11 weeks of Hyperlactation-- I quit! Need weaning advice... - Page 2

[pumpkinhead]

Have you tried cabbage leaves?

Have you tried a nipple shield to help your baby with the nipple confusion?

[MommyofHero]

yes, i've tried cabbage leaves, sudafed, sage, and now i'm going to try block pumping, but having trouble since it seems the whole side of one of my breasts has sudden clogged ducts that has appeared in the last few hours.

i haven't tried a nipple shield yet, but planning on it since the weaning will most likely take a while. i hate trying to breastfeed because my breasts stay sore and sensitive all the time.(i have had a staph culture and been checked for thrush as well. both are negative. it's definitely just hyperlactation.)i am guessing it will take about a month to gradually reduce my milk supply to nothing, so i suppose i will keep trying to breastfeed.

i understand the benefits and importance of breastfeeding, but i really can't take this anymore. every day i am in tears over the pains in my breasts. i hate this. i wish i could just make all the milk go away tonight.

thank you for all the advice and links.

[MiamiMami]

I'm so sorry you are going through this.

Some advice for the plugged duct: no underwires, try to sleep on your back so that you aren't squishing your boobs, get into a hot shower with a comb and run it through a bar of soap. Then comb your breast down towards the nipple. That will help break up the plugs.

[sbgrace]

Originally Posted by MommyofHero

yes, i've tried cabbage leaves, sudafed, sage, and now i'm going to try block pumping, but having trouble since it seems the whole side of one of my breasts has sudden clogged ducts that has appeared in the last few hours.

i

As a former pumper prone to plugged ducts I should have mentioned that I couldn't imagine block feeding pumps to be a good idea. You do need to reduce the signals to your body for supply. But you need to do it in a way that isn't going to hurt you. Something like I mentioned upthread spreading out pumps or decreasing time pumped.

[Jojo F.]

This thread may be of some help for you.

I sure hope something works out for you soon

I have heard that keeping your breasts warm helps to reduce/prevent clogged ducts. You could try heat packs at first & then wear wool nursing pads.

[Terabith]

I was a pumper with my first daughter. At eleven weeks, I was also pumping 70 oz plus. It is so, so hard to exclusively pump. I really want to congratulate you on doing this. Even eleven weeks is wonderful.

I think your supply is going to start naturally reducing in the next month or so. The first four months or so, there is a strong hormonal aspect to nursing and pumping. It's very easy to hyper lactate. So, in the not too distant future, your body is going to start regulating, and to be honest, despite making 70 plus ounces at three months, by six months I was really struggling to make enough and as she became more active, it was harder to have the time (took me four hours a day) to pump enough. (I had some issues that required me to have both hands on the pump/ boob, so multitasking wsa pretty hard.)

I would try spacing out the sessions a bit. Do them for a little bit less time at a time, and space them out more and more. Gradually. You don't want to give yourself mastitis. And really, you want to still be able to make enough. You just want to be able to do it without pain.

If you want to wean/ stop, this is also the way to go. Gradually, gradually.

[betsyj]

I too had issues early on. And it got remarkably better on week 13 or 14. Suddenly my breasts just figured something out and I could even the leave the house for a few hours without worrying about my chest exploding.

I could easily pump 8 oz in like five minutes. I was always uncomfortable and when I would go to sleep I would wak up and be in so pain.

If you can hang in there it really gets better.

Now at 8 1/2 mos my son and I are doing great-my breasts no longer freak out and we have a happy and satisfying brf'ing relationship. I also still pump as he is in daycare.

[Siera]

Originally Posted by alegna

Block feeding is what I would suggest to reduce supply. When you're nursing, this means nursing on one side for a block of hours (starting with 3-4 usually) Since you're pumping, you would only pump one side on one pumping session, then the other side on the next session.

In your shoes I would eliminate bottles. Totally. I would give baby milk through finger feeding, cup feeding, syringe feeding, spoon feeding etc. No bottles. They are the problem as you mention.

Go to bed with baby for at least 3 days. Skin to skin. Keep baby at the breast. Encourage constant nursing. Pump and supplement as little as possible.

good luck!

you CAN do this!

-Angela

This is exactly what I would do. When my DD was transitioning from bottle to breast, I cut back drastically on pumping sessions (really only once a day). Anytime she even slightly acted like she might be hungry, I stuck her automatically on the breast. She had nipple confusion, but after a while, she realized that Mommy was the one making all the good stuff! You can do this. You may feel uncomfortable for a while as your breasts adjust to the demand, but I think it can be done, if you want to breastfeed. But, if your baby begins latching and transferring and you keep pumping, you will have a huge supply. Good luck!

PS FWIW, I pumped exclusively for 3 months while my baby was in the NICU/bottle fed, and I remember my breasts always feeling so full! It wasn't until DD began nursing exclusively that my breasts began to regulate. Pumping is always just so hit/miss. It's not the same as a cute baby and letdowns just aren't the same. It could be that the pumping is what is causing the engorgement feeling.

[Siera]

Regarding plugged ducts:

When I was exclusively pumping, I too had the WORST plugged ducts, so I can totally sympathize with you!

