Stopping bf and don't know how to treat very sore, lumpy breasts

[Yarrawin]

Thanks ladies Kate - it's more to do with DD than me - she just can't seem to latch on and if she does she doesn't suck properly. I was so determined to breastfeed but I have to recognise that my DD needs a happy, not unecessarily overtired and thus dysfunctional mum and that to achieve that this is just what we need to do. At least she's had what will probaby amount to a good 5 - 6 weeks of milk by the time we completely stop and its better than nothing at all!

[MantaRay]

As the others have said hun, it is important to keep taking milk out of the breasts for now. As you are only in the first weeks after birth, your hormones are still telling your breasts to make milk so it will take a few weeks at least to stop the milk altogether. In the meantime you really need to avoid sore, lumpy breasts - mothering is going to be even harder with mastitis which is what you risk if you leave your breasts full. I've had it twice and I can tell you that you really don't want it.

A good plan would be to still express regularly - say every 3 hours if that is what you have been doing, but don't empty the breasts. Take enough out of each breast so that you are comfortable. Over the period of a few days or weeks, slowly increase the time between expressions, but always express a little bit off you are full or uncomfortable. Keep a check for lumps - if you have some, gently massage them while you express, and if that doesn't work, try hand expressing in a warm shower. You might need to empty the breast more if you have a lump. If your breast gets really sore, hot, red or you feel fluey, please see a doctor right away.

Best of luck hun. It will be a slow process to stop the milk production but that is way better than the alternative.