GOT MILK?

Hey everyone! I have a question regarding my milk not drying up. I stopped pumping over a week ago and I still have milk in my breasts. I didn't tell you guys that shortly after Logan was born my dr. was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and closed his office for atleast the summer. I have been left feeling very alone. I haven't even had my post partum checkup yet. Will have it on the 22nd at almost 12 weeks post partum. But anyway, I have called the nurse at the new dr.'s office, but she doesn't seem very informative to me. She just said that everyone goes at a different pace and to wear a tight bra. Has anyone else taken this long to dry up? Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm a bit sore.
Thanks,
Debra

[tresmathews]

I am having the oppostie problem it seems I am drying up and I don't want to. My supply has been cut in half over the last 3 days.

Have you tired cabbage leaves I have heard they can help alot with drying you up.

[IWantToBeAMom]

Do you have milk there, or are you engorged?

I quit cold turkey and was engorged for about 4 days - with the last day being the very worst, then after that I still had milk but was not engorged.  It did take quite a while to fully dry up (maybe 2-3 weeks).  If you are not engorged then I don't think there's a big worry, you'll dry up eventually.  I actually went to a mommy's club meeting when my son was about 1 week old at the hosptial where I live.  There was a woman there with a son who was probably about 18 months old.  She said she still had milk and felt like she would have it forever.  From what I could gather she was going on like 4-6 months of no breastfeeding and she still had milk...

[IWantToBeAMom]

Oh, and one more thing........
I know that if a woman is not planning to breastfeed and you tell the nurses in the hospital right after birth, they can give you some kind of medicine that will make you dry up.  Maybe it'd be worth calling your family doctor - or a different ob/gyn - and inquire about taking some kind of medicine that will dry you up faster.

[Debra_Maine]

Tresa, I was wondering how you were doing. Nice to hear from you.

Iwantto,
I am not engorged, just have milk. Sounds like what you are describing. I never got engorged because my milk had depleted so much with the pumping. I have had terrible headaches for the past 3 days so I figured my hormones are changing. It's a relief to know that the milk still being there is normal. Thanks.

[married_newfie_mommy]

Hi...I too had to wait a LONG time for my milk to dry up..it was almost 6 months before it was gone completely..I also had to wait for my post partum check up..i had my son at the end of January 2003 and my Ob/GYN couldn't get me in for my post partum check up until april...he was gone on holidays or something...i had a c-section so I thought that he would have wanted to see me before then but I guess I was wrong..lol...

[Debra_Maine]

I'm going to go back on the pill and I think that will help dry me up.

[IWantToBeAMom]

Okay, good, as long as you are not in pain that is good.

I think it's just a waiting game at this point for you, good luck!

[tresmathews]

I am here lol. Did you see the pics on yesterday's open forum?

[gonza]

When I had my baby in April, they no longer give medicine to dry up the milk.  You just have to wait it out.  I breastfed for 2 weeks and pumped and dried up very easily with no pain.

[Wisegirl]

I completely stopped breastfeeding/pumping 5 weeks ago. I still have milk, not much but its still there.

[mgi]

I had no problems nursing
they gave me medicine in the hospital for sore breasts I used it  (It was like having chapped lips sometimes)
WHen I weaned it it was easy as pie no excessive leaks
As for pads I only needed them the first two or so weeks when my milk supply was enough for ten kids!
Good luck - they are usually really helpful at the hospital

[cinnamonheart]

No- it can take a while to "dry up" I never breast fed and at 6 months post partum I would still "leak" every now and then
If you really had a big supply you may get engorged, but hopefully that wont happen.

Hi little Logan!

[Debra_Maine]

Thanks. I had no idea it could take that long! You learn something new everyday.

[Stacie30]

ok- y'all are scaring me. i'm seriously nervous about breastfeeding this baby. i didn't do it with my other two (kinda had a phobia-my mom nursed my baby sister until she was almost 3 and it grossed me out) anyhow- there is so much info out there that it seems really hard... what to eat, what not to eat, how to latch on, nipple confusion, engorgement, types of breast pads and pumps--- so overwhelming... so to hear once you decide to stop it can take a long time to dry up.... yikes!!! :o) just everyone get prepared for my constant breastfeeding questions here in a few weeks, ok?

debra- sorry to hear about your doc. that would be hard trying to get set up with a new one and needing something at the same time.

