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Breast engorgement is when a nursing mother’s breasts become too full of milk, causing firm, swollen, and painful breasts. It can occur in the first few days after birth or when missing a breastfeeding session. It can be prevented by regular feeding and treated with ibuprofen, cold or hot compresses, and a supportive bra. Expressing milk can also ease discomfort.
Breast engorgement occurs when a nursing mother’s breasts become too full of milk. This commonly happens in the first few days after a baby is born as her body produces more milk than it needs, but it can also happen anytime you miss a breastfeeding session. Symptoms typically include firm, swollen breasts that hurt, often along with sore armpits and flattened nipples. Women can usually prevent this problem by feeding the baby regularly and making sure the breasts are emptied with each feed. Women can treat breast engorgement by taking ibuprofen, applying cold or hot compresses, and wearing a supportive bra.
The first case of breast engorgement typically occurs to mothers a few days after the birth of a new baby. Since the body doesn’t know how much milk to produce, it tends to produce more than it needs and will rebalance itself in a few days as it should notice how much the baby eats. Some women who have already established a breastfeeding routine may find that their breasts swell when they miss a feed, which is why they have to pump or pump milk manually until they feel less full. Women can also experience breast engorgement when their baby is not getting enough milk at each feed or when they are trying to stop breastfeeding altogether.
Fortunately, preventing breast engorgement is usually as easy as getting the milk out of the breast. This usually involves feeding more often or for longer periods of time. If your baby doesn’t eat as often or as soon as possible due to supplementation with formula or solid foods, the body should gradually compensate by reducing the production of breast milk. In this case, the mother will probably be freed from engorgement within a few days, when the body gets the idea that she should produce less new breast milk. The process can also usually be reversed, as the mother may breastfeed more often if she wants to produce more milk as her body tends to notice the signs within a few days.
Mothers who experience breast engorgement soon after the birth of a new baby are encouraged to wait and breastfeed as often as the baby wants, as the discomfort should subside within a few days. During this time, women can take ibuprofen and apply cold or hot packs to the breasts, although it should be noted that heat often causes milk to be released. Of course, expressing some milk by hand or with a breast pump, especially after applying heat, can also help ease the discomfort. Mothers who do not want to breastfeed at all should avoid expressing milk and should apply cold compresses to the breasts. Whether or not a woman wants to continue breastfeeding, she is encouraged to wear a supportive bra to help reduce breast engorgement symptoms.
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