Is it possible for milk to come back in even if your not breast feeding?

[YellowFeathers]

Ds will be 2 weeks tomorrow. My milk came in on the 4th day but the heavyness and soreness only lasted 24 hours and I was back to normal.
However yesterday I woke up with one of my breasts really hard and tender on one side, just like when the milk comes in.

I did wonder if it was mastitis (sp) especially in the afternoon as I started to feel all fluey and achey but today I'm ok, I just have a tender breast. They are still leaking a bit too.

Will it just fade away again or should I do something about it?

Apparently you can re-establish breastfeeding for up to 6 weeks after you've stopped. Some women have milk for a very long time still. It will gradually fade away, as your brain is not getting a signal to make more milk your breasts will just stay as full as they are now until your body re-absorbs it. Try wearing a tight fitting bra and do some over arm swings as this will also help with the re-absorption.

Yellow, keep an eye on it. You will certainly still have milk at 2 weeks postnatal, and it's possible the way you have been lying has blocked a duct (rather than milk 'coming in' for a second time, which is unlikely). It sounds as if it is sorting itself out, though, as you are a bit more comfortable today. Maybe give your HV a call if it gets worse again.

Would you think of starting to breastfeed ? That would be one way of dealing with it You can (in theory) restart breastfeeding at any time (I have helped people do it longer than the 6 weeks Mum2 says) but if you want to do it, the sooner the better.

Well Tiktok, its funny you say that.
I really wanted to BF but I was really struggling in hospital and even the MW's were having a hard time in helping me.
Ds had 2 really good half hour feeds. One virtually straight after he came out and one the next day. In between we were fiddling with little bits of expressed milk either hand or by pump.

But today the Dr has just confirmed that DS has refulx and tbh I feel a bit guilty and crap that I didn't carry on BF because I think it might have made a difference. He's not taking much from the bottle atm, has lost 7oz and isn't gaining weight either so we've been given a prescription for Enfamil to see if that helps.

I digress, I did wonder about a blocked milk duct too as its on the side not all over IYSWIM. I'm hoping it will rectify itself but I have noticed today it has leaked more than usual so could that be helping?

Yellow.....if you want to breastfeed, then yes, you can! It's not nice when you have a bad start and the fiddling with pumps and stuff makes things worse.

But while breastfed babies can have reflux, and breastfeeding would have been no guarantee of problem-fee feeding, if you are prepared to switch from one formula to another (with the hassle of prescription only), then it's worth at least considering a switch to breastfeeding!

If you wanted to breastfeed, and feel crap that you're not, then give it a go You won't be able to stick your baby on and wave goodbye to problems - a baby who is losing weight needs feeding, and any bf at the moment would be in addition to the formula, rather than instead of, but your baby is young enough to have breastfeeding 'behaviours' still...and in any case, it's lovely to give your baby a cuddle with him at the breast and suckling, even if he doesn't take much. It could be soothing for him if the reflux is bothering him, too.

You lose nothing by trying, if that's what you want to do

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try, especially as he's not taking much.
We usually have a cuddle in bed before he goes down for the night so I could try then.

Can I just ask, he sleeps through from 9:30 till 5:30. Would you say thats quite acceptable? Our HV seemed a bit concerned by it so its got dh thinking that we should wake him to feed.

Just do it, YellowFeathers! You don't have to wait for the evening - do it any time you have him in your arms and see what happens

I agree with the concern about the long sleep - this is a l....o....n....g time for a baby of 2 weeks. Now, it's not an issue for a baby who is piling on the weight and who has no feeding problems. But this is not the case with your baby. Ask the HV if you should wake him, as this would be one way of getting his weight up. A baby who has lost 7 ounces and is not regaining it is a cause for concern. The worry is that the baby is sleeping for a long time because he is conserving his energy rather than waking to feed, and that's not a good thing. In an otherwise healthy baby, all that needs to happen is to get more milk down him. But this is something to talk about to your HV or GP.

Good luck with the breastfeeding - as I say, just do it, and see what happens

You're fab Tiktok.
Yellowfeathers,good luck.

Thanks Tiktok and sorry I couldn't reply yesterday.

You were right about my breast issues! It was a blocked duct but its sorted itself out now. Thanks for the info.

There didn't seem a good time to try BF yesterday. Ds had another vomiting session and then we made up a batch of feeds with the Enfamil and since then he's been ok (touch wood). We've been writing down what time he feeds and how much he has so we know exactly what he's getting, However the HV is back tomorrow to re-weigh him so I'll have a good chat with her and see about the waking business if he's not gaining weight.

Thanks again for your advice

Glad he seems to feeling better, Yellow, and that you are too

Just a tip: you don't really need to think of it as trying to bf, like a big production number (though I can see it can feel that way when you have had a bad experience and a poorly baby, too)....it's just an extension of a cuddle, really