How long does it take for my breast milk to dry up?

Whether you’ve been breastfeeding for months or you want to stop the lactation process to use infant formula right from the beginning, moms often have questions about how and when to stop breastfeeding.

Here are common questions about drying up breast milk:

What’s the best way to stop milk production?

When should I stop breastfeeding?

Will it be painful?

How long will it take for my milk to dry up?

These are all great questions, so let’s go through each step of the process from beginning to end so you’ll be prepared.

When does breast milk production begin?

Milk production actually begins anywhere from weeks to months before you give birth. It’s normal to have some milk leak from your nipples during pregnancy and you may need to wear nursing pads to absorb the milk.¹

When your baby is born, the first kind of milk your body makes is called colostrum. This has lots of nutrients and comes out slowly so your baby can learn how to nurse. After 3 or 4 days your milk “comes in”. This means the supply increases and the color and/or appearance may change. This “mature milk” will be what your body makes until you decide to stop breastfeeding.²

Signs of low milk supply:

It’s normal to wonder if your baby is getting enough breast milk since you can’t measure how much they’re taking. The best way to tell is by the overall health of your baby. Here are some signs you might not be making enough breast milk for your baby’s needs:³  

• Your baby isn’t gaining enough weight
• There aren’t enough wet or dirty diapers for their age per day

It’s important to know that there are a lot of ways to increase your milk supply, so having a low milk supply doesn’t necessarily have to be a reason to stop breastfeeding. Your doctor, lactation consultant, or your baby’s doctor can all help if your milk supply is low and you want to keep breastfeeding.

How do you know when it’s time to stop breastfeeding?

The recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics is to breastfeed for the first 6 months of life, followed by breastfeeding and introducing solid foods until 1 year of age (or longer if you and your baby want).⁴ In the end, the decision is yours, and your doctor, lactation consultant or your baby’s healthcare provider can always offer advice if you’re not sure what’s best for you.

Some signs that your baby might be ready to wean include:⁵

• They don’t seem interested in nursing
• They are nursing for shorter amounts of time
• They seem distracted when breastfeeding
• Playing at the breast, pulling off, or biting
• Sucking at the breast but not taking milk

That being said, there are reasons that you may not want to or be able to breastfeed from the start. And if you do decide to breastfeed, the time will come when you need to wean your baby. Once you know when that time is, here’s how to go about the process as smoothly as possible.

How long does it take for your milk to dry up?

When you stop breastfeeding, the amount of time it will takes for milk to dry up is different from person to person. Sometimes it takes days for milk to dry up, sometimes weeks.⁶ You may even continue to make a little milk for months after going through this process.⁷

How long it takes depends on different factors like how long you breastfed for and how much milk you’re making. It can also depend on the steps you take to wean, including avoiding things that can cause milk production.

Tips on how you dry up breast milk fast:

You don’t. If you want to start weaning, there are some steps you can take to slow down your milk supply. Most moms can get through this phase by slowly cutting back on feeds, but sometimes a little more help is needed.

Change your breastfeeding routine to help with weaning

It’s best to take on weaning slowly if possible (more on why later). First, stop one breastfeeding session per day. Try to make it the same session each day and drop one more every few days or after a week. If your baby is less than 1 year old, you’ll need to replace this with a bottle or cup of infant formula or pumped breast milk.⁵

It can also help if you introduce a bottle before weaning to give your baby a chance to adjust to it. Feeding them in a different spot than where you nurse and having someone else feed them a bottle are little tricks that can help ease the transition.

Try sage or peppermint tea to slow milk production

Some moms feel that peppermint or sage tea helps slow down milk production.⁷

Medications can help stop milk production

Although most moms won’t need them, there are some medications that have been used to help stop milk production. Talk to your OB GYN if this is something you’d like to learn more about.⁶

Tips on how to ease the discomfort of weaning:

If you’re trying to wean, you may have breast pain or discomfort. This is because your breasts are swollen or engorged because you aren’t pumping or feeding as regularly. If this is happening to you, try out these methods to help.

