Engorgement problems

[tinymeteor]

Can anyone offer advice on this? I'm about to go on holiday for a fortnight so can't get to the local breastfeeding groups.

DD2 is 3 months old and I'm EBF. I'm having perpetual problems with oversupply and engorgement, mainly on one side where the latch is poorer for some reason. Bit of a vicious cycle at work - breast gets overfull so she can't latch well, so I get blocked ducts and need her to drain them, so the supply kicks up again and around we go. I had awful mastitis requiring IV antibiotics when she was 6 days old, as my supply came in so spectacularly. Have been in the brink of mastitis again several times since, but managed to feed through it.

I really hoped by this point things would have moderated but it's not happening. Any little disturbance to feeding (the heatwave, a sniffle, a growth spurt) and my boobs go insane. It's painful and frustrating and I'm not enjoying BFing much this time, which is sad as I loved it with Dd1.

Sorry that got a bit long and rambly. Any advice welcome...

Sorry to hear that you feel like this OP. If you can’t get to a Bfing Group, I’d give one of the Bfing Helplines a call and see what they say

Good call, I hadn't thought of that. I'll give them a call.

Looks like mastitis again this morning, so I'm off to the GP. I just want to find a way out of this cycle of oversupply and blockages, it's getting me down. The advice always seems t be to feed through it, but that solves the short term problem but not the larger issue.

Hi, this was me first time, slightly this time but I met a mum who had this badly last week too.

She was helped by her local bf service.

I would call a helpline, possibly a couple to cross ref ideas.

Ideally you need to be seen by someone who really knows their stuff. My local area (north east) has an excellent lll group on fb with a lactation consultant and many peer supporters.

You need to find out if tongue tie is an issue - is baby fully able to feed effectively? Then get some advice on positioning etc. You must make sure the person is qualified and checks for posterior tt; mastitis is often a side effect of tt issues as the breast isn't drained properly.

Block feeding could be a possibility but I'd be careful not to do it without advice. I ended up doing a couple of days of returning to the same breast a couple of times in a row, massaging and hand expressing a small amount off the other for comfort.

The mum I met last week had been set a sort of schedule to make sure baby stayed awake feeding on one side till fully empty (boob 1), then offer the other (boob2) . Then next feed, return to boob 2 first. I have found my ds is a bit snacky at times, tends to want to feed hourly (7 weeks) on wake and then sleep so I "cop a feel" and always offer the fuller breast first. (Lactation consultant advice!)

I'll post some links:

Also includes forceful let down (my current issue)

kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/fast-letdown/

kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/engorgement/

Block feeding:

www.nancymohrbacher.com/articles/2013/10/9/block-feeding-dos-donts.html

^ there's 2 links squished together there.

You could also ask gp to check thyroid is ok.

Another link:

www.laleche.org.uk/too-much-milk-and-oversupply/

My right breast is worse of this and seems to have rested it's head again too.

Thanks for or the links, I'm a bit wary of block feeding but will look into it once I'm feeling a bit better. It's definitely mastitis, possibly an abscess this time. FML

Yes I think it should be the last option. What about regular breast massaging? Or "dangle feeding" to help drain full breast?

I had similar issues for ages and agree with Tackytriceratops that cautious block feeding especially if you also have a forceful letdown is a good idea. I was never even offering both breasts until well after we started weaning at 6 months, there was just no way that volume of milk could go in at once, poor wee thing. I found that Kellymom website especially helpful, about how to do it. Just take it slow and re-evaluate progress every few days.

Tacky, what's the connection between breastfeeding and the thyroid?

Low supply is linked to low thyroid hormones. I was on too much thyroxine in the first few weeks and did some research around it wondering if there was an opposite effect; couldn't find concrete evidence (it's not been researched) but thyroid checks were mentioned in a few places. I think prolactin levels are tied in with that whole system somehow though v complex. As it's only one side I doubt there's any issues here tbh bit thyroids often go wonky post partum.

I've had easily stimulated oversupply after both babies to clarify but on good levels of thyroxine, if not a bit too much.

I see, that's interesting, thanks Tacky. I have had several women in my family with thyroid issues, so maybe I'll try and get that checked.