There will come a day when it is time to stop breastfeeding your little one. For some it comes sooner than expected and this can be for many reasons. A lot of babies begin to wean themselves the closer they get to the one year mark whether you are ready to stop or not as mine has decided to do. When you stop breastfeeding it can cause some discomfort but there are several ways and techniques to use to make the process less uncomfortable for your body. Sore, firm breasts that can severely hurt to the touch are not necessary.

If your little one is still allowing you to nurse at all, begin to cut back on nursing sessions gradually. Start by skipping one session and giving them a bottle instead. Continue to drop that feeding for a few days then cut a second feeding out, replacing it with a bottle. Keep doing this until your baby is completely off the breast. Breast milk works on supply and demand so if you work your body into not needing as much of a supply gradually, your body will stop producing milk since it isn’t needed.

Moms out there that pump breast milk can do the same or continue regular pumping sessions but watch how much you are pumping. For instance, if you normally pump 6 ounces at a time, reduce it to 5 ounces. Gradually reduce how much breast milk you pump. Quitting “cold turkey” is what will lead you to painfully engorged breasts.

Those of you that have had to quite “cold turkey” there is relief. First off, if you have a breast pump, use it. Don’t do a full session with it, but use the pump to release just enough milk to get rid of your engorgement. During this time, make sure that you are wearing a tight fitting bra such as a sports bra as this will reduce friction/stimulation to your nipples. While wearing the bra, you can place cabbage leaves (washed) as you would nursing pads to help alleviate discomfort. My best friend has been the gel pads that are normally used in the early stages of nursing for sore nipples. I put them in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes and then insert them into my sports bra. If you don’t mind spending the extra money, there are bras out there that you can get that have gel packs that can be inserted into a hidden pocket so you can’t see them through clothing.

If you have “been there, done that” please share your helpful tips on stopping breastfeeding and let us know how you got through.