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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Baby 5 days old - breasts engorged - any solutions?

9 replies

ManoloChooBoutin · 07/04/2019 21:30

Gave birth on Wednesday night and yesterday my breasts became really hard and painful as my milk has come in. I've read that this is normal but is there anything I can do to help the situation?!

OP posts:
TheChineseChicken · 07/04/2019 21:32

Lots of feeding! It will calm down soon enough

SnuggyBuggy · 07/04/2019 21:32

Could you hand express to make them softer so baby can latch easier?

OpposableThumbs2 · 07/04/2019 21:32

Congratulations!

You could try and hand express a little which will soften the breast enough so that hopefully your baby can latch on for a good feed.

HopeAndJoy16 · 07/04/2019 21:35

Alternate between hot and cold flannels, heat helps milk to flow (so use before a feed) and a cool flannel will help soothe. Hand expressing and massage either with hands or shower head will help to soften your boobs. Feed, feed, feed! It does settle and won't last forever but omg it is uncomfortable!! Don't be tempted to express loads at this point as you can end up with an oversupply and risk getting mastitis.

PotteringAlong · 07/04/2019 21:35

Feed, feed and feed some more! Congratulations Flowers

OpposableThumbs2 · 07/04/2019 21:36

If you don't know how to hand express, have a look at this video. About 1m in has all the info you need.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/baby-friendly-resources/breastfeeding-resources/hand-expression-video/amp/

Littlefrog99 · 07/04/2019 21:37

Congrats on your new addition!

A warm shower worked for me. Have the water as warm as you can stand and gently massage for a few minutes. If DD didn't want a feed I'd express after the shower to release some of the pressure. It really helped until things settled down.

Ploppymoodypants · 07/04/2019 21:37

Yep just feed as much as you can. And try not to wear a bra that’s too tight. A Jojo mamen sleep bra worked for me, until they softened and I was fitted for a proper one. It won’t last long and they will then feel soft again. Your body just needs to figure out how much milk to make for baby. It errs on the side of caution at first and generates an over supply.

Original poster
ManoloChooBoutin · 08/04/2019 04:12

Really helpful everyone, thank you. It's my second child but breast feeding was very difficult to establish first time around (took 2 weeks of a 3 hourly regime!) so this time it's all quite different!!!

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