How long does it take for engorgement to go away if you are not breastfeeding?

This post is part of our complete guide on treating engorgement and clogged ducts. Refer back to the guide if you want a complete list of topics covered, from prevention to diagnosis and treatment. If you're specifically interested in understanding how long your breasts will remain engorged once you've stopped breastfeeding, please read on!

How long does it take for engorgement to go away if you are not breastfeeding?

Sometimes moms get engorged breasts or plugged ducts when weaning or when they stop breastfeeding for a few days or even a few hours.  It’s normal: your body doesn’t know you’ve decided to stop breastfeeding and it still sends milk to your breasts. If the milk doesn’t go out, your breasts get engorged.

You need to allow time for your body to understand that there is no point sending milk to your breasts anymore. This typically takes a week to ten days. You should allow for the same time frame if you’ve decided not to breastfeed at all after giving birth.

Will the engorgement be painful the whole time? Typically it is very painful the first few days and might get better towards the end of the period. Sadly though it sometimes keeps getting worse as engorgement sometimes leads to mastitis, a painful infection of the breasts. Read below on what you can do to get rid of engorgement once you have it.

How you can avoid engorgement when you stop breastfeeding

If you stop breastfeeding suddenly or if you’ve decided to never breastfeed at all, you might not only get engorged but things might even degenerate into full blown mastitis, an inflammation of the breast that needs to be treated by a physician. In that case you’re faced with quite a few days of very painful breasts.

If at all an option it’s never a good idea to suddenly stop breastfeeding entirely. In an ideal world you should stop breastfeeding progressively to avoid engorgement or plugged duct issues. Your body needs to learn bit by bit to send less and less milk to your breasts. To learn how to best do so, follow our guide on how to stop your milk production the right way.

You have engorgement: how do you get rid of it?

Even if you do decrease your milk supply step by step, you might still get engorged breasts. In fact, about 80% of women do, it's one of the most common issues nursing mums face.

Your best strategy to limit the damage is to express the milk that's accumulated in your breasts. Engorgement is caused by an accumulation of unexpressed milk in your breasts so without the accumulation, the engorgement is likely to go away.

If your goal is to stop your milk production, consider following our guide on how to stop your milk production the right way.

We also recommend Unblock Nursing Tea, a herbal infusion designed to help you fight engorgement. Many women use it when they stop breastfeeding to avoid engorgement and clogged ducts. It doesn't affect your milk supply in one way or the other, it just helps you avoid engorgement.

So to summarize, how long does it take for engorgement to go away if you are not breastfeeding?

• If you stop breastfeeding suddenly or never breastfeed at all, it takes a week to ten days for your body to stop sending milk to your breasts.
• A sudden end to your breastfeeding might also lead to full-blown mastitis, a very painful inflammation of the breasts that needs to be treated by a doctor.
• If at all an option, to avoid engorgement choose to progressively decrease your breastfeeding instead of stopping suddenly. Read our guide on stopping your milk production the right way.
• If you have engorgement, express the milk that's accumulated in your breasts and drink Unblock Nursing Tea, a herbal tea that helps you remove engorgement

> Back to our complete guide on engorgement and clogged ducts