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  | tropics   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 25 February 2007
 Location: New Zealand
 Points: 2555
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Topic: how to dry breasts up Posted: 25 August 2008 at 1:44pm
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   Hi ladies
 I have been expressing and my milk has dried up that I only get 20ml off if im lucky after expressing for half an hour so Jayden is mainly getting ff and gets one feed off me through expressing every one or two days so im thinking its time to stop....so how do I go about it? Im just getting over a breast infection so am wary about that. THe midwife told me to wear a tight bra and just stop.....but that sounds a bit weird to me cause what would happen to the milk thats already in there?
 
 thanks ladies
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  | Maya   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 16 September 2003
 Location: Sydney
 Points: 23297
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 25 August 2008 at 2:02pm | 
 
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   Eek no, a tight bra is the worst thing you can do as it could cause mastitis due to compression of the milk ducts! And stopping cold turkey is no good either, that's how I ended up with nasty mastitis after I had Maya!
 It sounds like you are not producing a lot of milk so drying up shouldn't be too difficult. Cabbage leaves inside your bra help to dry up the milk as well as providing relief if your breasts are sore. If you feel engorged and uncomfortable express off just enough to make you feel comfortable but don't drain the breast completely, that way you will gradually reduce the amount you are producing.
 
 You can also get homeopathic stuff like Naturopharm Milk Stop.
 
 Hope this helps. I took about two weeks to get to a point where I didn't have to express for comfort anymore when I weaned the gremlins, but that was from expressing 2l a day so it shouldn't take as long for you to wean off it.
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       Maya Grace (28/02/03)
   (02/01/06)
    The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
   Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
   Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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  | kebakat   Senior Member
 
   
 
 Joined: 01 January 1900
 Location: Palmy North
 Points: 10980
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 25 August 2008 at 2:28pm | 
 
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   I stopped BF when Daniel was 3 months old and I still have some milk!
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  | MissAngel   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 10 January 2008
 Location: Rangiora
 Points: 3322
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 25 August 2008 at 4:33pm | 
 
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   I just stopped. I think I leaked for a week and had to use shields, but after that I was sweet. Theres medication you can get from the doc that will help.
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     Alex, Thomas and Lily   | 
 
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  | Shezamumof3   Senior Member
 
   
 
 Joined: 14 April 2007
 Points: 10096
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 25 August 2008 at 6:43pm | 
 
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   I just stopped aswell, but I did get mastitis a week after I stopped.
I know you can get something from the doctor to dry your milk up.
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  | Neeks   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 13 December 2007
 Location: Auckland
 Points: 4403
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 25 August 2008 at 6:48pm | 
 
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   i just stopped and my milk eventually dried up...im still lactating a little now but it's next to nothing
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  | cuppatea   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 05 February 2007
 Points: 7798
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 25 August 2008 at 6:54pm | 
 
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   I just expressed less and less, so when you express don't express to empty and then the next time leave it a bit longer between expressing as well. I had mastitis 5 times so I took the very safe and long approach to getting rid of my milk. If you already don't have much milk then perhaps you could just express a bit off by hand in the shower or whenever you start to feel a bit uncomfy.
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  | BessieBear   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 21 January 2008
 Location: Hamilton
 Points: 5807
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 26 August 2008 at 2:50pm | 
 
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   i gradually dropped 1 feed or expresso every 2 days and gradually ive just dried up but i think i had a low milk supply to begin with so i really have no problems. | 
 
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     Sarah Mum to, Boy 07/2008, Girl 03/2010, Boy 05/2012, Angel     07/08/2014    | 
 
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  | emz   Senior Member
 
   
 
 Joined: 25 November 2006
 Location: Christchurch
 Points: 5321
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 26 August 2008 at 4:01pm | 
 
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   I just dropped expressing gradually, only expressed when I started feeling full and only to relief the tightness. Seemed to work but I still had a wee bit of milk for another couple of months.
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  | kakapo   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 04 July 2008
 Location: Hokitika
 Points: 1314
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 30 August 2008 at 7:06pm | 
 
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  | yummymummy   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 01 January 1900
 Location: Auckland
 Points: 2161
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 31 August 2008 at 1:10am | 
 
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   With Gina I stopped after gradually reducing it. I was expressing full time and just started expressing for less time, less often. I kept reducing it until I was only expressing once a day for 15 min and only getting 40ml. I stopped at that point and my milk disappeared - I didn't get a single leak until after Emma was born    | 
 
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