XP: Weaning

kreeper611

I posted this on 6-9 but didn't get a response:

I nursed DS for the last time last weekend.  I was fine all of last week and even shocked at how easy it was to quit.  Until Friday.  My boobs started getting painful and hard and it just got worse.  Poor DS - he would accidentally hit me or kick me this weekend when we were playing on the floor and I scared him a few times with my yelp of pain.

Is this normal?  I had zero pain for days, but now I'm so uncomfortable it hurts to wear my bra.

Novem06

sorry I don't have a response...will be sticking around to see any answers.  I"m in the process of weaning now and am wondering if this will end up happening...

fortworthmom

I am trying to wean too but this is soooo painful!!!  So I would like to know the answers also.

wendy25

I haven't weaned yet but have read previously that cabbage leaves help relieve the pain. I also read on here that it is best if you try not to pump because your body will think that milk production is needed again. Instead, you are suppose to express some milk by hand to relieve some of the fullness. Again, I haven't experienced the weaning process but these are all things that I remember reading from other moms here on TB.

Knitty

How long were you at one feed a day? Maybe you need to cut back to once every other day for a while if going from one to zero is too fast.

You're in danger of getting abscesses or mastitis at the moment.

kreeper611

Well apparently I was given some incorrect advice.  A friend told me that the pain should just subside in a day or so, but her youngest is almost 2 so it had been a while for her.  I asked some other friends last night and boy was I wrong!

First, they said that I should hand express to relieve the pain.  Not to empty the breast, but just to help the pain subside.  I spent a good 10 min in a hot shower last night and it helped.  I'm still in a little pain today, but not near as bad so I'll do the same thing tonight.  I'm also going to use the cabbage leaves in the evening - but I can't use them at work.  It's 100 degrees here outside and I'd be the smelly kid in the office.  And I've started taking Sudafed because I read that can help you dry up.

This makes me sound like an idiot - but I didn't realize it would take so long to dry up completely.  I dropped to 1 feeding for 2-3 days and then just quit completely.  I thought it was ok since I went almost a week with zero pain or pressure.  I felt great.  I'm hoping the hand expressing works, if not I'll go back to nursing every other day just so that LO can empty the breast and help out with any possible clogged ducts.

I'm a little aggrivated because I have several books at home (one that is all about BFing) and they have maybe a paragraph devoted to weaning.  And the only information is about the baby, not the mom.  I tried to find something on Babycenter and couldn't get info for the mom - just about how to make it easy for the baby.