Help w/stopping to nurse or partial nursing

DS is 4 weeKs old and I've decided to stop breastfeeding for several reasons (mainly due to a forceful let down causing extreme gas and gagging, mucousy poop even aftrr eliminating much from my diet and I've been put on an antibiotic for 10 days which is causing him diarrhea and more gas and I can't pump and dump every feed for 10 days). Ideally I'd like to somehow maintain a supply just to feed once or twice a day but if that's too difficult I'd like to stop altogether. For the past week I've been supplementing with formula and I did a few formula only feeds during th day so I thought stopping wouldn't be so bad, but I stopped Friday evening and it's terrible I'm incredibly engorged and I'm not sure what to do- I've been pumping or hand expressing "just enough" to stop the pain but I'm constantly engorged should I be doing that every 3-4 hours during feeding times? I feel like I have tons of clogged ducts and my boobs are like rocks often but if I pump out enough to get rid of that that's pumping a lot- like 4 ounces. I've been wearing sports bras and using cabbage leaves but I'm terrified of getting an infection and on the flip side I don't want to pump too much to increase my supply! If I wanted to just do a night nursing could I just nurse (for now pump and dump until off antibiotics) once at night, or will that not work? Sorry this is so long! I'm in so much pain! Tia

Re: Help w/stopping to nurse or partial nursing

I don't have any advice about stopping, but you could definitely keep doing one or two nursing sessions if you wanted. It's a supply and demand system, so ypue breasts will make whatever is demanded of them. If it is one feeding at bedtime, then that's what they will make.

Re: Help w/stopping to nurse or partial nursing

I just completely weaned my DD due to mastitis and I had to go back to work. I did it slowly dropping one feeding every 2 days. I was down to one last monday morning. I was completely finished as of Tuesday. I was in terrible pain until Friday. I couldnt even touch my boobs or have anyone come near me. By yesterday I am pain free but they are still hard as a rock in some areas. So even weaning slowly there is still engorgement. I would say start slow and hang in there-there is an end in sight.

Re: Help w/stopping to nurse or partial nursing

I was pumping in the beginning b/c my son was 9 weeks early, but when I went back to work I started to wean off. I dropped i feeding every couple of days. I would pump only for a few minutes just to release some of the pain when they would become too full. After a couple of weeks I was completely weaned. Good luck!

Re: Help w/stopping to nurse or partial nursing

Also try ice packs! They helped me. I tried at first weaning but I was going back to work and went cold turkey. It was very painful and I wanted to pump soooo badly. But I held off. The pain went away after two painful days. Sports bras, ice packs, and advil is what I did.