Many of us don’t have the option of deciding when to stop breast pumping.  We worry, stress and have anxiety as we watch our breast milk slowly fill up those baby bottles; each day sadly noticing that the level of breast milk is lower each pumping session.

However, there are some moms who have done so extremely well with breast pumping that they have been able to fill up their freezer for the next few months.  Now these moms might be wondering, “How do I stop pumping; I still have so much milk?”  Well, most of moms of this lucky dilemma are asking because they are becoming engorged and no longer want to be in the pain that the extra milk is causing.  Many moms know that if they just stop, then an engorged breast will be unbearable.

It may take some time to quit breast pumping in the least painful way.  Any mom who is ready to quit breast pumping needs to make sure not to stop cold turkey; take the time to do it in a methodical way so as not to cause pain during the process.

Instead of breast pumping on a certain schedule as you have in the past, you can now begin to breast pump when you are feeling a little pressure (pressure that you may feel just prior to becoming pain).  You should go ahead and breast pump at this time.  However, instead of pumping for your usual time, until your breast is empty, cut the time in half.  You’ll want to continue this process for a few days, and you should notice that your breast milk supply is decreasing dramatically.  By this time, you still will have breast milk, but you should no longer have any engorgement, nor should you need to breast pump.

Just make sure that instead of looking at a clock or the amount of breast milk in you bottle, you should listen to your body.  As you listen to your body, you will be able to decrease your supply without feeling the terrible pains of engorgement.