Lactating After Abortion – Everything You Want To Know

Q: Is it Common for Women to Lactate After Abortion?

Yes, it is. Many women experience this. This is hormonal changes in your body and there is nothing to worry about.

4 min read

Written by Editorial Team

Editorial Team

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting..

Lactating After Abortion

It is a painful and unfortunate experience for a woman to deal with abortion and its aftermath. The hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy can lead to a lot of negatives, one of them being lactating after abortion. You go through a difficult time wondering how to stop this while struggling with grief that you have been experiencing post-abortion. This is definitely one of the toughest aspects of nature that seems to magnify your loss.

It is important for you to understand that this aspect is normal. You may need to come to terms with the fact that this milk was for your unborn baby who was not lucky enough to reach your arms. Read ahead to find out all you want to know about lactating after an abortion and how to deal with it. Most of the time, the doctors skip speaking to you about this issue and you may be totally unprepared when this happens.

Is it Normal to Express Milk After an Abortion?

It is very normal for you to experience milk production and supply even after pregnancy has ended abruptly. This can turn out to be emotionally and physically painful as production of milk as this time leaves your breasts swollen and engorged making them feel heavier and tender. It normally starts around a couple of days post abortion. You have two alternatives to deal with this issue. Either you just don’t do anything about this and put up with the discomfort for a couple of weeks. The next alternative is taking steps to dry the milk and get back to normalcy as soon as possible.

How to Stop Lactation After Abortion?

express breastmilk

Lactation after an abortion is quite common. You can take these steps in order to control the milk supply post-abortion. If your breasts feel full, you will need to express breast milk either by hand or with the help of a breast pump. This process will relieve you of any discomfort and pain you are facing.

If you do not pump out the excess milk from your breast, then the chances of developing mastitis increase, which can lead to the hardening of breast tissues and other infections. Your doctor can recommend some medicines that will help to put an end to lactation.

You can try various home remedies to stop the milk supply.
Just let the body take its natural course and wait till it gets set right by itself.
You can express the milk to get rid of any discomfort. You can donate your breast milk to the milk bank that stores breast milk.

[Read: Breast Engorgement]

Tips For Stopping Lactation Post Abortion and Ease Discomfort

Given below are some of the most common tips to stop lactation post-abortion. How long you will lactate mostly depends on how far your pregnancy progressed prior to the abortion. Trying out these simple home remedies can provide you with some relief and help you deal with the issue of lactation post-abortion.

Placing cleaned and washed cabbage leaves that have been refrigerated is known to lower milk production considerably.
Drinking sage tea is another alternative to reduce milk flow after an abortion.
Having hot showers ensures that hot water runs over your breasts and provides immense relief from the discomfort due to lactation.
Sitting in a really warm bath and leaning into the water will help the milk to flow out more easily.
Placing ice packs helps to relieve severe pain or swelling of your breasts.
Avoid wearing a bra that is too tight and steer clear of wired bras. try to avoid wearing a bra for a couple of hours every day.
Avoid stimulating or touching the nipples as it ends up in breasts to produce more milk.
Resort to pain relief medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen if you find swelling and pain in your breasts is severe.
Do consult your doctor before popping in any kind of medication.
Taking vitamin B6 is found to naturally lower the supply of milk.
Taking rest and relaxing will help you and your body to recover and heal naturally.
Talk to your doctor or lactation consultant who will help you deal with this problem.

These above-mentioned tips normally work wonders and will help you cope with the issue of lactating after an abortion in most cases. However, if the pain and discomfort get severe, talk to your doctor. They will guide you on the necessary steps. So relax and let nature take its course and you will find yourself returning to normalcy within a couple of weeks.

Abortion is both mentally and physically draining for a woman. We hope this article will help you understand ways to deal with lactation after you’ve had an abortion.

[Read: 7 Helpful Tips When Trying For A Pregnancy After An Abortion]

FAQ’s

1. Why am I Producing Milk After My Abortion?

This is common. Your body gets ready to support a baby. It will require some time to pass on the message of abortion.

2. How Long Will I Lactate After Abortion?

It depends on your body. Some women don’t lactate at all. It can settle in a week or two.

3. Is it Common For Women to Lactate After Abortion?

Yes, it is. Many women experience this. These are hormonal changes in your body and there is nothing to worry about.

4. Lactating After an Abortion – is Something Wrong?

No, nothing is wrong. Your body is just getting ready to support a new life. The hormonal fluctuations need to settle down.

Editorial Team,

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.

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