Need to take tablets to dry up my milk in 48 hours. How do I best deal with this to minimise distress for 20 mo DS?

[LittleMouseontheDairy]

I'm having a biopsy done on areas of calcification seen by chance on a mammogram (by chance as it wasn't connected to why I went to the breast clinic). If I want the biopsy ASAP (which I kind of do) then I have some tablets to dry up my milk within 48 hours. I have until Monday to start doing this (or longer if I postpone).

DS is 20 mo and only being fed at bedtime and first thing in the morning (also if he wakes in the night, which might be about once). I was planning to wean him at 2, so this is just a bit ahead of schedule and obviously a bit more abrupt.

Obviously it's hard to tell how much milk he gets from the feeds but I have a feeling it's more about the comfort for him - he gets to lie there with me and he likes 'twiddling' my hair into his ear. Will it work to cuddle him instead? If he goes to my breast and finds there is no milk will he just accept that do you think?

Please can people advise me on the best way to handle this? I don't want to upset him or distress him. I am no longer with his dad, but I spend a lot of time at my parents' house - and he is close to them and is put to bed by them sometimes. Will it be best if one of them settles him if he wakes in the night for a while?

Thanks for any help. I'm feeling a bit shaken up by everything and trying not to let the sudden end to the breast feeding upset me too much (but I am getting more upset about it the more the shock of the appointment is wearing off).

What a lot to take on board for you. I bf until about 2 and a quarter, and I lead the weaning, starting with night weaning at 2. Based on my own experience, I wouldn't hesitate to wean now.

It's a really interesting question about his reaction to nursing and there being no milk, because most people have to discourage the nursing itself in order to wean. I don't know the answer to this. I expect that many babies would just accept it. It might be worth looking on the Kellymom website for advice about this.

What I would do is I would start straight away on breaking any association between sleep and bf by offering a cup of cows milk or other nice things (biscuits! juice! anything!) and a story after the evening feed tonight, pulling him off if I had to before he fell asleep to do that. There's still time to do something fairly gradual before next Wednesday.

However wellmeaning the person was who told you to wean was, it would be a good idea to seek a second medical opinion.

I have had a number of medical professionals that have told me wrongly that I had to wean whilst I was on a morphine, during a hospital admission and whilst being pregnant and in each case I carried on with the support of a second medical opinion.

Of course of course in your case the second opinion might match the first but it is worth looking into first.

Maybe the breastfeeding drugline lady might be able to help 0844 412 4665

Best of luck either :)

I don't think the advice to wean was based on drugs. It might be due to obscuring clarity of results of the biopsy and other tests.

OP I can't offer any advice but here's some good luck and a hug.

www.breastmilkresearch.org/can-i-get-a-mammogram-or-a-biopsy-while-breastfeeding.html

Sorry it is not a clickable link, but that states biopsy can be performed on breastfeeding women. Similar informationon several websites.

Thank you to both of you - i really appreciate it! Especially what you say about not hesitating to wean now, and your advice TheSurgeonsMate - feeling quite teary so it's really helping.

Babieseverywhere - thanks too. The thing is I was told that they will have to make a hole to do the biopsy (it's not just a needle aspiration) so if milk comes out of the hole it will make it harder to heal apparently. But perhaps I will just double-check this...

Poor you. I had to wean my disabled Ds2 at a similar age overnight, to support my father in hospital. In fact, I didn't even do it, I vanished and left my poor DH to do it.

I fear he used bribery. 20 months was old enough for this to work.

I only suggested the drugline as the lady is both breastfeeding friendly and a trainned pharmacist and might be able to/point her in the right direction for further medical based information.

Sadly a lot of medical professionas mean well but tell everyone to wean as they dont understand how tricky it can be to do so at the drop of a hat. As breast milk can take months or years to dry up in some cases, I wonder how weaning now would make a difference to a biospy on Monday. Or maybe stopping breastfeeding for three days might be all that is needed.

