Engorgement

[bravissimo]

I hope someone can help me! i am currently breastfeeding my DS who is 11 days old, over the last 3 days my breasts have become extremely engorged between feeds - they are rock hard and extremely painful. I also get occasional shooting pains in the breast. I don't think that my DS is emptying my breast as i can still express some milk after he has finished. However he is doing well, has put on 14 oz in weight since we left hospital a week ago and has plenty of wet and dirty nappies so i think he is getting enough milk. What can i do to stop the pain they just seem to fill up so quickly. i've tried expressing small amounts in between feeds but this hasn't had an effect - i don't know if i should express all the milk as scared of increasing the supply. I can't sleep at all and i have been in tears all day today

Okay, it takes about six weeks for your boobs to work out the right amount. Express enough to get comfy - this will not lead to massive oversupply (any more than you have now anyway). It will slowly get better.

You can try putting cabbage leaves in your bra to cool things - no I am serious it works - and also you might want to try expressing a bit after a bath or a shower (you may well have a fountain effect anyway ).

You are doing a great job for him to gain that much weight - don't worry about a thing, just keep on with what you are doing, rest as much as you can and if it does hurt, take two paracetamol (it's fine, it won't effect him).

Congrats on your baby btw!

hi, ibuprofen is great for swelling.

the initial engorgement is usually over by 48 hours, just feed, feed and feed till its over. I was feeling horrendous when i became engorged.

However I would be converned about 'extreme' pain and shooting pains, do you have any lumps or red areas and are possibly feeling feverish? Tell your midwife to check your boobs as persistent engorgement and breasts that are not being drained well can lead to mastisis. NOT trying to scare you as this can be easily treated, and i promise the engorgement will be a thing of the past very, very soon.

Savoy cabbage leaves are sooooo soothing! keep them in the fridge for extra 'Ahhhh'.

I'm also a fan of the Avent breast shells. They apply a gentle, constant pressure which helped me with engorgement, but they do fill up so be careful of spills! (You can sterilise them and use the milk). The ones with holes in allow air to circulate and help with healing if you have sore nipples.

Do get checked out for thrush if there is pain. You can get it in your breasts and lo can get it in their mouths (check for white patches inside of cheeks).

I'm just out of the other side now, my lo is 4 weeks old.

Sounds like you are doing a great job, and he is doing really well.

Shooting pains can also be where the milk ducts are overfull and letdown occurs if your prolactin levels are very high (which they sound like they are with the amount of milk you have). I had this and it wasn't mastitis.

I also had mastitis later on - you'll know the difference - red lumps (mine went blue urgh) on your boobs, heat on the lump, pain, swelling, flu like symptoms. Bashed on the head by the antibiotic fairy in around five days.

Paracetamol is a better analgesic in the early days than ibuprofen because the latter can increase post partum bleeding.

thanks for your responses, i really appreciate them. I will def try the cabbage leaves tomorrow. i don't have any red patches yet so hopefully its not mastitis. i just feel so down at the moment, i had a pretty traumatic birth and in a lot pain already from stitches so just want to enjoy being with lo without constantly being in pain.

try a warm flannel to ease the pain i dont think expressing will increase the supply too much try seeing if your ds will feed more frequently

I would go along with what everyone else says but also add that IIRC there is a big growth spurt around 10 days. I remember getting really engorged at this time as DD fed more to up my supply but it does settle down, and normally only takes a few days. So it sounds perfectly normal (not that that will be a huge comfort when your arms won't go down by your sides...but I hope it might help a little)

Oh you poor thing.
My GP perscribed me lots of nurofen (get it free - dont buy it!) for the shooting pain of engorgement. I had it for ages when I first started BF'ing.
I would say dont express yet, wait for your boobs to settle into a routine, and stock up on breast pads.
Warm baths, warm flannels, and warm gel pack things all help. As does a large glass of wine.
Your LO will take as much as he needs, and eventually your boobs will fall in sync. It took me at least a month for my boobs to settle down. Good luck x

Def agree with WMMYChoc - you'll know when you get mastitis. The evilist of things. Wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy. You'll feel totally awful and ill, not just have boob pain.

Another vote for the breast shells - I used them to stop getting soaked at night but realised I wasn't even slightly engorged when I got up (usually was). You're only meant to use the milk collected when feeding or expressing though.

Expressing a little bit WON'T increase your supply. If you are so engorged it is leaking out anyway, if you express a little bit (an ounce of so - just enough so you don't actually feel pneumatic - it'll just stop the pain. Please don't sit there being uncomfortable, get a bit out and it'll feel better, and your LO will take care of the rest. In a few days this will all pass.

BTW Arnica will help the other parts of you to heal, as will nice warm baths and cups of tea with chocolate (honestly chocolate can help regulate your prolactin levels - at least this is my theory and I'm sticking to it for the duration of my breastfeeding career! )