Painful lumpy breasts, FF 1 week old baby.

[monkeyfacegrace]

Dd2 is exactly a week old today. She's been ff since birth.

On day 4 I woke up in the night with my boobs rock solid and full of lumps. 3 days later and they are still lumpy and hard. You can physically see the lumpy outlines and it HURTS!

Anything I can do/take to make them norm again

Surely this is your milk coming in? Im sure it's pretty painful as the baby isn't taking the milk away and relieving thpressure. Your need to express a little bit to take the worse off it. Can you either borrow a friend's pump, or google hand expressing and try thst? Otherwise you are in danger of developing mastitis.

Ibuprofen will help with the pain and inflammation. You could ask your GP to prescribe Diclofenic. Cabbage leaves in your bra. Sudafed reduces milk supply. Sage tea reduces milk supply. Combined contraceptive pill reduces milk supply.

Ask your midwife how to hand express for comfort.

I can't express at all so that's not an option.

Yes it's just my milk but it bloody hurts! I've been taking ibuprofen as an anti inflammatory but not sure whether to see my gp too.

I respect you right to FF, and obviously don't know your reasons, but hope it's not pointing out the bleeding obvious that probably the most straightforward and immediate way to relieve the pressure would be for your baby to do it...I do appreciate you may have decided this is not an option, so not trying to create a BF vs FF thread...

Ah cross posted.

Thanks stargirl that's a fab list to get started with!

Will ask gp for that drug and get some sudafed.

Can't use the contraceptive pill so that's not an option.

Was hoping it would just go away on its own.

Having suffered with mastitis twice I am v sympathetic about the pain. Why are you sure it's impossible to express? It would only need to be a little. GP sounds like a good plan if this continues

When you say you can't express at all, do you mean you aren't able to, or don't want to?

I widen the be afraid to dose up on ibuprofen - must be v uncomfortable :(

Have you tries warm compresses and warm showers?

When you as you can't express, what do you mean? Hand expressing in the shower often relieved me from rock boobs and pain. I would be worried about III getting mastitis if you don't relieve the pressure a bit. Your milk will reduce in time, but it wouldn't be any good to get blocked up and become infected. If you start to feel hot or shaky, definitely see your GP.

It's physically impossible to express. My nipples aren't attached to my milk ducts (previous heavy surgery). So when I say it's not an option, it's very very much not an option

I've tried hot baths and hot showers but they are still solid. I'm a 30HH at the best of times so you can imagine what I look like!

DH thinks all his Christmases have come at once!

Oh, ok, well that is a pretty damn good reason for not expressly (Or BF ing)...

Possibly msssaging them v gently to help with lumpiness, and stargirl seems to have lots of good ideas. Do watch out for mastitis and get to the GP if you think it's developing as antibiotics might be needed.

Good luck and hope they go down soon.

There is medication you can get to dry up your supply - is this an option for you? I think it might be worth talking to someone - someone on the antenatal ward?

postnatal duh... Long week.

ooh congratulations
Savoy cabbage leaves in bra really did help me, know it sounds like an old wives tale

I think I'll see the gp on Monday then if you think I wouldn't be wasting their time.

Cabbage leaves I'm willing to try!

I didn't get this with my previous two babies. Not sure why my body has decided to make milk this time round

nd actually there are drugs they can give to dry up milk. I know thry are rarely used now, with good reason, but as you aren't able to express I wonder if they might be an option ? no idea, just a thought

sorry didn't see callmias post

Peppermint tea is supposed to decrease supply too, but I suspect you'd need to drink buckets of it. Doubt eat oats or fennel as they're supposed to increase it.

Cold compresses are very comforting.

Don't, not doubt. Sorry.

only savoy. apparently

Shall we do a proper scientific experiment?

I'll sit down tomorrow with a cabbage leaf on one boob, a bag of frozen peas on the other, swigging sage and peppermint tea, and report back

oo savoy on one curly kale on other
expose this cynical savoy marketing plot for what it is :o

Only savoy?! No wonder my Tesco Everyday Value cabbage leaves didn't work.

Don't get them hot (don't put them in hot shower etc) it will stimulate the supply. That advice was because it would normally get some dripping out to relieve the pressure a little but that can't happen in your case. I would also guess that massaging might be counterproductive if there's nowhere for the milk to go as that would also stimulate them. I would check with a breastfeeding counsellor on that. Keep them cold, cold cabbage leaves. Epsom salts are traditional to dry up too.

packs of ready made stir fry no good either :o

Trim the big ribs off the leaves and bash them up a bit too btw to get juices out and more comfy.