Hi. My son is a week old and I'm trying to dry up my breast milk. My doctor told me cabbage leaves. 4How long?

Question

How long will it take to dry up for good?

Answer 1

It doesn't take long, and you will know when they are no longer engorged.  I tried this method, and it seemed to work very well!  You may not smell very good but it definitely helps out!  Just keep doing it until the pain and swelling has gone down which should be a few days to maybe a week.  It could be longer, depending on HOW engorged they are

Answer 2

You'll know when your b*****s are empty, trust me. It really depends on the person, do it until you feel comfortable without them.

Answer 3

http://www.prematureoptimism.com/linkBlo...

Too much milk: Sage and other herbs for decreasing milk supply

http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksuppl...

    This is best used only if you are in the process of weaning, though it may also be used in extreme cases of oversupply when the usual measures are not effective. Be careful with this if you are not in the weaning process! Don’t overdo it once you’re seeing some results.

A Sample Seven Day Dry-Up Plan

http://web.archive.org/web/2004120411401...

    In the past, new mothers often received medication which would suppress the production of milk. These medications were often referred to as dry up drugs. These drugs are no longer available because of severe health problems experienced by many mothers.

    Although most pregnancies have happy endings, some do not. Losing a baby is a tragic experience. When the breast milk starts to flow and there is no baby to feed, pain and engorgement will usually follow.

    When breastfeeding is not part of your plan for any reason, follow the directions here to minimize pain and engorgement during the drying up period. Depending on your situation, you may wish to ask your doctor or healthcare provider for pain medication to use during the first week of drying-up

Guidelines For Rapid Reduction of Milk Supply

http://www.bflrc.com/ljs/breastfeeding/d...

    Sometimes breastfeeding mothers must quickly stop breastfeeding. I hope each mother has exhausted all avenues for help before taking this step. Nevertheless, all mothers have a right to wean safely and comfortably. These guidelines have helped many mothers:

Lactation Suppression lactation

http://www.breastfeeding-basics.com/html...

    Once your milk supply is established, stopping abruptly causes certain physical changes. Your b*****s will continue to produce milk for a while, and if some isn’t removed, you may become engorged, and possibly develop mastitis. You will also experience a sudden drop in prolaction levels, which may add to your feelings of depression.

Weaning after infant loss

http://xpedio02.childrenshc.org/stellent...

    At Children’s Hospitals and Clinics, we support you during this difficult time. Your feelings are stronger because of the physical and hormonal changes in your body. Your b*****s have been prepared to nurse. As long as your b*****s sense a “demand” for milk, they will keep making it. If there is no demand, they will gradually stop. In order to help you feel more comfortable during this time, we have prepared these instructions. Please let us know if you have any questions, or if there is anything else we can do to support you.

Lactation Suppression: Forgotten Aspect of Care for the Mother of a Dying Child

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/4645...

    Suppression of lactation prior to the 1990s was done with medications that influenced the brain’s directions to the breast regarding milk production, such as parlodel and bromocriptine. These were eventually found to have other brain-related side effects and taken off the market for milk cessation (Stehlin, 1990). Ice use was suggested in 1966 (Bristol, 1966), and both fluid restriction and forced fluids had time of popularity. Breast binding with ace wraps became the next form of care, with little scientific supportive evidence. A recent clinical study by Swift and Janke (2003) compared a control group using a support bra with an experimental group having their b*****s bound. Swift and Janke found the women with bound b*****s had more leakage, more pain, and needed more pain medication than the non-bound group. A study by a group of nurses in Sweden (Radestad, Nordin, Steineck, & Sjogren, 1998) did find that for women who had lost a baby, breast binding served as a concrete reality of the loss and aided in the grieving process. The use of cabbage leaves has often been suggested to ease the pain of lactation suppression. Several early reports indicated comfort to mothers, and this is a frequently recommended practice. Yetina Cochrane Library examination of evidence (Snowden, Renfrew, & Woolridge, 2003), cabbage leaves and other vegetable substances on the breast did not show greater comfort than the placebos. It was suggested that placement of the leaves on the breast and the massage of placement may be the helpful issue. The same results of improvement equal to the placebo occurred for the use of ultra sound to the b*****s. Prevention of engorgement was recommended.

Answer 4

Well my baby girl is 3 wks. she'll be 4wks. on Tuesday and mine started drying up around week 2..

I still wear breast pads just to be on the safe side, but nothing really comes out,when I get ready to shower and change them, they only have a spot or two on each pad. so that is not much milk coming out at all. I actually tried the cabbage, but only for one day. I dont know but after that it did slow the leaking a little. so maybe if I would have used it often it would have been dried up sooner.

Answer 5

Hi,

Yes cabbage leaves are great! Mine took about 1-2 weeks and they were fully dried up!!!!! It works though! U must buy a savoy cabbage, put it in the fridge!!!

Leave them in all day and night if poss!

Good luck!!!!!!!

Answer 6

keep a tight bra on! I wore a regular bra and a super tight sports bra over it. It helped with the engorgement and my milk dried up in about a week. Chill the cabbage leaves and keep them in your bra for a couple hours and then change them......everyone's different though in the amount of time it takes for your milk to dry up

Answer 7

I don't know about cabbage leaves, but when I was drying up after my first baby I was told to drink sage tea three times a day and it seemed to do the trick.  Also express your milk out in the shower (not to empty, just until you feel more comfortable and not so full).  Good luck!!

Answer 8

WHY would you want to do that?