medication to dry up breast milk?

[ashleyisawesome]

sorry if this is a silly question-- im just curious. im a nursing student in my OB rotation and i was doing discharge teaching today on a post partum mom. in the breast feeding section of the education it gives advice to moms who arent breastfeeding on how to make yourself more comfortable (snug bra, ice, dont let the hot water hit your nipples in the shower, etc).. it also says in bold print "no medication will be given to dry up breast milk"

my mom bottle fed me , and i remember her telling me that they gave something to dry up her milk so she wouldnt have as much discomfort.

so my questions are: Did they used to give something to dry up milk in the past (or do they still in some hospitals?), What was it (an anti cholenergic maybe?), Why did they stop doing it?

thanks in advanced for anyone who replies.. just curious.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Binding is not recommended, as it can cause mastitis/plugged ducts. Sudafed is a good recommendation.

Technically, cabbage leaf compresses do not dry up the milk, but can reduce swelling/inflammation that accompanies engorgement.

[ashleyisawesome, BSN, RN]

I just wanted to chime in on the cabbage leaves. I was told to use the red cabbage and it worked wonders! I think it still took a couple of weeks to dry up. but no pain and minimal swelling!

thats weird, my instructor had me stress to the moms to go buy YELLOW cabbage and freeze it in plastic bags, then apply to the breast.. she told me it has an anti inflammatory property... im wondering if it will work on my arthritis in my knees and hips:idea:? worth a try. haha.

thanks for the info guys!

[klone, MSN, RN]

thats weird, my instructor had me stress to the moms to go buy YELLOW cabbage and freeze it in plastic bags, then apply to the breast.. she told me it has an anti inflammatory property... im wondering if it will work on my arthritis in my knees and hips:idea:? worth a try. haha.

thanks for the info guys!

Yes, actually it does. Generally it works for gross inflammation, rather than inflammation on a cellular level.

[jennylouwho]

None of the old wives tales recs worked for me when we lost our 2 day old. I had milk, although the inflammation was only there for a few days. At seven weeks when I started clomid (also used to conceive the first baby), my milk dried right up. For a grieving mom, it was a relief!

For moms who just want to formula feed, they can try the old wives tales. Or, some get super engorged and decide to breastfeed, so maybe it's our bodies way of nudging us to do what we are meant to do with our breasts.

[jennylouwho]

Ps- someone mentioned they couldn't nurse because their babies were highly allergic, which is pretty poor advice someone must have given her. I'm nursing a baby with multiple intolerances (the GI doc calls them allergies, but the allergist won't until two years), I control her issues through my diet.

[kjenkins55]

Cabbage leaves are wonderful! I used them at the end of my pumping ( My kids just wont latch because of my flat nipples) I was cutting down to 2 pumps a day, and of course wound up with mastitis for the billionth time. Instead of running straight for a script, I tried cabbage. WOW..really reduced the pain, redness and inflammation and helped reduce my supply enough that I could continue dropping pumps without sickness/pain. You're stinky, but they really do help!