question-icon

Was Breastfeeding Child And Had Stopped Recently. Now Breast Is Hevy And Painful. Suggest?

default
Posted on Fri, 23 Aug 2013
Question: hello
doctor i m a mother of 1ndhalf yr old baby. i had bedfo breast feeding
her till now. nd i ve planned to stop it nd it has been 3days since i
fed her. d problem is my breast is very heavy nd painful i cudnt even
touch it pls suggest me a remedy
doctor
Answered by Dr. E Venkata Ramana (37 minutes later)
Hi XXXXXXX XXXXX,

Thank you for your query on Healthcare Magic.

Ideally breast feeds can be continued till the age of 2 years.

Painful and heavy breasts are due to engorgement of the breasts with milk which is building up due to not feeding the baby since 3 days.

I advise you to feed the baby frequently till the engorgement comes down.

And you can express the milk from the breasts manually or by using a breast pump.

Once the breasts are emptied, you will get relief from the heaviness and pain.

For pain relief you can do the following measures:

1.Wear a well-fitting supportive bra continuously.

2.Gentle massage over the breasts.

3.Express some amount of milk before feeding the child.

4.Applying cold compresses on breasts in between feedings.

Hope I have answered your query, if you have any clarification please let me know.

Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
default
Follow up: Dr. E Venkata Ramana (20 minutes later)
thanku doctor. but d point is won the milk get secreted again if i express it or make my baby to suck. how can the secretion be stopped. am in a situation now to stop my feeding
doctor
Answered by Dr. E Venkata Ramana (24 minutes later)
Hi XXXXXXX XXXXX,

Thank you for getting back.

In order to stop the production of your breast milk in the process of stopping feeding your baby, you can do the following things:

1.Wean gradually.

Weaning gradually prepares your body to slow the production of milk over time.

2. Pump or hand express just enough milk.

When milk is already in the breasts, additional formation of milk slows down, therefore remove only a small amount at a time.

3.Apply cold compresses, gel packs, and cold cabbage leaves to the breasts. This will help to decrease the milk production if used consistently.

4. Don't stop the breastfeeding abruptly.

There are drugs available to decrease the secretion of breast milk. Bromocriptine is a such drug which is given to stop the production of breast milk by acting on prolactin hormone.

It is a prescribed drug and it should be taken with the advise and supervision of the gynecologist.

Hence I advise you to consult the gynecologist for further advise and medication.

Hope I have answered your query, if you have any clarification please let me know.

Regards.
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. E Venkata Ramana

Pediatrician

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 3176 Questions

premium_optimized

The User accepted the expert's answer

Share on

Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties

159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM Blog Questions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction
Was Breastfeeding Child And Had Stopped Recently. Now Breast Is Hevy And Painful. Suggest?

Hi XXXXXXX XXXXX,

Thank you for your query on Healthcare Magic.

Ideally breast feeds can be continued till the age of 2 years.

Painful and heavy breasts are due to engorgement of the breasts with milk which is building up due to not feeding the baby since 3 days.

I advise you to feed the baby frequently till the engorgement comes down.

And you can express the milk from the breasts manually or by using a breast pump.

Once the breasts are emptied, you will get relief from the heaviness and pain.

For pain relief you can do the following measures:

1.Wear a well-fitting supportive bra continuously.

2.Gentle massage over the breasts.

3.Express some amount of milk before feeding the child.

4.Applying cold compresses on breasts in between feedings.

Hope I have answered your query, if you have any clarification please let me know.

Regards.