Photo Credit: Ania i Artur Nowaccy via Compfight cc

It’s time to stop breastfeeding, but how?  Anyone who’s gone even a few hours without feeding/pumping knows, it’s painful!  It HURTS!  So, how much is it going to hurt to stop altogether?

The answer, for me, is a lot!  My breasts were engorged and were hard as rocks!  It became tough to feel comfortable enough to go to sleep at night.

How to stop breastfeeding:

I started by decreasing my pumpings by minutes.  I used to pump for up to half an hour.

Here are a few more tips.

• Wear supportive undergarments.  I didn’t go braless through the entire process, not once.  But don’t over-constrict your breasts. And continue to avoid underwire.  Too much pressure on your chests can contribute to inflamed ducts and painful mastitis.
• If your breasts can handle it, take a shower.  The warm water will relax you and cause your breasts to leak which will help relieve the pressure on your glands.  I’m not fond of it myself because the leaking continues (sometimes sprays!) for a while after the shower is shut off.
• A heating pad placed on the sorest spot will sooth muscles and may cause a little release, wear nipple shields!
• Don’t quit cold turkey.  I made the mistake of cutting off pumping altogether but quickly went back and pumped as soon as I realized how awful that was.  The pain makes it nearly impossible!  Start by cutting back one pump a week if you have the time.
• Cabbage leaves.  Use them like nursing pads.  I haven’t tried them personally but the next pregnancy I’ll be giving them a try!

If all else fails, the occasional dose of pain killer can be acceptable; just ok it with you physician first.  I know it hurts, but it’ll be over before you know it and ‘whew!’ won’t you be relieved to have your breasts back to yourself!