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as if it could not work but it is soothing and effective. The cabbage leaves are just the right shape and the coldness relives the pain. Just replace the leaves with fresh ones each time they warm up. You may smell a bit funny but the relief is worth it.

Cabbage leaves can also be used in small pieces to place over areas of mastitis whilst you continue feeding. The most effective way to relieve mastitis is to drain the breast by manually expressing the milk whilst massaging the lumps, but cabbage leaves do prove effective.

For pain relief hot flannels in the bath work very well. You can take Paracetamol (acetaminophen). Try not to express any milk, the less you express the more quickly your breasts will dry up.

Sage tea (made using a tablespoon of dried herb in a cup of boiling water) taken between two and six times day is very effective at stopping milk. If this is unpalatable try eating the sage hidden in another food. This is the most effective tea but spearmint and peppermint are both good and many women find the taste better, and some even report eating large quantities of peppermint sweets will do the trick. The quantity of peppermints required to do this would be very large.

Chickweed, Yarrow, Lemon Balm, Sorrel and Oregano have all been used in the past for reducing milk production. The essential oils of all these herbs can be added to massage oil to massage the breast to reduce tenderness and engorgement. Most of these herbs are common culinary ones but the amount we normally have in our diets will not affect milk production.

Doctors may recommend drugs to stop milk flow but in my experience they do not work very well and cause bad side effects in terms of mood swings. The only pharmaceutical I have found to help reduce milk flow is the combined contraceptive pill. In the early stages of breast-feeding it can reduce milk flow substantially, a side effect I was not warned about that caused heartache until I realized. Later on when breast-feeding is better established a determined baby can over come this so if the pill is being used to stop breast-feeding it must be used in conjunction with reduced feeding.

It was once the practice to bind the breasts to stop milk flow. This practice is not recommended as it can lead to blocked milk ducts and glands and then mastitis. The discomfort is far greater, and the rate of cessation of milk production is no quicker than without binding.

If trying to stop milk flowing it is best to avoid raspberry, fennel seed, nettle and fenugreek teas as these all stimulate milk production. If whilst trying to stop the flow of milk your breasts become lumpy and you get a temperature or nausea you should see a doctor, as these can be symptoms of mastitis.

Learn more about this author, Eve Redstone.
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