One breast suddenly FULL and HARD! Why?

[mia8]

My baby has started taking a bottle more frequently (hurrah for a break for mum!) but all of a sudden today, my right boob is extremely engorged and hard, it hasn't been like this since I came home from the hospital and just started breast feeding and got the normal first engorgement.

I fed him from it at 11:30 but not very much as he'd just had a bottle. Then he went for his nap/walk at 12:30 and at 2:30 when he woke up and I gave him his usual feed, I noticed my right boob was MAHUSIVE! He really fussed with it, too, like it was making it difficult to feed from it. He didn't feed a lot. I tried again at his 5pm feed and the same, it was so big he fussed and I gave him the left. Exactly the same at 6:30pm bedtime feed, although he fed a bit more from the right.

Normally my right can tend to be slightly larger but it hasn't been noticeable in recent months. I'm always swap boobs with feeds and this is the only time I've gone back to the right one in consecutive feeds because I'm desperate to ease and am slightly ridiculously worried it's going to burst :P

Why is this????

I'm no expert so hoping someone will be along soon who is. In the meantime, can you feel any lumps or particularly sore bits? Could be a blocked duct making it hard to empty?

I'd suggest hand expressing just enough to get comfortable and hopefully prevent any blocked ducts or start to relieve if you do.

I've just felt it. It feels a bit sore but only as normal when engorged. No lumps, although earlier I felt what I imagined were full milk ducts on top which have now softened after his last feed.

I was going to reach for my hand pump to express but was worried about a) just encouraging it to produce more milk, should I just leave it? and also b) perhaps this is part of my body adjusting to my baby's need for less milk? It's just so odd that it's one and was so sudden!

He might be fussing as let down is too fast if you've built up a huge supply on one side.
Can you express some off before you next feed? Or feed lying down as this apparently slows it down a bit.

X post. Happened to me when I started with bottles too.
I did get v sore one side and had a bit of a funny fluey feeling for a few hours so fed from that side a few times in a row. It'll settle down and you body will adjust in a couple of days, don't let it get too sore though as I hear blocked ducts are v painful. Hth.

Watching with interest, as I have the same problem. In fact, I'm getting strong jets of milk when I express! Have found that hanging the affected boob over the Aga seems to help...

Thank you Twinsplusonesurprise!

Hanging over the Aga easterbaby? That sounds so much more painful than I'm sure it is :)

Glad this seems to be normal. I'm guessing then I should express just a little to ease the pain and the jets before feeding?

Could you have a blockage caused by a milk blister (also called a bleb)? If you have a little white dot on your nipple then that could be it. Have a look at the Kellymom page about blebs.

You're right OP of course that expressing will encourage supply but taking off a tiny bit won't make much difference and could prevent any problems from being too full for ages

Thanks all - much better overnight and then today they are both fairly full and not as soft as usual, but now it's both and not ridiculous, onwards and upwards with weaning!