Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.

Suddenly stopping breastfeeding

Options
  • 18-10-2010 7:56pm
    #1
    pikku
    Registered Users Posts: 40 ✭


    Hello my Boards friends,

    i hope that one of you can help - or has been through similar experience and can share with me how you got on.

    My baby is n ow 9 weeks old, and after 9 long weeks of him screaming and roaring (round the clock) it turns out that he is lactose intolerant, as well as having reflux, and as i was getting tired of breast feeding anyway, the gp advised me to totally swap him over to lactose free formula. I'm fine(ish) with this. My problem now is how to cope with suddenly stopping breastfeeding him. I once missed one feed and my boobs got massively engorged and were really really painful. The GP advised me to go cold turkey, and just totally stop BF-ing and not to even pump - but that sounds abit off to me. the baby is still quite cross and i dont know how much more i can take, massively painful boobs could just push me over the edge.

    So i guess my question to you all is, how to stop BFing as quickly as possible, without getting mastitis or something like that myself. I was thinking of pumping (and dumping) just enough to relieve the worst of the engorgement, but will that just unneccessarily prolong the pain?

    I am of course, also feeling a bit emotional (am surprised at this actuallly, as i was dying to get free of bf-ing untill it actually came to stopping), but i am happy that the small man has gotten a good (if painful for him poor fella) start.

    Here's hoping some of you have been through similar and can help.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    Pump and dump!

    Just take enough out to relieve fullness and after about a week you won't need to do it anymore.

    That's what I did anyway and never got engorged at all, it was the perfect way to stop IMO. No painkillers or cabbage leaves required.

    Good luck with it. :)


  • Options
    #3
    lynski
    Registered Users Posts: 1,585 ✭✭✭lynski


    It is possible that you can help him without stopping breastfeeding.
    There are some great articles on this on-line.
    http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/lactose.html
    http://www.llli.org/ba/Nov98.html
    http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/lactose-intolerance.html
    Good Luck HTH


  • Options
    #4
    implausible
    Registered Users Posts: 3,937 ✭✭✭implausible


    If you have to stop, you'll be far more comfortable if you do some pumping for the next while. It's an awful shame to dump it if another baby can benefit. Here's an article I found on the Milk Bank, there's contact details at the bottom.


  • Options
    #5
    Nicki123
    Registered Users Posts: 294 ✭✭Nicki123


    It really annoys me to hear of GP's giving advice like this off the cuff.

    At 9 weeks you'll have a firmly established supply and giving up cold turkey will not only be painful and uncomfortable but leaves you liable to getting mastitis and becoming really unwell. If you definitely don't want to try combining breast with formula feeding at the very least you should be pumping to relieve engorgement and gradually you will have to pump less and less until you no longer have to pump. Your supply will peter out after a while but it can take a while to disappear entirely but you shouldn't have problems with leaking or anything.

    It's probably a bit late now but it would also have been an option to cut out one breastfeed a day and substitute that for a bottle. After 3 - 5 days substitute another breastfeed for a bottle and gradually work your way down this way. It also has the benefit of weaning mammy too as it can be a very emotional time for you. And it might have given you the option of combining if you so wished.

    Hope this helps!


Advertisement