My question is for the person who used Benadryl to stop her leakage, does it matter if its liquid or the pills? I tried cabbage leaves, ace bandage, sports bras and nothing worked. So my next step is the Benadryl.
I've never heard of someone being able to stop the completely normal phenomenon of milk leakage. Have you tried using reusable/washable breast pads?
benadryl does great stopping the leakage in my nose, all by itself.
i've never had to stuff a cabbage leaf up my nostrils.
khairete
S.
I find questions that admonish potential respondents to be obnoxious. If you take that to be a lecture, it is...
Unless you're weaning , don't take Benadryl. If you are weaning, any anti-histamine, in any form will work.
She's snapping because almost any post , having to do with BFing always turns into someone's opinion / rant about whatever decision the original poster has made. I will say, It's a lot better , lately. I think the current regulars are much more open minded about others decisions, situations , & choices.
Do you mean that you're trying to get your milk to dry up altogether, or that you are currently breastfeeding, but you are leaking in between feedings?
If you are trying to completely stop your milk production...My sister took the recommended dosage on the box. Follow the instructions, and take it as if you have allergies. Her OB also told her to drink 4-6 glasses of organic peppermint tea every day. I guess that helps with drying up the milk. Also, don't drink too much water. Drink what you need to, but no more. Hydration really helps with milk supply. (This is from my sister's OB again. She had a late term miscarriage, and wanted to dry up her milk.)
ETA: Oh! She was told to eat lots of cabbage, not just put them in her bra. If you just want to stop leakage, but continue breastfeeding...don't do any of this!! Just get some pads and try to deal with the leakage. It just happens.
If you are trying to stop your milk production altogether, your doctor can perscribe something. If you are just trying to stop leaks, I second the pads.
I don't know why you are snapping before anyone even reads your question.
What would the lecture be? If you are trying to stop leakage, are still nursing, and want to use benadryll to do it...you DESERVE a lecture. If you are DONE breastfeeding or are not breastfeeding at all and want to go ahead and try it...go for it. Pills and liquid have the same active ingredient, so it wouldn't matter...but I don't know how well it would actually work.
If you are just trying to minimize leakage, please just use a bra pad...if you are still nursing.
I am on my third year of BF one child, and trust me, the leakage does eventually stop. I think after the first three months or so, when your body figures out exactly how much you need/the baby needs, it regulates quite nicely. I haven't leaked in a very long time.
I leaked a ton with my first. I found that Lily Padz really helped to minimize the leaking. The pressure of the silicone pad against my nipple mostly prevented major leaking... and if I did leak a little, they generally held it in.
I leaked much less with #2, and barely at all with #3.
If you are trying to dry up your milk for good.. Regular birth control pills worked and worked quickly.
Best of luck,
L.
Just don't take the Benadryl if you're still nursing... it's really bad for the baby! And it doesn't matter if it's the liquid or pills - same active ingredient. If it doesn't work, talk to your doctor - s/he can prescribe something.
If you're still nursing and want to deal with the leakage problem, your only choices are nursing pads basically.
I'm pretty sure your doctor can give you a script for something that will dry you up quickly.
That's what they do for those of us that chose not to BF.
I'm breastfeeding my 4th baby and I am still leaking. I just use nursing pads. Not great, but they keep me dry.
If you are simply leaking, you can try block feeding, which involves nursing one side only per session, to tell your body you don't need to feed an army. You should not take anything that can enter the milk and affect your child. I found that Medela disposable inserts were really thirsty and effective and Lanisoh Ultra Soft were the softest disposable nursing pads. You can also try lillypadz, which are very thin stick on pads.
Over time, the leaking should become minimal. I mostly had a problem when DD was older when I missed a pumping or nursing session or if I heard a baby cry.
If you are weaning, then that's different and you should probably speak to your doctor.
Leakage is normal. I had to buy the pads that had the plastic backing on them. Every time a baby cried...oy.
All of the things you've tried so far are generally designed to stop the production of milk altogether. Is that what you're hoping to do? None of those are designed to stop leaking without compromising the production of milk.
How much are you leaking? Is it coming out all the time or just if you squeeze/stimulate the breast? As long as you're trying to get milk to come out, it will continue to com if you squeeze, even if you're no longer nursing.
If you are totally done breastfeeding and want to give the Benadryl a try, I odn't see a reaon not to. It shouldn't make a difference at all whether you use the liquid or the pills.
Updated
All of the things you've tried so far are generally designed to stop the production of milk altogether. Is that what you're hoping to do? None of those are designed to stop leaking without compromising the production of milk.
How much are you leaking? Is it coming out all the time or just if you squeeze/stimulate the breast? As long as you're trying to get milk to come out, it will continue to com if you squeeze, even if you're no longer nursing.
If you are totally done breastfeeding and want to give the Benadryl a try, I odn't see a reaon not to. It shouldn't make a difference at all whether you use the liquid or the pills.
Are you trying to stop breastfeeding? I'm not clear on that. There's a difference in trying to dry up your breasts and not leak. Which is it?
If you're trying to dry up your breasts, all these things take time. How long have you given it? Don't drink too much.
I doubt that it matters whether you take pill or liquid form of benedryl.
If you're just trying to stop leaking, I think that if you are nursing on a real schedule, and not just here and there, that your breasts will get used to it and stop leaking. Meanwhile, wear nursing pads to help.
Dawn
If you're looking to dry up production, drink several cups of sage tea everyday. Tastes gross, but works.
It shouldn't matter at all which Benedryl. Anything that typically dries up your mucus membranes will work in drying up your milk. You'll also want to avoid foods that are known to boost milk production, like oatmeal. Oh, and yeasty foods and drinks like beer. Reduce your fluid intake.
But that's just if you want to try to stop breastfeeding. If you want to avoid leaking while breastfeeding there's not much you can do to stop that other than using the nursing pads. My favorites were the natural profile ones from Gerber.
Actually, even when my girls weaned and there was leakage during and after for a while, I still had to use the nursing pads for a while. It's a slow process and won't happen right away. You're going to need some patience, okay? Because you do need to stay healthy while you do this.