Now that my DD is BF'ing only, I don't have any more plugged ducts. I really think that in some women that are blessed with a great supply from the beginning, pumping is just doing us a disservice. It fails to adequately empty the breast like a baby would. Apply warm compresses before you pump/nurse, while baby is nursing/you are pumping, massage the clogs towards the nipple to get that milk flowing out. As a PP mentioned, no underwire bras, sleep on your back. It will get better! I've found that now since DD nurses, my breasts feel sooooo much better!! They used to look like basketballs when I was exclusively pumping (and I was a size 32A before I got pregnant!) and now they look a little bit more normal (although a bit bigger! )

[ibbit]

Ok, here's what I see. You are ready to give up because you are in pain from having too much milk. Weaning is going to have the effect you're looking for. You can't wean without telling your body to stop producing milk. So, drop each session by say 2 minutes, just pump 6 minutes instead of 8. Or stay at 8 minutes, but only pump one side. You might have to pump the other side for a couple of minutes to relieve pressure, but only do that. Do a blockfeeding pattern with the pump. Pump only one side every time you pump for 3-4 hours. Then pump the other side. Pump only to relieve pressure on the other side. If you drop the sessions by a number of minutes, wait several days and drop a little more if you need to or increase the number of hours you are pumping only on one side if that's what you pick.

You will have to do something like this in order to wean and you may find you can handle it better once your milk supply is more within normal range.

Believe me, I understand completely. I have massive oversupply. I blockfed in 6 hour blocks. I nursed on only one side every time my nurslings wanted to nurse for 6 hours! Over time my supply regulated and I was much happier.

[nummies]

There are essentially two ways you can go about remedying a forceful let-down: (1) help baby deal with the fast flow and (2) take measures to adjust your milk supply down to baby's needs. Since forceful let-down is generally a byproduct of oversupply, most moms will be working on both of these things. It may take a couple of weeks to see results from interventions for oversupply, so try to be patient and keep working on it.

How to Help baby deal with the fast milk flow:

1. Position her so that she is nursing "uphill" in relation to your breast, where gravity is working against the flow of milk. The most effective positions are those where baby's head and throat are above the level of your nipple.

2. Some nursing positions to try:
-----Cradle hold, but with you leaning back (a recliner or lots of pillows helps).
----Football hold, but with you leaning back
-----Elevated football hold - like the football hold, but baby is sitting up and facing you to nurse instead of lying down (good for nursing in public).
-----Side lying position - this allows baby to dribble the extra milk out of his mouth when it's coming too fast

3. Nurse more frequently. This will reduce the amount of milk that accumulates between feedings, so feedings are more manageable for baby.

4. Nurse when baby is sleepy and relaxed. Baby will suck more gently at this time, and the milk flow will be slower.

5. Wait until let-down occurs, then take baby off the breast while at the same time catching the milk in a towel or cloth diaper. Once the flow slows, you can put your baby back to the breast.

6. This is a big one! **Pump or hand express until the flow of milk slows down, and then put baby to the breast. Use this only if nothing else is working, as it stimulates additional milk production. If you do this, try to express a little less milk each time until you are no longer expressing before nursing.

Next work on Adjusting your supply to better match baby's needs:

1. If baby is gaining weight well, then having baby nurse from only one breast per feeding can be helpful.

2. If baby finishes nursing on the first side and wants to continue nursing, just put baby back onto the first side.

3. If the second side becomes uncomfortable, express a little milk until you're more comfortable and then use cool compresses - aim for expressing less milk each time until you are comfortable without expressing milk.

4. Avoid extra breast stimulation, for example, unnecessary pumping, running the shower on your breasts for a long time or wearing breast shells.

5. Between feedings, try applying cool compresses to the breast (on for 30 minutes, off for at least an hour). This can discourage blood flow and milk production.

6. If nursing one side per feeding is not working after a week or so, try keeping baby to one side for a certain period of time before switching sides. This is called block nursing. Start with 2-3 hours and increase in half-hour increments if needed.

7. Do not restrict nursing at all, but any time that baby needs to nurse simply keep putting baby back to the same side during that time period.

8. If the second side becomes uncomfortable, express a little milk until you're more comfortable and then use cool compresses - aim for expressing less milk each time until you are comfortable without expressing milk.

9. In more extreme cases, you may need to experiment a bit with time periods over 4 hours to find the amount of time per breast that works best.

Even if these measures do not completely solve the problem, many moms find that their abundant supply and fast let-down will subside, at least to some extent, by about 12 weeks (give or take a bit). At this point, hormonal changes occur that make milk supply more stable and more in line with the amount of milk that baby needs.

Sometimes babies of moms with oversupply or fast let-down get very used to the fast flow and object when it normally slows somewhere between 3 weeks to 3 months.

[thepeach80]

Lecitihin is supposed to be good at helping w/ preventing plugged ducts. Hugs!

