know how the sudafed does.

tbmadeamistake

Ouch. That's is all. Going to get sudafed tomorrow.

Eta: dh bought me cabbage last night. It really seems to be helping!!

JESNYC

@Lilygrace48‌ Does the cabbage reduce supply or just help with the discomfort?

tbmadeamistake

@JESNYC‌ I was looking into that last night and it appears to do both. I certainly feel better and the coolness that would help with discomfort wears off far sooner than I switch them out.

b48kate

Down to every six hours today. Weird thing is that my supply really hasn't changed very drastically! Yesterday I still ended up producing about half of his daily intake while pumping every five hours. Bizarre!

@kaysa2‌ If I could get away with two pumping sessions a day I would totally stick with EPing....

b48kate

@Lilygrace48‌ re-read your post and just want to say that you absolutely have no reason to feel guilty. You do what you need to do for your family. I had a lot of guilt about being unsuccessful in my BFing efforts, but over time I've I realized that is really more of a grief issue for me.

shellbell813

Warning: I started sudafed today and that shit knocked me out! It says non drowsy but it lies... I slept for 3 hours this afternoon. Just be aware that it may make you tired if you are going that route!

babygabe614

I spoke to my pedi today about weaning and he was super supportive, which I was so thankful for. I think we'll switch sooner rather than later as I'm already down to 4 pumps per day with barely any soreness. DH can't wait until we are fully transitioned so that makes me feel a lot less guilty about it.

jenn72178

Good luck ladies! I am down to one pump a day (in the morning when I'm leaky) and am returning my rented hospital pump on Sat sooo I will have to go full steam ahead then.

shellbell813

@kaysa2. Good to know! I do tend to have more extreme reactions to medicines so that's probably it.

b48kate

@babygabe614‌. My husband is also excited for this transition. I feel for the poor guy...dealing with my emotional train wreck when BFing didn't work out had to be exhausting and draining for him.

Here is the weird discovery of the day. My right boob is feeling pretty good and is returning to its pre-pregnancy size, but the left is still tight and large. So now I am lopsided. Had no idea that one of "the girls" would empty before the other...

shellbell813

@Internationalkate Mine seem to be emptying lopsided-ly too. Luckily the boobs were already so big you can't really tell a difference besides through my pumping results.

kks4471

After feeling so good yesterday, last night was awful! Completely engorged and in pain. I had to pump at 2am and 5am, so irritating because I made it 5 hours between pumping during the day. My left side is larger too, what the heck!

b48kate

I had to sneak in an overnight pump as well to deal with the left side. Sticking with four scheduled pumps today and may try to drop down to three tomorrow.

purtz

Hi, I am joining you ladies. Day 2 of weaning and still trying to get a strategy together! Ready but nervous, as I have had clogged ducts for 4 weeks...

tbmadeamistake

Altoids. Pop them all hours of all days. Peppermint helps and I feel awesome considering I'm on day five and haven't pumped I'm 24 hours. I will mention that when they say no nipple stimulation they mean it. I was getting ready for bed and brushed a crust off one and found myself leaking all over the place.

otter1103

@Lilygrace‌48 I am a week and a half since my last pump and still deal with dripping when trying to get the nips cleaned. I can't tell if it's milk residue or chafing skin from the recent abuse. I'm going with the later since I've been able to go nursing pad free the last 3 days.

b48kate

For the ladies who have stopped pumping...how many pumps were you down to when you stopped?

@purtz‌ a Did you decide which way to proceed. Seriously, the resources out there aren't great, but I found this site helpful:
https://exclusivepumping.com/weaning-from-the-pump/

Wow, this is more uncomfortable than I thought it would be!

JESNYC

Tonight was the first night I didn't pump during his MOTN feeding and I feel much less engorged than usual. I think I am going to spread my pumping session from every 5 hours to every 6. I do have to sleep on a towel to deal with the leaking though.

How long does everyone expect the weaning process to take?

kks4471

I'm up for his 5am feeding, and am not going to pump! Last pumped 7 hours ago, and while I feel full, it's bearable. Hope to continue these long stretches. I couldn't completely stop yet, maybe soon though!

babygabe614

For those who are a few days in or have completely weaned, did any of you notice a dramatic drop off of supply after changing your pumping schedule or was it gradually less and less? I am down to 4 pumps/day. My first pump in the morning is usually the largest but today I only got 1.5oz. Is it possible to totally tank overnight?

b48kate

^^ Would love to know the answer to this.

shellbell813

Weaning sucks. The milk won't quit. Almost makes me want to just keep pumping so I don't have to wean. But no.

Plan to try cabbage next since the sudafed doesn't seem to be making any difference. My poor back is really starting to complain about all the extra boob weight.

kks4471

It's been gradual for me.  The only thing I'm changing is the length of time between pumping sessions.  Went from 2 hours, to 4, to 6, and now trying for 8 hours.  I get 1-2oz each time though, that's been consistent.

tbmadeamistake

So, you stop pumping and or nursing and then what happens to the milk you leave in there? Does your body just reabsorb it?

JESNYC

Has anyone's milk changed consistency as you wean? Mine is starting to look watery.

tbmadeamistake

@JESNYC‌ yes. I think its because its all foremilk now, no hind milk because you have such a build up. It happened last time for me as well so I ignore it.

JESNYC

@Lilygrace48‌ Thanks!

b48kate

@Lilygrace48‌ it does get reabsorbed. Usually you just produce at a rate that is faster than the absorption rate.

I'm about ten hours between pumps now. I'm taking this fast weaning success as proof that the pumping gods want me to stop.

The pumping gods also spoke to me this morning. Towards the end of my morning pump the bottle fell off the piece that connects it to the pump. Three ounces of breastmilk splattered all over me. Had to change clothes while the baby screamed for attention. When the pumping gods speak they speak loudly!

sjn00

Lilygrace48 said:

So, you stop pumping and or nursing and then what happens to the milk you leave in there? Does your body just reabsorb it?

This is what I want to know!! I can't get any milk out anymore with the pump, but every day even multiple times a day I am able to squeeze it out with my hands.. When does this all completely stop?!?? And how do I get it all out?