How do i get rid of breast milk in my breast without breast feeding
I have decided not to breast feed and my breat have become painful for me. Theyre hard and swollen and red and i was wondering if anyone had any tips as to how i can get rid of this problem without having to consult my gyno. does anyone have tips as to how i can get rid of it or pervent further irritaion?
Re: How do i get rid of breat milk in my breat without breat feeding
HI,
It's really important to get rid of that breast milk becouse you dont want to end up with mastitisis that can make you quite sick (like the flu, body aches etc etc - trust me I have had mastitis 13 times to different degrees....it is not pleasent).
I would suggest that you 'express' it out to the point of comfort. Stand in a warm shower and literaly milk your breasts until they are soft and more comfortable (alternativrly you could express into a bottle and feed it to your baby) If you keep doing this until they are soft the amount of milk should eventually decrease and stop. But it will take some time and may not be satisfactory.
There are medications that will dry up your milk, a local doctor should be able to help rather than havingto consult a specialist Ob/gyn. I am sure there wold be a natural medicine that could help too but I dont know, maybe ask at your local health food shop or natropath.
But until you work out how to perminatly dry up your milk it is really important to express off to the point of comfort (it might be very regular) becouse if you dont you could become very unwell, if you develope lumps or a fever you need to go to the doctor.
Good luck
J
Oh and this may sound really odd but it works...buy a cabbage or a really firm lettuce with big leaves. Put it in the freezer. WHen it is cold, break off a large leaf and put it in your bra next to the red and sore area of your bra, it will help relieve the heat and pain....
Re: How do i get rid of breat milk in my breat without breat feeding
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsfai
HI,
It's really important to get rid of that breast milk becouse you dont want to end up with mastitisis that can make you quite sick (like the flu, body aches etc etc - trust me I have had mastitis 13 times to different degrees....it is not pleasent).
I would suggest that you 'express' it out to the point of comfort. Stand in a warm shower and literaly milk your breasts until they are soft and more comfortable (alternativrly you could express into a bottle and feed it to your baby) If you keep doing this until they are soft the amount of milk should eventually decrease and stop. But it will take some time and may not be satisfactory.
There are medications that will dry up your milk, a local doctor should be able to help rather than havingto consult a specialist Ob/gyn. I am sure there wold be a natural medicine that could help too but I dont know, maybe ask at your local health food shop or natropath.
But until you work out how to perminatly dry up your milk it is really important to express off to the point of comfort (it might be very regular) becouse if you dont you could become very unwell, if you develope lumps or a fever you need to go to the doctor.
Good luck
J
Oh and this may sound really odd but it works...buy a cabbage or a really firm lettuce with big leaves. Put it in the freezer. WHen it is cold, break off a large leaf and put it in your bra next to the red and sore area of your bra, it will help relieve the heat and pain....
thank u so much for the advice. I have started 'expessing' them and it Iss working. I have hurd about the cabbage and I think I'll try it. it's been a couple days and from what you told me to do I've hurd from a couple ppl and it hass worked greatly I still have small lumps but the redness and swelling has gone down. the shower works good as well thank you j for all the advice!!!
Re: How do i get rid of breat milk in my breat without breat feeding
Hi there,
I'm glad to see that you're already finding some relief! I just wanted to add to make sure you're not taking any hot showers... This will only stimulate the production of more milk. So keep your breasts cold as much as you can (the cabbage leaves are great advice!).
Whiskers
__________________
Married my best friend - July 06'
Mommy to Liam Carter - May 07'
Lost our little angel - m/c January 08'
Our newest bundle, Brody Anderson! - February 09'
Re: How do i get rid of breat milk in my breat without breat feeding
I disagree, a warm shower can provide relief when the breast is full and lumpy and you need to express the milk off to avoid mastitis (horrific). You need to make the expressing as easy as possible. The warmth helps to open the ducts and relieve the pressure. Expressing until empty will cause more milk production but expressing for comfort will eventually (albeit slowly) reduce the production and protect the mother from illness. When you are in pain, expressing a cold breast can be excruciating.
Think about a sports injury, a sprain or swelling, a physiotherapist will often prescribe hot packs alternating with cold packs. That is why you can use a warm shower to relieve the pressure and then cold cabbage leave to relieve the pain and discomfort. They work together very well. I have had mastitis 13 times (huge amount of milk...) and by using this technique I was able to avoid antibiotic all but twice.
J
Last edited by Mod08; 01-31-2009 at 03:01 PM.
Reason: This board is for peer support only. Thank you.
Re: How do i get rid of breast milk in my breast without breast feeding
Just a funny memory about nursing...
I'm 48, mother of two boys (25/15 yrs), one in 1984, one in 1994, but boy - I was a milk cow! With my first son, I had so much milk, I had a truck come pick it up at my house, for the sick little babies in the hospital. That was before aids, and I got a plaque for donating so many gallons, yes gallons!
When the next one came along I was ready. I had a piston driven pump, like the dairy uses, and they called me "Elsie". I ended up producing milk for five more years!
Re: How do i get rid of breast milk in my breast without breast feeding
I think jsfai misunderstood me.... I simply meant you shouldn't make a habit out of standing in a hot shower for long periods of time, to relieve the pain. Yes, warm showers to express milk are fine, but try to keep the breasts cool (when not in the shower, or pumping) because this will aid in drying that milk without producing more.
Whiskers
__________________
Married my best friend - July 06'
Mommy to Liam Carter - May 07'
Lost our little angel - m/c January 08'
Our newest bundle, Brody Anderson! - February 09'
Re: How do i get rid of breast milk in my breast without breast feeding
Just for the record, I am behind you women all the way. I am now in menopause, and I support motherhood, and all it does to make us into cool old ladies!
How do i get rid of breast milk in my breast without breast feeding 
I have decided not to breast feed and my breat have become painful for me. Theyre hard and swollen and red and i was wondering if anyone had any tips as to how i can get rid of this problem without having to consult my gyno. does anyone have tips as to how i can get rid of it or pervent further irritaion?
I just wanted to add to make sure you're not taking any hot showers... This will only stimulate the production of more milk. So keep your breasts cold as much as you can (the cabbage leaves are great advice!). 
