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

[Yarrawin]

Hi all,

Well, DD is 4 weeks old now and we've given breastfeeding a good crack but despite lots of midwife help, attending a full day lactation clinic and expressing and then bottle feeding breast milk around the clock every three hours we've decided to move onto formula as breastfeeding really isn't working and organising life in three hour chunks is breaking me. It will be physically impossible once my DH goes back to work and even the lactation consultant agreed how we're doing things is not sustainable (which surprised me). I feel like we've given it a good run and I'm at peace with the decision to move onto formula, so I ask that no-one replies to ask me to re-consider stopping breastfeeding.

I have a huge supply of stored frozen breast milk we're going to give DD but in the meantime I'm cutting back on the expressing with the aim of completely stopping. I felt like I was losing my supply last week - it dropped off and my breasts went very soft but a day at the lactation clinic and trying her on the breast constantly kicked it off again. Now we've decided that this isn't sustainable I need to stop my supply so on lots of advice I have been pumping only when I really need to and only enough to make myself comfortable as I had gotten to the point I wasn't managing a set, regular routine anyway (which I think is why my supply was dropping off the first time around).

The thing is my breasts are now VERY sore and lumpy. I actually have to hold DD away from me when I pick her up and in one side I have huge lumps. Sometimes when I was expressing regularly I would feel like I was growing grapes in there but that has nothing on the size the lumpiness I can feel now. I knew I was in for pain and a bit of lumpiness and I was prepared to just deal with it but these lumps are huge.

Do I express and try to massage these out or go to the doctor? I don't want to further stimulate my milk supply but I also don't want to end up with an infection and I really don't know what the best thing is to do!

Thanks!

[rufalina]

Express and get rid of those lumps. You need To. Use the pump if you need, and massage the lumps to help them go quicker. Even expressing like this, but only for the oversupply, your milk supply will still slow down, Once it settles, then you can just hand express for comfort, but right now, your body thinks it is feeding and you need to make sure those lumps don't turn nasty. You dont need to drain the breast, but try to shift the lumps...

I had the same thing when I stopped and I only needed to do big a few big expressings, and the lumps cleared up.

Gentle hugs for the decision to stop feeding, and know that you have given your DD a great start. xo

[Fleur]

I agree, express those lumps out.... she's only 4 weeks old, so your supply is still hormone driven & I imagine might take a bit longer to dry up than if she were older. You might need to wean a bit more slowly, to be a bit easier on your breasts?
I don't know how long or often you are pumping, but reducing the duration of your pumps & only doing it when needed should see it gradually ease.

FWIW when I weaned my first (at 1 week old) I was told not to express or touch my breasts at all...baaaaad advice I spent days & days sitting on the toilet with a warm towel wrapped around them, while they dripped into a bucket. Oh boy, I would not do it that way again definitely pump it will be easier on you.

[HotI]

NOt sure what issues you have had with your bub, but sometimes babies are better at getting rid of lumps than a pump. Letting bub to feed, and cutting down the breastfeeds more slowly while you increase the number of formula feeds can help reduce the chance of mastitis or other problems.

If bub is unable to feed from the breast at all, or you don't want to, try expressing in a warm shower and then following up with a cool flannel.

take care

[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.