[Angel4JohnnyB]

Breastfeeding isn't hard....not nearly as hard as you may be thinking.
I did not nurse my older ds (now almost 11) but I did my second (now 14 months) and I will this one (due 17 Oct)
I was not overly concerned or confused. I just DID IT!!!
The Landolish (sp?) disposable nursing pads are GREAT and cheaper than some of the others (I get mine at Wal-Mart in the baby section) I just used the hand pump that the hospital gave me (when I used a pump at all, after about 6 weeks I could no long express milk by hand, it had to be all baby)
They can talk nipple confusion to death but the actual fact is that very FEW babies actually have a problem with it.
"Latch on" can be a major issue for many women and babies but my son had no trouble. They should show you the proper tecnique (sp?) in the hospital.....if they don't then don't hesitate to ask them to get someone to show you.
You will be sore for the first couple of weeks as your breasts get used to all the sucking the baby will be doing but after the initial tenderness wears off it shouldn't hurt at all.
I nursed my son until he was 12 months and then weaned him off....I still have a bit of milk but I am pregnant again so I figure that is the reason.
It just takes some women longer to dry up than others.......even mothers that don't breastfeed at all can take weeks, months or even years to dry up after giving birth.
Best of luck to you!!!!!!

[IWantToBeAMom]

You and the baby learn together.  You take it one feeding at a time.

You do get very sore, but it should go away if the baby is latching on correctly.  I made the mistake of latching him on and then just saying 'oh, that must be right' and leaving him on even though it hurt.  My best advice would be to latch the baby on and then keep adjusting their lips and your breast as they are sucking to be sure that all of your aerola is in the mouth.  It sounds impossible when you look at that teeny tiny little mouth, but they can do it and it's essential or you'll get too sore.  I never had any luck with popping him off and trying to re-latch again.  It just pissed him off.  

Again, I stress you and the baby learn together.  You take it one feeding at a time.

[Still_AndiJ]

The first week can be hell, but it eases up dramatically once you hit day 8 or so. It really is easy once you get the hang of it. Babies were born knowing how to do it and our maternal instincts pick up the slack!

I haven't nursed Tristan off of the right breast since he was ten days old and I still leak a little from that side and he is 14 months. My poor MIL leaked a little for 5 years after having my BIL. Every body is different.

As far as drying up, most common thing I have heard is binding. Almost every mom I know nursed so I don't know how long it takes for it to work.

Don't let all the hooplah surrounding nursing turn you off of it, I was really creeped out by it until I started nursing Jonathan, so by the time Tristan came around I felt like a pro,lol!


Andrea

[Debra_Maine]

I loved nursing Logan! He latched on right away so I was lucky. There is nothing like it. Your baby looking up at you while your body feeds him. I have no regrets. Just didn't know about this milk issue. Good luck!

[Debra_Maine]

Tresa, no I didn't see them till now. How beautiful! Both of your girls! Your older one could be a model!

Thanks to all of you for your input. I thought milk dries up in 24-48 hours from when you stop. Boy was I wrong! I'm very relieved.

[akinn]

i had my daughter april 12 2004. in november 2003 i started getting milk and now my daughter is 16 months old i never breast  fed because of medications i had to start taking right away and i still have breast milk. I also know ppl who are like that. Its not really a problem just a bothersome. but, if it persists for over a year like my doctor and other doctors told me. get checked there could be a problem

[LaraAnn]

I don't know how unusual this is, but I stopped breastfeeding my youngest over three years ago and I can still express a little milk.  I know I was producing a ton when she was a baby, because I was pumping and nursing, so maybe that's why.  I have a friend who can still express after over a year.

[jaymers]

So I decided yesterday to stop nursing.  Why do I feel guilty?  I have heard that it doesn't "WORK" for everyone, and I think that was part of our problem.  Then I would nurse my son and he was starving afterwards and would take a 4 oz bottle, so I felt that I wasn't giving him enough.  Or atleast what he thought was enough.  He would start to pull away and get very angry while I was nursing and I think that too frustrated me.  After about 4 weeks for me the nipple soreness went away, so that's NOT why I quit.  It actually got a bit easier.  But now I stopped nursing and he's only 2 months.  I feel like a failure?  Am I?  Can someone help me to accept that I'm not a bad mom.  (Can you tell I'm a first time Mommy?)  So now of course I'm leaking...not a lot...not like how some people do, but after reading all the other comments from people, I'm getting nervous that I'm going to be leaking and engorged forever and never beable to be normal again?  I go back to work in a week and half (sad), am I going to still be leaking and engorged?  I can hardly hold him, it hurts so bad.  Thanks!

Jaymee