Help me wean!!! (prone to plugged ducts)

I am a nursing mother of a 8 month old girl and contacting you for help. I have been getting repeated blocked ducts for past two months. I tried all sorts of remedies (like massage, hot compresses, lecithin) and even tried ultrasound therapy, which clears the block but I tend to get them back in a few days. It is affecting only my left breast. Now I don't want to suffer anymore and want to wean. Is there any easy way to wean without getting any block ducts? I have started taking sage tea to reduce my milk supply and also on sudafed. Do you have any other suggestions to reduce milk supply? Should I start on oral contraceptives (ortho tri clyclen)? Will it dry up my milk? Will it be safe to nurse if I start on birth control pills? Please advise. I want to wean as soon as possible. I can't go through breastfeeding with such pain on and off. Help me wean!!!

I know you're asking for weaning advice, but have you tried only feeding from the right? It's entirely possible to maintain a good breastfeeding relationship with only one breast "working" :)

If you'd already considered that, and/or it's not for you, I'm no help, sorry.

TeniBear, Thanks for your reply. How do I dry up my milk in the left breast then? If I don't feed her from the left breast for even 4 hours, I get blocked ducts.

If you stop feeding from it, it'll "dry up" by itself, but I'd suggest going slowly with it if your blocked ducts are worsened by a lack of feeding. Could you express a little milk from the left while you feed from the right? A little less each week until you've effectively "weaned" your breast from your baby? Sorry, I don't know much about blocked ducts, so hopefully someone else might be able to help in that department :)

I cant help with all your first post questions but I do know the answer to the second post! If you stop feeding on that side, the supply will diminish on that side. I have fed DD from the right side for about 10 months now and there is only the occassional drop in the other side. I did get blocked ducts for a long time after but kept massaging them out, hot showers and gentle expressing just to take the edge of the engorgement but as you have said that hasnt helped you so perhaps it wont while you are trying to wean either. :hug: It hurts so much!

To wean without blocked ducts you need to wean really really slowly. Drop one feed per week, and express by hand (or by baby if things get blocked) whenever you are uncomfortably full.

The OCP is safe while feeding, but there it can change how your milk tastes and flows, and there is a possibility that your baby could wean herself very suddenly - leaving you with a much worse blocked duct problem and no baby to help out. So I would try and avoid it at this stage.

Sudafed can make for really grumpy hyper babies - so be careful there.

Does the blockage move, or is it always in the same spot? Is there something (bra, baby sling, how you sleep, seatbelt, handbag....) that squashes you there?
Also, many painkillers are safe to take whilst feeding at the recommended doses (and nurofen is especially useful for reducing the swelling and inflammation as well), so if you feel a blockage try and take nurofen early on and hope that it helps with the unblocking.

My situation is a bit different, but my dd has only fed from my right breast since 7 months of age, so about the last 6 weeks. This unfortunately was not my choice. She's always hated that side (I had a piercing in there when I was younger so don't
know if that's affected it). She just started refusing a whole feed, then would only feed for a minute, then just flat out refused. Initially I was pumping that side, then just expressing a tiny bit off the top, then twice a day in the shower, now nothing. No issues with mastitis or blocked ducts, but like I said different situation. Very much goes to show supply in demand but it would be harder if prone to blocked ducts :(

Thanks Everyone!!!