[LeahC]

Originally Posted by chanda7

However, as long as you keep pumping all that milk, your body is going to keep making it. The key to decreasing your milk when pumping is to pump only as much as you have to to feel comfortable. Do not drain your breast. Doing so signals to your body to keep up the good work. Also, don't wait until you are doubled over before nursing or pumping. If you need to pump every hour, pump every hour. Just pump as little as possible during the session until you get some relief.

Ditto big time! I create a huge oversupply with my first because he refused to latch on for the first 6 weeks of his life. I became a pumping fool, so that I could supply as much BM as possible for him. When we finally got him to take the breast, I had to bring my supply down down to his needs.

What I did was to get him to the breast as much as possible. If I was still engorged after he fed, then I would pump just enough to get some relief. I never pumped until I was empty, because then my breasts would think I needed that much milk for next time.

This took a good 2-3 months to do. But, I built up an impressive freezer stash as a result and then actually donated a ton of frozen milk (over 1,000 ounces total) to 3 different familes via MilkShare. I was NOT going to let all that milk go to waste!

[HarperRose]

Wow! I hope the advice you've gotten works!

[annekevdbroek]

I too had oversupply issues - big time. My first baby would nurse and I still ended up pumping 5 or 6 times per day because the pain was unberable. I started with the pump when he was 4 or 5 weeks old, because I just could not take the pain and engorgement any longer. (I am normally a AA cup and was up to F cup at this time). it was so painful to ride in the car because I couldn't stand having my breasts moved in any way. I had forceful letdown and painful letdown. I had to wake up in the middle of the night to pump. It was miserable.

At about 4 or 5 months, closer to 5, my supply started to down-regulate some. I was able to slowly let go of one pumping session. Due to an easy forceful letdown (and pain!!!!) when pumping I did not find it really doable to only pump until I felt relief. I'd turn on the pump, immediately let down, adn pump 4 or 5 ounces per side in a matter of one or two minutes. So, it was easier for me to try to just remove a pumping session around month 5. I choose the night session - still occasionlly needed it for a while, but overall, was successful with dropping that one.

I didn;t know about cabbage leaves until second baby, but found the cold hugely soothing.

Anyhow,as PP mentioned, if you can find way to be more comfortable and get through another 4 weeks or so you may find your supply starts to adjust.

My son never would take a bottle. I donated gallons to a local milk bank and later to a friend with supply issues.

Best wishes - I hope you get some relief!

[MommyofHero]

thanks so much everyone-- it's good to know i'm not alone in Oversupply Hell.

i just spent the last 20 hours or so unclogging a very painful duct from my breast. i really don't know how you wonderful women with oversupply stuck through it until your production leveled out, but i commend you. i personally, want to be done with this as soon as possible. for me, this is just not worth the emotional distress and physical pain.

so begins the long road to weaning from the pump. but i have a question first-- does there exist a medication for drying up milk completely? i know they used to give it to women who didn't want to BF in the hospital just before their milk came in. do they still do that? would my doctor be able to prescribe something like that for me to aid in weaning so i won't end up with more clogged ducts or mastitis?

[alegna]

Originally Posted by MommyofHero

thanks so much everyone-- it's good to know i'm not alone in Oversupply Hell.

i just spent the last 20 hours or so unclogging a very painful duct from my breast. i really don't know how you wonderful women with oversupply stuck through it until your production leveled out, but i commend you. i personally, want to be done with this as soon as possible. for me, this is just not worth the emotional distress and physical pain.

so begins the long road to weaning from the pump. but i have a question first-- does there exist a medication for drying up milk completely? i know they used to give it to women who didn't want to BF in the hospital just before their milk came in. do they still do that? would my doctor be able to prescribe something like that for me to aid in weaning so i won't end up with more clogged ducts or mastitis?

I had oversupply with dd. She also had nursing issues in the beginning (turned my nipples to hamburger) I toughed it out by not doing ANY pumping or ANY artificial nipples. That's the FASTEST way to get through it- which like you, was my goal. I wanted the issue OVER. For us, it wasn't painful after 6 weeks. And the oversupply was resolved by around 3 months.

-Angela

[MonkeysRUs]

Have you had your thyroid levels checked? I had oversupply and it was due to hyperthyroidism.

[eclipse]

I think there's probably a middle ground between living with hyperlactation and complete weaning. Since your goal is to reduce your milk supply, anything you do to wean will work towards that goal. Eventually, you will get to a point that your supply isn't overwhelming you, and that will make complete weaning unnecessary.

They no longer give the "drying up" medications because they proved to be dangerous - I believe it is associated with the risk of stroke.

[dawncayden]

I had oversupply issues so I know how painful and annoying this can be.

Have you contacted a lactation consultant?

The medication you mentioned that used to be used to dry up milk is no longer available as it is believed to have caused cancer.


I know you want weaning advice but in your shoes I would not wean I'd just try to decrease my milk so I would get a nipple shield and take baby to bed for a few days and not pump. I'd try to get baby back on the breast. If your getting engorged I'd hand express some out then try to get baby on the breast.

My body took over 3 months to adjust to what ds needed.

Don't give up. Give yourself a goal to last 1 week, when you get to that week give yourself another goal. YOU CAN DO THIS! There is an end to all the pain and too much milk.