Ouch! Engorged breasts are painful but as lactation expert explains, there are some effective ways to treat breast engorgement. Here are some tips.
As a breastfeeding mother you may have experienced breast engorgement when your milk first ‘came in’ around three to five days after child birth. When breasts becomes engorged the entire breast, including the nipple, the areola (the coloured area surrounding the nipple) and the area under the armpits become hard and swollen. The swelling causes throbbing pain. The skin is warm to touch and may appear tight and shiny. A low grade fever may also develop.
Breast engorgement is caused by a surge of blood and lymph fluids as your breasts step up milk production, as well as the increased volume of breast milk.
How to treat breast engorgement
Treatment of breast engorgement involves ensuring adequate milk removal and promoting lymphatic drainage. The following steps can help.
Breastfeed your baby as often as he wants. If he’s sleepy you may need to wake him to offer breastfeeds every two or three hours. If necessary, also wake him to offer night feeds. Eight to 12 breastfeeds per day is average in the first few weeks.
Warm your breasts for one or two minutes before feeding by immersing your breasts in a bowl or sink of warm water to encourage milk flow. Avoid prolonged warming in showers or baths as this can increase swelling and inflammation.
Make sure your baby is positioned correctly and attached well to the breast. If he has trouble attaching because your nipple has become flattened and taut you may need to soften your areola by using ‘reverse pressure softening’ or hand expressing a little milk.
Allow him to feed for as long as he needs. If you have an abundant supply of breast milk, which many mothers do in the early weeks, he may be content to feed from one breast only.
As your baby feeds, use sweeping strokes to massage your breasts from chest wall to nipple and gentle breast compression to increase milk drainage.
If either breast feels hard after breastfeeding hand express or pump until comfortable.
Apply cold compresses or cabbage leaves to your breasts between feeds to reduce swelling and relieve pain. Remove the compresses 10 to 15 minutes before the next feed.
Talk to your healthcare provider about using a mild pain reliever such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Avoid giving your baby bottle feeds