Suppressing Lactation: How Cabbage Leaves Can Help

Discover the natural solution to suppressing lactation with cabbage leaves. Learn how to use cabbage leaves to reduce pain and swelling.

Struggling with suppressing lactation after delivery? Give the natural remedy of cabbage leaves a try! Learn more about how cabbage leaves can relieve the pain and discomfort associated with suppressing lactation and other benefits of cabbage leaves. Find out now!

You go through nine (actually ten) months of pregnancy thinking that delivery is the end of the abuse for your body. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s not. If you decide to breastfeed, you’ve got the discomfort of learning to nurse your baby. If you choose not to breastfeed, you’ve got to go through the painful process of suppressing lactation. It’s no walk in the park.

I greatly advocate breastfeeding, but I know it’s not for everyone. I breastfed all my children, but this latest pregnancy was different. This time, I was a surrogate. I wish shipping my breast milk was an option, but it isn’t. I toyed with the idea of donating but decided I wanted to return to feeling like me again. I don’t have enough time in a day to stop and pump throughout the day. I needed to let my milk supply dry up, and this was uncharted territory for me. I had always gradually weaned.

I thought I had dodged the lactation bullet for the first few days. There was no milk in sight. Then came day five postpartum. I woke up that morning feeling like I had been kicked in the chest by a horse (yes, it’s happened to me, and I can confirm the accuracy of this description). Being already well-endowed, I appeared like a Hollywood starlet with a botched boob job. Here I was, just getting back into my pre-pregnancy wardrobe, and I had to return to maternity wear to accommodate my chest.

Where do cabbage leaves fit in here?

I googled natural ways of suppressing lactation because I prefer natural options over popping a pill. The most common solution suggested was inserting cabbage leaves in your bra. Maybe I’m not so green after all since that seemed to cross the line of weird for me. Unfortunately, the rest of the advice consisted of no touching, warm showers, or pumping… Well, that wasn’t doing me any good at all. By day six postpartum, I was nearly in tears. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t even walk comfortably. Three bras stacked on one another were not supporting enough and even caused a side effect – mastitis. Do you know what they suggest for mastitis? Gentle massage of the breast, warm showers, and pumping. All the things I was trying not to do to suppress lactation.

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

By the end of day 7, I was willing to be as green as I needed to be to end my misery. I went out to the local health food store and got the greenest green cabbage I could find. I brought it home and popped it in the fridge as suggested online. An hour later, I pulled the outer leaves off the cabbage and wrapped them around my deformed Hollywood breasts (yeah, it’s getting real here today, people). Oh, beautiful relief!!! It cooled immediately and soothed wonderfully. After an hour, I felt much better.

I did express some milk from the area where I was getting the mastitis infection. Don’t believe the hype online. You can express enough milk to be comfortable and still suppress lactation. The key is only to do it when absolutely necessary and only enough to be comfortable. Let’s be honest; it’s not like you aren’t got to spring leaks from time to time anyway. It might as well be from the area that is hurting.

After four days of expressing in the area, I was infected and applying cabbage leaves intermittently throughout the day. My normal mommy boobs were back. I’m two weeks postpartum now and still have to wear my reusable nursing pads, but there is no pain or discomfort.

How do cabbage leaves help suppress lactation?

Cabbage leaves have antibiotic and anti-irritant properties. These properties improve blood flow to the breasts, allowing the body to reabsorb the milk trapped in the breast. Cabbage leaves may also have drawing abilities, which is why people use the leaves to absorb trapped fluids. Are you concerned that this is just another new-age hippie thing? Ask your grandmother what was recommended to her generation. Cabbage leaf treatment for suppressing lactation has been around for eons. Research has even been done about it. I’m telling you, it really works.

To use this treatment, go to your grocery and pick out a head of green cabbage (red doesn’t work as well and will stain clothes). Remove the core of the cabbage and peel the leaves from the outside of the cabbage. Put the greenest leaves in the fridge to cool. The white leaves on the inside are not as effective, so feel free to eat them, compost them, or give them to your chickens as a nice treat. Once chilled, pull out a few leaves, wash them well, and crush the veins with a rolling pin or the heel of your hand. Drape the crushed leaves over the breast and even up to the armpit if you feel swelling. Leave the leaves in place for up to an hour.

A few words of warning: When you exit the bathroom carrying a cabbage, your children will give you odd looks. Your husband may have less-than-funny jokes about your situation. If you forget to remove the leaves within an hour or it’s really hot outside, you will smell like St. Patrick’s Day dinner. The relief is worth all of this.

Miracle Cabbage Leaves

Maybe you don’t have breasts, or you’re not currently suppressing lactation. Cabbage leaves may still be a lifesaver for you. Cabbage leaves have been used to treat the swelling associated with sprains, arthritis, and even post-surgical swelling. Cabbage leaves are often used for bruises as well. I’m putting it to the test where I bruised my knee the other day. Why do my children feel the need to leave chairs pulled out in the kitchen after dark? So far, the bruise is looking and feeling better. Another big thumbs up for cabbage from me!

Frequently Asked Questions

If you want to increase your milk supply, look no further than Milkflow Fenugreek Blessed Thistle Drink Mix (it’s vegan) and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Milkin’ Cookies.

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Pregnancy and childbirth are no walk in the park, but lactation suppression may be necessary for some women. Cabbage leaves have long been known to be an effective and natural solution, and now research has been done to back it up. It may seem like a strange solution, but trust me, it works. After all, desperate times call for desperate measures. So don’t be afraid to brave the stares and jokes from your family because you’ll be feeling relief in no time.

Have you ever tried using cabbage leaves to suppress lactation or for any other natural remedies? Share your experience in the comments below!