engorgement advice, please!! Not to mention the bleeding nipples...Day 4, ow.

[fruitpastille]

So, bf number 3 and having same old problems! Day 4 and my milk has come in. Both boobs are rock solid and painful. I also have bleeding nipples so am using shields to help (used these successfully for many months with orevious dc because of large boobs, flat nipples etc). I am feeding dd as much as I can but she is nowhere near draining the breast - a very long feed has softened one side slightly. Hand expressing does not work for me and hot shower had no effect. I have a small medela pump but that is not easy either. It takes amlong time to get milk to come. I know when dd feeds it comes out ok asi hear her swallow and there is milk nin the shield when she comes off.

I am knackered and want to go to bed as at the mo dh is doing the 9 till midnight shift so I get a bit of sleep. However, I wonder if I should stay up and try to feed more, or have another go with the pump. I have a history of getting mastitis which I dread happening again. Basically I cannot decide on best course of action! Advice welcome.

Bumping. Got my cabbage leaves in for now!

Anyone?

I remember hot bath and really massaging boobs (between crying) wasted loads of milk but really when they are rock solid you need to get relief...my body used to do that ..when milk came in was seriously out of kilter with size of baby ...and wet nursing not possible nowadays as sideline earner.

Was concerned that I might stimulate more milk but settled down really well.

As an aside if you look at many Spanish religious paintings of Madonna and child she has milk spraying to the heavens... I always wince in empathy!

Pain and bleeding, failure to empty breast and recurring mastitis can all point to a posterior tongue tie. Has this been checked - properly, by an expert??

Feeling a bit better now that I have managed to get dd to feed more, The mastitis was with previous babies, I am just fearful of it happening again. No checks for tongue tie, the feeding counsellor at the hospital was on holiday for the week!;Midwives supportive but as I have fed 2 dc to 6 months plus they thought inknew what I was doing.

You can take ibuprofen and I would highly recommend doing so, alongside chilled cabbage leaves in your bra!

Thank you, I am already on diclofenac and paracetemol as I had a c section. Dh has decided the only place he can safely hug me is my leg!

No advice but much sympathy! I am on day 7, also dc3 after c section and feeding my other two for 18mo each. And also used to get recurrent mastitis!

I've been in agony since day 3. But it is slowly getting better. After a feed barely making any impression at all in terms of reduced swelling, last night dd did almost leave one side fully empty and soft. I think it is just curse of excellent milk supply that it takes a while to adjust to how much baby actually needs! In mastitis terms I'm trying hard now to make sure no blocked ducts, but it is only in last 24 hours thatit is remotely possible to tell where those are! Also suspect her latch needs attention, but it is hard to tell when so engorged, because it is hard for them to take in enough tissue to hold on properly!

All that I think says hang in there, hopefully a few more days should see you to improvements! Have you googled reverse pressure latching? That helped considerably in creating enough nipple for dd to gain purchase on!

Glad to know I am not alone! We do sound similar. I find the shield helps dd get a latch and means only the first few seconds are really painful. When the engorgement lessens and cracks a bit better I will try without them. I used them for 6 months with no problems but they are inconvenient.

Oh joy, mastitis. Remind me that it will all seem better by next week?

Oh no! That's grim, you poor thing! Are you on antibiotics? I hope you feel better soon. It WILL be better next week- by then you won't still feel like you're dying, which I recall is main mastitis symptom.

Though to be honest I'm also struggling to feel too positive right now - engorgement definitely is improving but I still have loads of painful blocked ducts, I'm amazed I haven't succumbed too tbh. This afternoon I hobbled round the shops and bought 2 new feeding bras in 34H!! Pre kids I was 32B!!!!! I know lots of women struggle with supply, which is awful, but this other extreme feels pretty tough too sometimes!

Hey, mastitis here too now. Hurray! Just what I needed...

So sorry you are suffering! You can pump until both breasts are empty once or twice to relieve the engorgement and get the milk flowing, if you only do it once or twice it shouldn't ramp up your supply. Best of luck and congratulations xx

Got my antibiotics and feeling much improved. Engorgement also gone but dd now wants longer feeds as there is less milk! Hope you are doing ok zoe.

Hello, glad antibs are helping. I'm on day6 for DC2 and, whilst not engorged or with mastitis (yet, fingers crossed), I do have incredibly sore bleeding nipples so I am sympathising with you.

It. Will. Be. Better. Soon.