Have to stop BF toddler with immediate effect - advice please.

[displaced]

For several reasons, I have to stop BF immediately. It means going cold turkey from about 6 - 8 feeds a day (DS is 17 months).

I am now engorged and am very uncomfortable. What can I do to make this easier for both of us?

go and express on the quiet just enough to relieve the pain of engorgement (oooo ow I remember the pain of engorgement) if you struggle with expressing ask for tips - think sometimes in the shower etc can help.

Distraction for your little boy - keep him busy busy busy so he passes out exhausted and doesn't have time to think milk at all.

Any option of just cutting down to once a day for a week???? No experience just some thoughts.

Can you express a little just to ease the discomfort?
Do you have to stop for good or are you just having to leave LO for a few days/take some medication etc? If so you could possibly express and then re-start feeding?

If you really have to stop (as a friend did recently) you might find cool compresses alternated with warm showers etc soothing. Friends boobs took about a week to calm right down.
HTH a bit - good Luck

Distraction for toddler and lots of cuddles but it will be hard for him to go cold turkey.

You can express for comfort. Why can't you drop feeds over a few days at a time?

Thanks for all th advice.

I really need to stop for good - don't want to go into details but have been put on nasty meds and will be in them for the foreseeable future.

Will try distracting DS (although once he thinks about BF, it's impossible to get him to think of anything else!) and hand expressing a little.

Would love to have dropped feeds and done this gradually.

Am very and want to make this as easy on DS as possible.

How long will it take for me to feel 'normal' again?

I wouldn't express but I would go and lie in a hot bath and that will relieve the worst of it HTH

Haven't any advice other than to make quite sure that you absolutely can't feed on these meds - I have heard such sad stories about people finding out, afterwards, that there was another way of managing their illness / ways to carry on feeding while on medication.

LLL are extremely helpful and are the experts in this field - 0845 120 2918

Other than that just wanted to express my sympathy for you at this difficult time

If you are definitely unable to feed you may need to express for comfort just as if you were dropping feeds if you like (because 6-8 feeds a dat is a lot to drop.)

Boots have cooling gel pads for engorgement that might help. Cabbage leaves(savoy).

Paracetamol and or Brufen will help discomfort too.

What you don't want to happen is that you get so engorged that you end up with mastitis that could lead to breast abscess hence why I have suggested expressing for comfort. Yes expressing leads to more milk production but you could tail off expressing in the same way that you tail off feeds.

Sorry to hear about your need for medication that can't be taken. Do check out that that is definitely the case though. There are very few that are incompatible but understand that you don't want to discuss it further. Hope you are OK.

Thank you for the support. It isn't what I want but there really is no choice

I'm in agony

Must have a look for some paracetamol (and lots of wine, lol)

Sorry to hear that displaced. i would definitley advise expressing for comfort, tailing it off over the next few days.

Displaced, I had to give up bf because of medication when ds was 9 mths. Like you I really had no choice. I was told I would go blind in one eye if I didn't have the meds. There wasn't even time to give him one last feed. This was on a friday morning. It was hard for us over the next few days, but I remember definately by the end of the following monday, we were both coping, ie, I wasn't engorged anymore, and he was taking bottles happily from others.

I really had to take a backward step from him for those few days, mainly because I knew I was leaking and smelling of milk all the time. And that was unfair for both of us. I was advised not to express if possible. I didn't, although I did leak as I say. Within a week my boobs went right down, I was surprised how quickly this happened. My ds adjusted a lot quicker than I thought he would too. Its true what everyone said to me, when he's thirsty enough he'll drink what's offered. You're ds is older than mine was, but I hope it goes as smoothly as it did for mine. Good luck.

How is it all going displaced?