>"I have stopped breastfeeding my son since Christmas but still have sore
>breasts and I feel that they are congested part of the time. It is mostly
>centered towards the outside edges of the breasts and in the underarm area.
>It is also occurring in both breasts. I sometimes feel like I have marbles
>in this area. I'm wondering if this is just a normal occurence or not. I
>have breastfed before but this was my first time that I breastfed for nine
>months. Any help or advice you can provide will be most useful."

I'm a lactation consultant in the States who read this on "lactnet", where I
believe Jack Newman told you he'd post it.

My very first thought was, "This mother has a body that would still like to
be breastfeeding."  There's no particular science behind that thought, and
of course I don't know anything at all about your situation beyond what's
copied above.  But here's what made me think it:

While nursing this baby for 9 months has been absolutely wonderful and has
given him (her?) a far, far better start in life than most babies have, it's
not as long as our bodies and our babies' bodies are built for.  Does your
son (sorry if it's a daughter!) snuggle with you a lot?  Does he enjoy
feeling your breasts or leaning his head against them or sucking on
something while he snuggles with you?  It may be that the nursing bond
between the two of you is stronger than you realized, and that *thinking*
came between the two of you sooner than plain old biology would have.

But if this line of reasoning "speaks" to you, then *thinking* is where you
need to start:  What were the reasons for the weaning?  What have you
gained?  What have you lost?  What are you most glad to be past?  What do
you miss most?  You might even make a list of pros and cons - even silly
ones, like not missing the spots on your clothes or missing having him stick
his fingers in your mouth while you nurse, or missing the nursing smile that
makes milk run out the corner of his mouth.

If some part of you (besides your breasts, of course) suspects the two of
you may still wish you were nursing, let me know and we can talk more about
it.  If you're hands-down glad to be finished, then it still seems unlikely
anything is "wrong".  There are some simple things that may help reduce
inflammation and milk, and you can write to me about those as well.

Anyway, those are my first-line thoughts, for what they're worth to you, and
you needn't feel any obligation to respond.  Amazing what happens with
e-mail does, isn't it?

Warmly,
Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC  Ithaca, NY  USA

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