drying up milk
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=15618
Printed Date: 14 September 2025 at 12:29am
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Topic: drying up milk
Posted By: ElfsMum
Subject: drying up milk
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:23am
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I have heard various things about this..is it better to go naturally(ie slowly) and lose a feed at a time..which sounds good and is the best option i imagine... but i keep forgetting to express and then i sleep or whatever and they hurt and its too late..
will be trying cabbage leaves for help with engorgement...do you just put them in fridge for a while? haven't managed to get out and buy one yet... there is a milk stop thing at pharmacy? what is it called?does it work or is natural better? any other tips? ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Replies:
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:32am
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I used cabbage leaves and they didn't do anything. If you do buy one make sure it is a savoy one and yes put in the fridge first. I didn't try milk stop but I think it is homeopathic (even though most pharmacies sell it).
You could try waiting till they hurt and then express just enough off so that you just feel comfortable. I aimed to drop the night one first when I did it and then I eeked out the time between expressing in the day, so I was expressing 3 hourly, then the next day expressed 3 1/4 hourly and so on. I was trying to avoid mastitis though so took the gently gently approach to getting rid of mine. ------------- 
 
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Posted By: Bel
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:32am
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Hi KA, I dried up naturally - just dropped feeds each couple of days (not very scientifically- if I didn't feel full I gave a bottle). I was the same as you, decided to give up and so just worked away at it slowly. Because I was giving up due to milk supply/quality issues, I could afford to do it slowly. I weaned down over about 3 weeks I guess. Worked well, I stopped when I had not fed him for nearly 24hrs and was still not full enough to get a whole feed. Then once engorged I massaged/expressed in shower (hard work) and then didn't have any problems after that. They are deflating now, but milk will still bead if I squeeze...
Good Luck ------------- Mum to two beautiful kids 
Luke (09.11.2007) Amy (01.04.2009) |
Posted By: Mama2two
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:38am
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Sam stopped cold turkey so I didn't get a chance to wean off a feed at a time unfortunatley. I would wait until my breasts were full and then just express off enough to be comfortable, but not enough for them to make more if that makes sense. Within a couple of weeks it was pretty much all gone with no problems at all. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 10:17am
| Daniel stopped cold turkey too. I'd just express off a little in the shower or into a towel. But only a small amount (maybe 50mls max) |
Posted By: Jay_R
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 11:03am
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Mine just dried up. It was weird - one day I was able to b/feed, the next, nada!
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Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 11:27am
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oh i didnt buy savoy one:( i did look though..i asked at chemist..have to get it on prescription:( cuppatea..daytime fine to do that..night time is hard though:( i just wanna go back to bed..lol... seem to be able to go 5 hourly but not sure if i should express just a little..i guess so or it fills up more?
yeah massaging is hard...i have stopped feeding altogether just doing EBM..as he wouldnt latch on and was crying when it was feeding time and it was really upsetting me:( (and he wasnt sleeping very well so maybe after he got to 11pd there just wasnt enough? dunno.. mum2sam..ok i will do just enough then...i suppose that makes sense:) ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 11:45am
If you just express a little then your body will make less than if you expressed a whole feed out, then you can start stretching the times out as well. Once you are doing less in the day you will be able to drop the night one. I tried to drop the night one too soon and woke up in absolute agony and then had to get up and express anyway, so instead of just waking to feed Spencer I ended up getting up twice -------------
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 11:50am
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Kawwww there is a milk stop thing that the doc can prescribe but there is also just the herbal one, it can't be a script thing cos my pharmacy has it on the shelf next to milk flow tablets. Perhaps you should try health2000 or somewhere instead. -------------
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Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 12:09pm
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i didnt even look just asked:) i will look one day later in the week when Dh home and can have a proper look:) thanks for the advice..im clueless bout this stuff:) ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 12:54pm
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The Milk Stop is made by NaturoPharm who also make the MilkFlow and it's totally natural.
I had to go from expressing 2l a day to nothing at all when we weaned the gremlins and I did what Mum2Sam did, just expressed when I felt sore, and only enough to make me comfortable. It took a couple of weeks. Just make sure you keep an eye out for red patches, swelling or fever which might indicate mastitis, it's not uncommon when women are stopping breastfeeding. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 1:06pm
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ok..all i have atm is a massive rock hard lump that goes away after expressing(never got it when feeding) but generally feel ok..will watch it though.. ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 1:14pm
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I found it really hard to express out the lumps, it's so much harder to drain them with a pump than if you feed them out, baby is a much better drain! Except my babies wouldn't feed! ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 1:22pm
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i havent tired him...just thought i better make a clean break after all the drama with him feeding and not latching on one side again and crying cause he was hungry etc..:( and i feel bad as well...dunno why... we are both happier on formula..? when i went to chemist to ask i talked to my Mum she said 'its only for people who need to give up not those who CHOOSE to give up'(even though she has seen the dramas and agrees with me giving up?) in a snipey tone and we had a fight...we never fight!!! sigh even my Mum has an opinion about it:) ! ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: popcorn
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 3:43pm
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oh you poor thing! I think you have done amazingly to keep persevering this long! Its almost been 2 months I know I would have given up way before then!
The most important thing is that you and your baby are happy and can enjoy each other! Formula is not the devil! |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 3:58pm
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simone..no ..but you would think so esp the way we were made to sign a piece of paper at the hospital and ittook the mw to go get some (b4 my milk came in) for about 3 weeks everything great..then no latching..screaming and crying.. would only feed one side..etc etc.. and I'm already an anxious person and it was just making both of us grumpy and upset!! i guess i worry as the stats say a slightly increased risk of cot death..and that and he has a Dad who smokes, is in his own room...:( he has a dummy which is supposed to help though? ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: Rachael21
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 4:40pm
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The lumps are just the milk filling up, as long as it doesn't red or terribly sore it should be ok.
Dummies have also been shown to slight decrease the risk of cot death so try not to worry too much. |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 4:59pm
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i am a worrier:) but i will try.! ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: miss
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 5:35pm
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Remember that positive mental health and positive attachment are so important for a happy, healthy baby. If switching to formula achieves that then isn't it the best thing for you both? -------------  
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Posted By: popcorn
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 7:57pm
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I have heard dummies help, try not to worry about that kind of thing. I would say that is a very small percentage of babies. I am a preschool teacher and most of those kids were formula fed from birth and they are still raring to go! I had to put Thomas in his own room to sleep too, i wasnt getting any sleep at all with him rustling around and we were waking him up equally. They say babies who sleep in their own rooms learn to sleep through the night quicker which is always a plus!
I am sick of hearing Breast is best, its not for everyone and it looks to me like you have given it a really good shot so forget all of that and GO FORMULA! |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 8:19pm
Honey, everyone has an opinion, but where Ethan is concerned YOUR opinion is the only one that matters. It's no one else's business what you do. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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kawwww wrote:Posted By: popcorn
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 8:22pm
| That is absolutely right Emma! |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 25 March 2008 at 8:49pm
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simone yeah I'm a preschool teacher too:) Emma good point...confidence in myself and my opinions...go me:)!!! ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |