Anything I can do to stop milk if I'm going to bottlefeed from birth?

[artyjoe]

I am nearly 39 weeks pregnant and do not intend to breastfeed, is there anything I should/could be doing with regards to my breasts?

Unfortunately I missed the antenatal session that covered this topic and can't find anything in any books...are there tablets I should be taking to stop my milk or do I let the milk come and let it dry up?

Any advice?

[HappyMumOf2]

Message withdrawn

[jbadgirl]

I have heard that wearing a firm fitting bra helps but dont take my word for it, i would speak to your m/w and see what she suggests

[lowcalCOD]

no i asked about tableyts
they givet hem if you miscarry or abort
I intended to bottle ds3 but guess what????

[JulieF]

There is a tablet that used to be used but it isn't recomended anymore, in fact its incredibly difficult to get hold of. I failed and my mil works for a pharmaceutical distributor.

I think that one of the reasons it isn't used anymore is side effects, another could possible be in case people change their minds about breastfeeding.

Your milk will come in and you may feel very engorged, often this is around day 3-5 (but not always).

Taking warm baths, laying warm flannels over your breasts can help to ease this engorgment, gradually your milk will begin to dry up. Mine took months and months, but some women's milk dries up very quickly.

I was actually quite sad when my milk finally did dry up oddly enough. It was as though there was definaately no going back. I did regret my decision not to breastfeed so it is something you need to think carefully about.

[littlemissbossy]

Mine just dried up although I had (only) one leaking episode during the night. Ask your midwife/health visitor

[nailpolish]

artyjoe

you will have to let the milk come in and it will dry up on its own. this may take about 2 weeks. getting a very very firm fitting bra. even better, wear 2 at once. sone people even strap scarves etc around their chest because it can be extremely painful and heavy.

is this your 1st baby? apparently its not so bad if its your 1st, i have no experience though, i just know this because i saw my cousin go through it, she didnt bf at all and she was in a lot of pain (just from the weight of her breasts)

have you been leaking at all during the pg? if yes it may take longer to dry up.

im not trying to worry you, its just so you know and if you are sore you know its normal.

dont be tempted to express or anything, itll just prolong it.

i feel i have to say i am not qualified in mw, i just have seen other go through this!

best wishes with your new baby x

[artyjoe]

Thanks for all your messages. This is my first baby, was told 9 years ago that I couldn't have any so I'm a late starter

So far I've not had any leaking and my breasts look the same as usual except for darker nipples, so not sure if that is a good sign or not. I am large and already have large breasts so it is going to be interesting to see if I can get the right bras...I don't like the sound of strapping myself up though! Having said that, when I try to sleep now I feel like my breasts are trying to suffocate me due to the weight I've gained in pregnancy so maybe I'll have no choice but to keep the bras on.

I really need to keep the pain down as much as possible as I have SPD and may yet have to have a c section due to a large baby, so I'm going to be in pain anyway, without having boobs hitting my knees

[nailpolish]

arty, not leaking is a good sign, i imagine.

it will be best if you wear a bra 24 hrs a day, im afraid.

congrats on your 1st baby! hurray!

[nailpolish]

also, get thousands of breast pads.

[tiktok]

Correct about the pills - they had horrible side effects ( I mean, really horrible - there were some strokes and some fatalities, though they were rare) so as nature does the job of getting rid, they are hardly ever used now (though I did hear of someone getting them, when her baby died).

Any new mum, bf or not, with large breasts will feel more comfortable with a firm bra that stops any jiggling, worn in bed, as well. I have also seen women use tee shirts, pinned and knotted, to keep everything in place.

[Fran1]

Hi artyjoe,

I agree with the others, i have friends who bottle fed, and they didn't have any probs. I'm not sure you even end up producing milk if you don't breastfeed, i think its just the early milk (sorry i cannot remember what the call that liquid u produce in the first few days).

Out of interest, why have you decided not to breastfeed?

Early on in my pg, i told my mw i would not breastfeed as i knew i would be going back to work and didn't want the struggle of nipple confusion. SHe just gave me a knowing look and said we'll see.

Guess what? i just stopped bf dd recently and she is 2!!

I realise your choice maybe due to medication or other health reasons.

But if bf is a possibility for you, consider the fact that bf allows you to feed in middle of night quickly and comfortably without having to go downstairs in cold to heat bottles. And there is no extra luggage to drag around when out and about just yourself and a couple of nappies!

HTH and congratulations on your pg.

[golds]

I bottlefed and I didn't leak at all. I think the firm bra is a good idea.

Good luck with the pregnancy and birth

[SeaShells]

I bottlefed 2nd baby, found that my boobs went huge for about a week and they would kind of throb (very wierd feeling!)Tried really hard not to knock them at all, didn't leak too much. Invest in Breastpads!!!

[tiktok]

Fran, everyone produces milk, not just colostrum. The milk comes in whatever you do - that's good ol' biology and there ain't nuttin' anyone can do 'bout it

[KathH]

i bottlefed all 4 of mine from birth and nobody warned me the first time but my boobs killed for about a week and also leaked! I don't know why but i thought as not breastfeeding this wouldn't happen! Although on the plus side for 4 weeks out of my life i had big boobs!

[nailpolish]

arty, just wanted to add make sure you watch out for mastitis. a good fitting bra is the best thing for that. i had it 3 times, but that was when i was bf.

[artyjoe]

Mastitis? I have a vague memory of someone saying cabbage leaves in the bra helps with that, but can't find out where I got that information so may have made it up!!!

The bras I'm wearing now are comfy for the pregnancy, will these do or should I expect to get bigger/smaller bras for directly after the birth? I have no idea whether these will suddenly feel tight or loose once I give birth, I feel very naieve at the mo regarding what to expect from my body after birth

[Fran1]

Thats the one tik tok! colostrum. I'm sure we all produce milk, but what i meant is my two friends said they did not "notice" anything other than the colostrum in the first few days as far as they were concerned they never got as far as producing milk, things had already died down by then.

[Surfermum]

Hi Arty
Not long to go now! I bottle fed after 4 days and I have big boobs too! I leaked just once or twice the day after I stopped bf. My boobs didn't get sore or feel any different. I had a whole stack of breast pads and used 4. I went up to a 40G when pregnant and hoped for a shrinkage when dd was born, but no such luck I am now 34H. I think it's a case of just wait and see!

[SeaShells]

Yeah, I've heard that sticking cabbage leaves down your bra is very soothing on your boobs, can't say I ever did it.

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Definitely agree with the firm bra advice(night and day - it was VERY painful without), plus my cup size went from F to HH , so you may need to look at being refitted fairly soon after the birth. The ones I found best (and still do) were underwired but had very soft cups - I think they're called t shirt bras.

[marthamoo]

I put cabbage leaves in my bra when I stopped feeding ds2 - be warned, it makes you smell like school dinners.

[chickpea]

Cabbage leaves from the freezer are great. Whetehr you bf or not you will probably get engorged and frozen Savoy and hot baths are just the ticket.

As Fran1 said are you really sure you don't want to breast feed? I have breastfed three now and am pg with no.4 (must be insane). I love not having to fanny around with the sterilising all the time and can feed anytime anywhere.

If there are medical reasons then forgive me for ranting, Otherwise please think again.

[artyjoe]

My reasons for not breastfeeding are psycological, not medical, and it has nothing to do with preconceptions of time/pain etc.

Unfortunately something happened in my childhood that has given me a skewed view and I cannot mentally get past this barrier, and have no wish to do so at this stage in my life.

I understand the arguements for breast vs bottle but I also believe in order for me to be the best mum I can be then bottle is the only way for me personally.