Breast engorgement can occur in the early days of breastfeeding, as your body is establishing how much milk needs to be stored in order to feed your baby. Breast engorgement can also occur when you are weaning off of breastfeeding, and even night-weaning. As you diminish your baby’s consumption of milk, your breasts will take some time to adjust and to produce less milk. [1] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source It can also occur when your baby is sick, as he or she will tend to feed less during these times. Finally, breast engorgement is common in women who have chosen not to breastfeed, as their breasts adjust to the fact that they will not need to continue producing milk.
breasts that are swollen, firm, and painful flattened, hard areolas (the darker part of the breast around the nipple). This can make it more challenging for the baby to latch on. breasts that seem shiny, warm, hard, or slightly lumpy to the touch (in more severe cases) a slight fever and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the armpits
Plugged milk ducts generally means symptoms of redness, lumpiness, and/or increased pain in the breast secondary to too much milk. It is basically a more serious form of breast engorgement, and you are also more prone to developing an infection in the breast when you have poor milk flow (called “mastitis”). [3] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source Plugged ducts can also occur for other reasons (where the duct is truly blocked by something else, other than just milk), but this is less common. If you suspect you may have plugged milk ducts or mastitis (both have similar symptoms, but mastitis usually has the added symptom of a fever and/or chills), it is important to see your doctor promptly for treatment. You may need to take an antibiotic. If you do not treat mastitis promptly, it can turn into an abscess that could require disfiguring surgery to treat.
Most doctors will advise a new mother to nurse her baby every 1 to 3 hours. Breast engorgement can be diminished if you follow this schedule. Feed your newborn whenever he is hungry. Don’t attempt to put a newborn baby on a feeding schedule.
Don’t apply a warm compress for more than 5 minutes. If your engorgement is due to edema (fluid retention), using a warm compress for too long could make the problem worse. Many women use a pump or their hand to “express” (remove) excess milk before beginning a breastfeeding session. This will make it easier for your baby to latch onto the breast, and will maximize the amount of milk he can drink (which will in turn reduce pressure and discomfort in your breasts).
Your breasts will have gotten used to producing a certain amount of milk each day, so it is important to stick to your routine of emptying your breasts regularly in order to prevent them from becoming more engorged. Oftentimes, pumped milk that is stored can come in handy at other times. For example, if you have to be away from your baby for any reason, someone else can feed your baby the pumped milk during your absence and it will ensure that he stays on the same breastfed diet.
Allow the spray to start at the top of the breasts and adjust your body so it works its way down. You can also massage them at the same time. This will be a bit painful at first, but it will ease the tenderness and hardness in the breasts. You can also fill two bowls with warm water. Place them on a stable surface, such as a table or countertop. Lean over and allow your breasts to soak in the warm water for a few minutes.
Try cold compresses to help reduce swelling and ease the pain if your breasts still feel painful and are hard to the touch, even after nursing or pumping milk. Apply the compress several times for up to 15 minutes. Bags of frozen vegetables work well for this method. Make sure to wrap the compress or bag in a light towel to protect your skin.
Place the cold cabbage leaves around your breasts and leave them against your skin for approximately 20 minutes at a time, as needed. Note that cabbage leaves should not be placed against broken or irritated skin, as this can worsen the condition. Only use this method if you have simple breast engorgement with no other complications.
Follow the directions on the bottle, and use as needed to reduce pain and discomfort in your breasts.
If you have increasing soreness, hardness, redness, and/or discomfort in your breasts, especially if associated with a fever as well, seek help from your physician promptly. It could be an infection of the breasts (called “mastitis”) from blocked milk ducts, which requires antibiotic treatment.
applying cold compresses to the breasts wearing a loose-fitting bra trying cold cabbage leaves pumping or using your hand to remove a little bit of the excess milk (note that it is important not to remove too much, or this will stimulate your breasts to produce more milk; however, a small amount is okay).
Whether you are weaning off of breastfeeding, or not breastfeeding to begin with, trust that if you give your breasts the signal “less (or no) milk is needed right now” by resisting the urge to pump, they will adjust to produce only the required amount of milk.
Heat or warmth to the breasts, as this encourages milk production. Stimulation or massage to your breasts, as this also encourages milk production. [9] X Research source