Actually - how about if I only feed on the side that doesn't need a biospy?

Or if I do this do I run the risk of getting mastitis in the breast that needs the biopsy if I stop using that side and don't take the pills?

Thanks katiebeau and for the link babies - i have to go and get DS from nursery now but I'll check it out later!

The other possibility is assuming that you want to you might be able to relactate afterwards or at least offer comfort. When mine were weaning sometimes they did come back for 'one last go' even up to a week or two later. Whether they actually got any was open to debate but it kept them happy! It might be less distressing all round if your parents take him at night time leading up to the biopsy but then assuming all is well you could try offering afterwards and see what he does. Hope it all goes well on Wed.

There are loads of options but you need to talk them through with your doctor and find out what he/he thinks and why.

TBH if you stop feeding for a few days at this stage, when you are feeding an older toddler once a day, you might have no discomfort and be able to restart nursing Tuesday. From a purely feeding point of view of course.

But you need a second medical opinion on the biospy side of things

Thanks Babiesareeverywhere. The link you posted was useful. I just don't know if I have time to discuss these options with the surgical team now. Feel a bit as if I have to take the tablets now (over the weekend) ready for any short notice biopsy that comes up next week.

Although surely if I feed him far less than usual, my milk should drop enough that complications from the incision become less likely?

Oh it's so tricky. I had a trial run with no night-time feed last night - just hugging and hair twiddling instead. This went well. But the early morning feed will be far harder to change.

I decided to wean my 20 month DS, who fed about the same amount as yours is now. I used distraction i.e. bribery. When he asked for boob I gave him chocolate (I know, not terribly healthy, but was very effective). He cottoned on quite quickly. Had to then wean him off the chocolate great first thing in the morning, but, hey ho...

Thanks ihearthuckabees. I guess I'm going to just have to resign myself to the fact I can no longer pick him up at 6ish, give him a quick feed then pop him back down again for another 20 mins-ish snooze. Then when he cries again at 6.40 I have to get up now rather than give him another feed while using my phone to MN etc and basically ease myself into the day. Sob.

I suppose I could just say first thing when he wakes 'let's go and get a 'buttie'' (chocolate button) and open his (chocolate) advent calendar... then lie on a sofa whimpering softly until it is a more respectable hour

Anyone else? I'll be taking the pills in the morning. Hoped I'd get a little more advice from here. But very grateful to those who have posted.

I had to wean ds2 overnight at 17 months. He was having more feeds than your little one but it was a lot easier then i had thought. If your parents already put him to bed then (i assume) he's already used to the idea of going to sleep without a feed already, and he may adjust more easily than you think.

If he realises there is no milk he may self-wean anyway. Ds1 did this when i was pregnant with ds2. My milk dried up and ds1 just stopped being interested as he wasn't getting anything. No upset or distress for him at all.

I had norovirus at the weekend and was v dehydrated. When DD (2.5y) went to feed she just tried for a couple of minutes, stopped, then went in for a cuddle. Rocked and cuddled her to sleep. This is leading quite painlessly to weaning. I am amazed as she was a big BF fan. I think the fact that she wasn't being refused, just finding it less satisfactory helped a lot. Hopefully it will be the same for your DC. Even if it is a bit harder they will be OK with lots of hugs.

Just to add that unless there is a reason not to I'd just let him try feeding if he asks. Should help weaning be his decision IYKWIM, and maybe transition him to letting you ease into the day with a cuddle.

I weaned dd at 14 months when I found out I was pregnant again. She was quite a booby baby and I'd often fed her to sleep. She was having a feed before bed and sometimes in the night. I think we pretty much went cold turkey and actually she was fine. Like your Ds she played with my hair whilst I fed her and she was quite content to have a cuddle, play with my hair and have milk from a bottle. I think I was more upset about the end of Breastfeeding then she was. Good luck with everything.