Engorgement- how long and help?

[Countjc]

Hello ladies,

I was wondering if any of you could give me some advice about the early days of bfeeding.

I had my son last Thursday by elective c sec and my milk came in really early on Saturday which was good but I am still engorged 5 days later and it's causing me loads of feeding issues.

I had all sorts of problems with my first son with tongue tie and various infections and so really wanted to get things sorted early this time.

Basically for each feed I am having to use a hot compress for 20 mins first, then hand express quite a lot before latching. Latching on has got much harder due to the engorgement and it's pretty painful initially during the feed but then is fine. I am then using ice packs after a feed.

Also starting to feel very feverish and so am worried about mastitis so doing lots of massage and taking paracetemol.

It means that each feed is a real palava and it's pretty hard with a toddler trying to help.

I keep thinking that maybe the engorgement will ease but it's been since saturday now and i was wondering if anyone else had this experience and what else I can do. I dont want to use a breast pump yet as worried that will only encourage more milk production.

many thanks for your help, really want to give bfeeding a good go this time but feel like the odds are against me.

J

[Lochie]

Hi Jenny, I had really bad engorgement first time round. This caused massive latching problems so I thought I would relieve the pressure by expressing but it made things worse. I then got caught in a cycle of expressing which just produced more and more milk ( and pain)!! So would urge caution if considering using a pump.

I'll leave other breast feeding experts to comment on what to do I'm sure there is a solution. At least u have lots of milk xxx

[etta166]

If you think you could have mastitis, I'd urge you to see a GP as soon as you possibly can. You could need antibiotics and untreated mastitis can cause real problems (not just for breastfeeding but for your general health as well).

For other feeding issues, Southwark has loads of breastfeeding "cafes" which as drop in advice sessions for breasfeeding. From memory, there is one at the church on Barry Road near Lordship Lane, but I don't know what day and time.

[cashewnut]

Sorry to hear it - sounds like a pain. Last thing you need while little one is just settling into the world.

I didn't have such bad problems but I think engorgement started to ease after 4-5 days so hopefully things will get better on their own very soon.

[Saffron]

It sounds like you're doing all the right things. I had a similar experience. Make sure you're not holding Baby too high. Your shoulders be back and relaxed. Your elbows should be down.

I mention this b/c even subtly adjusting your b/fing position can improve the strain on your back and shoulders. Muscle strain in these areas is weirdly sometime felt as general pain in the breast tissue. This type of pain is called "referred" pain, and it can be improved dramatically with good positioning. A lactation consultant was able very subtly to repostion Little Saff for me (literally she moved her less than 1 cm!). Sometimes it's hard to see for yourself how you need to repostion. You should be able to get some help from b/fing cafe. There are also lots of recommendations for good lac consultants on the Forum.

I also found that LilyPadz were far better than any of the other nipple pads. You can buy them online: http://www.nctshop.co.uk/LilyPadz-Breast-Pads-1-pair/productinfo/2019/

I used to use them with a tiny bit of Lansinoh, wash with a drop of Ecover.

I second seeing your GP if feverish feeling gets worse. Some types of antibiotics are ok for b/fing too. If it gets really bad, go to A&E.

Have you tried b/fing in the bathtub? This can be very soothing for mother and baby. It could be quite entertaining for a toddler too. You can make your toddler feel welcome and needed by having him help with towels, etc.

I think my engorement lasted ~2 wks, with the worst of it being the first 10 days. I found that expressing just 10-20mL or so by hand before a feed helped the latch and didn't affect supply. Hang in there.

xx

[redjam]

Have you tried feeding more frequently so that it's easier for your baby to latch on before you get too engorged? Also make sure you're wearing a very supportive bra between feeds. It does normally go down within a few days so don't give up - but I'd second the advice to get checked out by a doctor asap if you're feeling feverish. Good luck, sounds tough...

[EmilyE]

Would def see a doctor if you're feverish, but also I put breast shields in for a short while (10-15 mins) before each feed when I was engorged near the beginning, and that seemed to allow just enough milk out for her to be able to get a decent latch, and therefore start a positive cycle. Hang on in there, it should get better in a matter of day...

[Bluecat5]

I was very engorged with my daughter when my milk came in and got mastitis, so when my son was born 6 weeks ago I really wanted to try and avoid it. I was again very engorged and took the decision to express with an electric pump before two or three feeds when the engorgement was at its worst. (i hadn't expressed at all with my daughter for fear of stimulating yet more milk, as others have spoken about) I only expressed 1-2 oz each time but it was enough for my son to latch on well and get rid of all the lumps. I also showered amd massaged before feeding which seemed to help. So far, I have avoided any mastitis, so for me, using the pump worked out well. However, I would say that my son is much larger than the my daughter was the same age so perhaps he is drinking more and that made the difference?

The huge and painful engorgement lasted about a week for me - hope it goes away soon for you.

[nabz]

hi

so sorry to hear about your situation! i just got out of hospital becuase of a bad case of mastitus (was rushed to A&E had a very very high fever, in hospital for 4 days!) if you feel even a tad fevirish go straight to GP and see if you need antibiotics, can get very bad very quickly. what really helped me was getting into a hot shower and massaging the lumps, but the main difference i found was when the midwife showed me a different breast feeding position. i think its called the 'rugby' hold, you hold your baby in one arm instead of cradiling them, so baby goes under your arm pit so babys head is on breast but body is not lying arcoss your chest...sorry hard to explain i hope im making some kind of sense!! :S but baisically the baby then sucks at a different direction and can empty ducts.

also lots of people have said put cabbage on the swollen breast...i havnt personally tried it but soooo many people recommend it. recently iv also heard that urm if your partner sucks at the swollen breast it helps straight away as their sucking motion is alot stronger. sorry if that sounds weird/disgusting/ or just o.O but i know someone who actually did this when having really really swollen breasts and they got better straight away!

anyway hope this helps! nabz x

[Countjc]

Ladies

Just wanted to say a huge thanks for all the advice and support. No mastitis for now, I had it 3 times with my son so have been mega paranoid. The engorgement is slowly easing and feeding getting much easier so fingers crossed I am on the home straight. My midwife thinks I also have a very fast let down which is why my baby has struggled a bit soma now feeding whilst reclined and it's so much better and very comfortable, although no idea how am ever going to achieve in public!

Nabz I had heard the same idea of getting your partner to clear milk ducts from Clare kedves, the amazing lactation lady at kings but think that is just one step too far for me!

Thanks again for all your help

Jenny