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breast that's engorged and painful

3 replies

rowandaGuest ·
Hi! I'm breastfeeding my 5-day-old daughter. It was going well until yesterday, I was switching breasts regularly. Since yesterday, one breast is so engorged that milk sprays out. I've been holding a bottle underneath to catch it. In 15 min, she drank 40 ml. My daughter still tried to nurse afterwards, but since the breast was so tight, she couldn't get anything out. As a result, the baby is frustrated and I have a painful breast. I'm trying to pump now, but I was wondering if anyone has tips/experience. Greetings, Rowanda

Replies

  1. Marieke #2

    This is due to engorgement; just keep nursing the baby as much as possible, even if it's every half hour! You can pump out some milk first with a pump or by hand before feeding.
    This is very normal and your breastfeeding is getting well established! Usually it's gone after about 2 days!
    Good luck

  2. Iza #3

    Definitely a pretty bad let-down, I had a hard time with that with both of them. For me, it helped to pump off the worst of the let-down (this is just foremilk, which has less nutrition) and then latch your little one on when they can really get a good hold of your nipple. It can also help to put bruised white cabbage leaves in your bra. Good luck, and it really does get better!

  3. Robyn #4

    For feeding, you can indeed pump a little off the first time. If that doesn't sit well with you, use warmth on your breasts BEFORE feeding (helps the milk flow better) and put bruised and cooled white cabbage leaves in your bra AFTER feeding (not on the nipple!). That gave me relief. My engorgement lasted 5 days, but normally it should be better after 48 hours.
    Cheer up knowing that it will improve after a few days if you nurse your little one often.
    Good luck and enjoy your little sprout!

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