Stopping breastfeeding

Question

Hi mummies who have successfully stop breastfeeding, may I ask how do you go about doing it?I understand from friends around me and some mummies around me that they drag pumps and only express a little out to ease the discomfort. I’ve been dragging my pumps, from 4 hourly - 5 hourly - 6 hourly - 12 hourly and today I just decided that I should stop doing that if I want to stop breastfeeding, and so I did not pump and only hand express out a little to ease the heaviness in my boobs during shower time. However during the 2nd time I do hand expressing, I notice that there’s little lumps underneath both my boobs and the side of my boobs are slightly pain when I press it (feels like blocked ducts that I got before previously but was eased off when I pumped). Side story, I’m an exclusive pumping mum. So mummies when you’re stopping and you felt such pain and lumps what do you normally do? And how frequent do you hand express it. I choose not to use pump to ease because I tend to empty my boobs entirely which is not helping me in stopping. Please give me some advice. I’m stopping because I’m heading back to work and it’s tough to keep up pumping.

Priscilla Goh · Answer

Just either pump or hand express the milk out to prevent engorgement. If you want to pump it’s doable, cut down the pressure and time that you use to pump. What I did was I still pump for 20mins but I cut down the number of times I pump per day like from 5 times to 4 times (before I went back to work) and I maintain this for like 3months cause I wanted my girl to drink breastmilk still, then when my milk supply dropped which it will after 6months, I cut down to 3 pump with the middle pump after lunch. Lasted for about 2-3 months and decided to slowly stop cause as my menses comes back my milk supply keeps dropping. Then subsequently to 2 pumps for 1 month and 1 pump for another month and I just stop. Word of advice, never just cause you want to wean off, you stop pumping entirely. Weaning off takes time and needs to be done gradually. Otherwise engorgement will happen and you will have to empty your breastmilk again.