Baby finds it difficult to feed on engorged breasts

[PseudoBadger]

DD is 5 days old and my milk showed up yesterday. I am so engorged and in pain :(

DD has been feeding so well and I have been really careful about latch and position. Feeding has been pretty much pain free so far.

Unfortunately DD is tiny and my breasts are huge now; the most she seems able to do is latch to the nipple and suck as best she can, but then either doesn't like the poor latch or the faster flow and gives up. There is no chance of her getting a nice mouthful of breast tissue as well as nipple, feeding is painful now :(

Do I express some off by hand before a feed?

Get some hot hot flannels and place them on your breasts and then try!

Yes, I'd hand express some off before feeding. Just enough so your boobs aren't rock solid.

Thank you!

I well remember this stage. I would apply a warm flannel, then stand over the sink and hand express enough to soften up each nipple just before a feed. Baby was usually screaming in the background, so letdown wasn't a problem and it was usually pouring out anyway. It will pass OP - it's a miserable stage - but after a few days your breasts should stop being rocks.

Pseudo my three week old DD is currently asleep on me and you have my sympathies. Even the midwife who came to see me at home grimaced when she saw them.

I found massaging them before a feed really helped. Try not to express too much as then you're just stimulating supply you don't need. It'll be so much better in just a few days. Hang in there.

Pseudo, congratulations on your DD, and I hope the feeding is going better by now. If you are still having issues, another thing which might help is reverse pressure softening .

I have just been through this. DS is now 11 days and my breasts ate much more comfy. I second expressing a bit to let them down. I also massaged them under a warm shower and they were just dripping anyway. Don't give up it gets worse before it gets better.

Thank you everyone, I've spent the last 24 hours getting her to feed, if only for a short time, to take the pressure off. I was getting quite worried until last night she woke up and obligingly took plenty off the left breast for me :o
The right one was still not great with a nice pink patch so I kept on with the small and often approach and then she took a large amount off it this morning. So hopefully we are getting better!