Giving up breastfeeding

[Dixie29]

I have 3 week old who I breastfed pretty sucessfully despite a lot of pain! However i recently had very bad mastitis and I've stopped feeding her and I'm currently expressing. I think the reason I had mastitis was due to my breasts pretty much always being engorged, I've got a pretty good milk supply which means she never really emptied them. I only manage to make them feel soft and less painful by expressing (hence why i stopped feeding her).

I'm at a bit of a crossroads where i am thinking about letting my milk dry up but then thinking about trying again with breastfeeding. I'm terrified of getting mastitis again but i don't see how I'm going to properly empty my boobs without expressing straight after she's fed which i don't have time for. I'm a bit emotional about letting go of the feeding but i have a 2yr old and i can't afford to get ill again. Plus I'm fed up of my boobs aways feeling heavy and sore. Any experience/advice?
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The more you express after a feed, the more you stimulate your supply. It takes about 6 weeks for supply to start regulating and the reduction of the full feeling/ leaking etc
She will still only have a tiny tummy and need to feed little and often so will possibly not empty the breast but that feedback will reduce the amount of milk made.

Has latch etc been checked? Has she regained birth weight? Enough wet and dirty nappies? Mastitis is horrendous (I know) but you sound like you want to keep BF, and with support that should be possible

Have you gotten into a hot shower and expressed with your hands? It helps enormously. Right after, feed her from both sides. Your milk is just starting to establish itself and the engorgement will be over soon.

The beginning is the hardest. I promise it does get easier! You have to do what feels right for you. Try not to express when they are sore as this amps up supply. Your body will get to know what baby needs and produce the right amount, it just takes time. I would offer little and often just to encourage supply a bit more.