Take a hot shower to help with weaning

When your breasts are swollen, hot water may provide some relief to your body.⁷ 

Hot water helps by increasing milk letdown, which decreases engorgement. But don’t stay in too long, or the hot water can increase warmth and inflammation.

Use cabbage leaves to help with weaning

We know, it sounds crazy! But some moms swear by this method. Wash and dry a cabbage leaf that’s been stored in the fridge and place it in your bra. Change them out every 2 hours or so when they become limp.⁶

Pain medications to help with weaning

While it won’t completely eliminate engorgement, pain medications can, well, help with the pain. Over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) can do the trick by helping you feel better while weaning.⁷

Take advantage of cold packs to help with weaning

Any sort of ice pack wrapped in a cloth or towel will help reduce inflammation and take away the pain that comes from breast swelling. ⁷ 

Wear a supportive bra to help with weaning

Wear a bra that lifts and supports your breasts instead of binding them. Avoid tight bras because they can lead to clogged milk ducts.⁷

Express just a little milk to help with weaning

While you want to avoid pumping during weaning, sometimes expressing just enough milk to decrease engorgement can provide a lot of relief. Just remember to express as little as you need to for comfort, as your body will try to replace whatever is expressed.⁷

Tips on what to avoid when weaning:

Drying up breast milk production takes patience. To make it easier, try to avoid some of these common mistakes.

Avoid wearing tight bras while weaning

When you wear a tight bra or one that binds your breasts, it makes swollen and tender breasts even more painful. This can also cause your breasts to have blocked milk ducts, which can lead to mastitis, or painful inflammation of the breast. If you have symptoms of mastitis like fever, body aches, pain or redness of your breasts, be sure to call your doctor right away.⁷  

Avoid pumping while weaning

When you pump, your body takes it as a cue to make more milk and replace what was used. By slowing down or stopping pumping, you are sending a message to your body to make less milk. 

Although it might be tempting to pump for relief, it won’t help in the long run. Try expressing just enough to relieve your discomfort and then stopping.⁶

Avoid massaging your breasts while weaning

Massaging your breasts may bring some immediate pain relief, but it also signals your body to produce milk. When your body receives stimulation similar to that of your baby breastfeeding, it responds by producing even more milk.

Avoid weaning abruptly

Quitting “cold turkey” might sound like a great idea, but it can actually be tougher on both you and your baby than going slowly. Think about it like brakes on a car. You need to ease into pressing your foot down on the brakes, not slam it! Going too fast can increase pain for you and frustration for your baby.⁸

Avoid cutting back on water while weaning

If you were trying to drink lots of extra water while breastfeeding, you may think it makes sense to cut back on water when you are ready to wean. However, this isn’t true, so feel free to drink as much water as you like.⁶

Avoid picking a tough time to start weaning

If your baby is getting their first tooth or about to start daycare, this may not be the best time for weaning (if you can avoid it). Taking one big change at a time is often the best approach to babies- they need time to adapt, just like us.⁵

Our final thoughts on how to dry up your milk supply:

Weaning off of breastfeeding is easier said than done–it can be uncomfortable and unpredictable. If you partner with a medical professional and take the necessary steps that you feel are right for you and your baby, then you’ll feel much more at ease. 

Whether you aren’t going to be breastfeeding at all or you’ve come to the end of the breastfeeding road with your baby after 6 months, 1 year or more, take the time to make a plan for weaning to help the process go as smoothly as possible.

Verified by: Morgan Leafe, MD, MHA

Sources:

1- Leaking from your nipples | National Health Service UK

2- Breastfeeding FAQs: getting started | Nemours Kids Health

3- Low milk supply | La Leche League USA

4- Breastfeeding and the use of human milk | Pediatrics

5- Weaning your child | Nemours Kids Health

6- Lactation suppression | Australian Breastfeeding Association

7- Lactation after loss | La Leche League USA

8- Weaning: how to | La Leche League International