Breastfeeding - Washington,MO

If you want to quit leaking in about 2 days, just start taking an antihistimine. (like Benadryl, but the generic will do) I don't know why but it so works! After my sis-in-law , finally, shared that with me, I have told everyone I know who breastfeeds!
Antihistime does make you dorwsy, so either take it when you can take a nap with baby, or take 2 before bed. peace and blessings

It seems like I would leak for a week or more when I quit breast-feeding. I would notice it especially right after a shower (?)

It look me probably 4 days, but I have freinds that said it took 1-2 weeks for them. I was told to put cabbage (I know, gross) in my bra. I did that and I do believe it helped me dry up quicker. I just peeled the layers off of a cabbage and "lined" my bra with it. It was a bit uncomfortable and the cabbage gets a bit soggy, but I really think it worked. Drying up is so painful that I thought it was worth it if it got it over sooner!

Hi J., Here is a note a sent on to another mom:
KUDO's to You for nursing!

Here are the steps for cabbage success: Buy only the green leafy cabbage, the more crisp the better, keep it in the bottom drawer of your refrigerator. Wear one to two leaves over each breast, depends on your cup size, under your bra. Make sure bra is snug, but not too constricting--binding is unhealthy and will cause clogged milk ducts. When the leaves become soft/wilty, usually 4 hours or so, depends on your body temp., change out the leaves. Of course, I would not wear these out, but wear them as much as possible through-out the day and all night for better results. Your milk should be gone within one to two weeks. Leakage can realistic come and go for two years, unexpectedly--I had not leaked for over a year and was visited a lactating/nursing friend and that brought on some leaking. Very Bizarre, but it happens. Also, if you are experiencing heavy leakage, try adding sage drops to grape juice and/or sage teas. These can be purchased at health/nutrition stores.
Remember that every woman is different. Hopefully your body and your baby are receptive to the process, that believe or not will also decrease the milk production.
The key is to stay comfortable during this process.
God Speed, M. N.

It takes a while and it hurts. My advice - don't let the shower run over your breasts, this only encourages milk production. You need to be wearing a snug bra. If you want to dry up really quickly, buy a head of cabbage (no kidding) and put a half a head of cabbage on your breasts over night and they will be dried up in less than 24 hours.

I'm not sure. I stopped nursing over a year ago and I still have milk. The only advice I have been given (by my OB & lactose consultant) is to wear tight bras-even with a cabbage leafs in them-it's suppose to help with the drying process. And sage tea you can find this at health foods stores such as The Natural Way or Whole Foods. I have had some luck with this-drink as much as you can everyday until you dry up-My daughter-in-law said this worked for her after my grandson was born. If you receive anymore advice/suggestions I'd like to know for myself. I take care of babies and have been told that it's because I'm holding them and feeding them bottles and hearing them cry so my hormones are still responding-but I need help as well. Best of luck and enjoy your little ones.

i don't want to bum you out J. but for me it seemed like it took forever and I only tried it for a week. (i know... I'm a total wuss. It hurt too bad.) I was told to bind my breasts. I was leaking pretty heavy for about 2 weeks and then up until about 2 months ago ( and my son just turned 1 on the 3rd) I had the tiny drops of milk. It is irritating. They weren't big enough drops that would be noticed through clothes but annoying still the same. Good Luck!

That is something that is different for everyone my son was 3 till I had a girl and leaked and I still leak on occasion my daughter is 18 months.You go through stages in the milk production.Both of mine I swelled up with milk my boobies were huge and they hurt so bad took a week for it to go doan but still produced alot of milk for a month afterwards and then leakage every now and then.It'll take some time for them to get back to normal.Here are a few things not to increase your milk supply putting baby up there to feed unless you have quit for good,no fondling of your breast and if you were big on oatmeal during breastfeeding stop eating since it increases milk supply.

i never really dryied up. but if you want to dry out then you can bind or tighten your bra up.

For me it felt like FOREVER - but I had a TON of milk. I pumped two times each day at work and go 16 ounces each time. Then I fed in the am and a couple times in the evening. My daughter slept through the night from the get go, so I didn't have to get up at night to feed, but I was very soar every morning. Hang in there - it stops, but it does seem to take forever. I think it is nature's way of keeping the milk there in case your baby is sick and won't eat for a bit - or something like that. Oh, and I haven't seen this advice and maybe it's bad advice, but I caught a cold about a month after I stopped breast feeding my son (baby number2). I took Sudafed to dry up my nose and it dried up my milk too :) I don't know if it was just b/c it was a different baby that time or if it was the Sudafed, but -Bonus! :)

Well, everyone is different. Mine did not dry up for an entire year! The doc told me to wear a good, tight fitting bra,(not to tight) no hot showers, or stimulation of any kind (including romance). I would talk to your doc and see what they recommend. I know they used to give a shot to help but when I asked for it they told me no. Hopefully yours will dry up sooner than that but it all depends on your hormones and stuff. :)

J., It took me about a week for the leaking to stop. But I still had milk for a while. And I had to stop because I wasn't producing enough milk for my daughter. It's takes a while.

It took me a week to stop leaking. A friend of mine said with her second it took 2 1/2 months. I guess it depends on the person!

Umm, I quit breastfeeding 2 1/2 years ago and still get milk out. The Dr says its normal. Luckily I'm not leaking, but it can take a while. I've heard up to 6 months is normal for that.

It depends on your body. Some women can stop breastfeeding and years later they can be in a store, hear a baby cry, and their breasts will leak. My neighbor's breasts still do that. Her youngest is almost 2 yrs. old! lol! She stopped breastfeeding when the baby was 2 mos old!!!!

To dry up your breasts, you can try what my mom did. My mom had my little sister 9 yrs. ago after having not had any kids in 18 yrs. at that point. I was 20 and my kid sis was 18. My mom said she did the same thing with all 3 of us. Wrap an ace bandage tightly around your breasts instead of wearing a bra, or you can just wrap something around you tightly. My mom said the breasts dry up and sometimes they'll get rock hard and it will hurt, but that is what she did with all 3 of us, and she swears her milk dried up with a week.

Try to avoid tight fitting bras or clothing, they can cause plugged ducts or mastitis, which are very painful. It sounds weird, but cold cabbage leaves worn inside the bra against the skin help. You wear them until they wilt and then switch them. Something in the cabbage helps to reduce milk production. It can take up to a few months for the tissue in your breast to involute, or return to the state it was in before you were producing milk, but it usually doesn't take that long before you stop leaking.

Not to give you any bad or depressing news, but I quite nursing 3 months ago and I am still producing milk. I do not stimulate them at all, but sometimes when I am in the shower, I will start to leak just a bit, just enough to know that it is still there. So, I was curious as to how long it takes to dry up as well and found on the internet that it can take up to a year before you are "dry". As for the leaking in "normal conditions", that lasted about 2-1/2 weeks for me. Good luck and hopefully you won't last as long as I have so far. I am considering talking to my doctor at my next appointment because I had read about medications that can help dry you up faster and I think that I am going to discuss that option with him.

It actually took me a couple of weeks to dry up. I thought that I had done everything right and I weaned gradually, but I was still engorged for two weeks. It will end. It's painful, but it will be over soon.

It took me about 2 weeks. Just wrap some ace bandages around your body and wait. And I hear cabbage leaves help as well (but I didn't try that).

I quit breastfeeding over a year ago, and up until I recently got pregnant again, I still had milk. My mother-in-law told me that she had milk for years afterward. As far as actually leaking, that should probably quit soon. Good luck with your new freedom :)