[attached2ethan]

My baby is 8 days old, and my milk came in on day 5. The last few days have been hell on my boobs-this is baby #3 and I had heard that the engorgement was worse with each subsequent baby- but I NEVER expected it to be this bad! I had much more control over the engorgement with my previous babies and never had to resort to all these measures to stay comfy.<br><br>
I was wondering what other mamas are doing to keep it under control? I'm trying not to pump too much because I don't want to stimulate my supply, but here's what I am doing (please tell me if I'm doing someting wrong!):<br><br>
1) Pumping only when engorgement is extreme, and only enough to soften my breast which ends up being about 3x per day (including night) and I'm getting about 3-4oz from each side just to get comfortable.<br><br>
2) Nursing as much as I can and on demand, although my baby is a very efficient nurser and only will nurse about every 2-3 hours.<br><br>
3) Nursing my 4yo in the morning and at night, but again- trying not to nurse him any more than that because I don't want to continue this amount of production.<br><br>
4) Applying warm compresses before nursing (sometimes, if the baby will wait!)<br><br>
5) Getting in the shower/bath and massaging in hot water morning and night<br><br>
6) Applying cabbage leaves in between feedings, on and off through the day<br><br>
What else can I do? I can fully empty my breast and a few hours later I look like Dolly Parton again- and it feels so hard and painful.<br><br>
Jiust wondering what your protocol is for releiving engorgement and how much longer I will have to deal with this? You'd think I would know, but this surprised me.

 

[emnic77]

Ugh, I'm sorry! I am waiting for engorgement pain myself.<br>
I wish I had some advice for you, but honestly you are doing every single thing in my book of tricks for engorgement.<br>
What about cold compresses? Icy cold washcloths? Maybe that will offer some relief?

 

[gillibean]

The only thing I would do differently is that instead of pumping, just hand express over the sink or into a glass. Expressing while in the bath works well too. I find that once I get going, just a bit of pressure will keep the stream flowing. I like this better than pumping because it relieves the pressure without stimulating more production as much as a pump.

 

[Mama2Bean]

I was really engorged w/DD and my LC said after nursing to put a bag of frozen corn or peas on my breasts to help w/swelling and pain. It worked!

 

[To-Fu]

You really are doing all the right things, it sounds like. I'd second the bags of frozen veggies, and seeing if you can hand express instead of pumping. The pumping may be exacerbating things a bit, if I understand correctly how milk production works.<br><br>
Have you tried poking around in the Breastfeeding forum? Those ladies probably have some excellent tips, too. And of course, here's kellymom:<br><br><a href="http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/engorgement.html" target="_blank">http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/...gorgement.html</a><br><br>
Hope you get some relief soon! I hadn't heard that engorgement worsens with subsequent pregnancies, so now I'm a little antsy. I have many memories of getting out of the shower only to have my milk spraying everywhere and making rivulets all down my body. It was nuts! It felt like having a pair of watermelons on my chest for real. So I feel you, Mama. Let us know how it's going.

 

[Tenk]

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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>attached2ethan</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/15418584"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">My baby is 8 days old, and my milk came in on day 5. The last few days have been hell on my boobs-this is baby #3 and I had heard that the engorgement was worse with each subsequent baby- but I NEVER expected it to be this bad! I had much more control over the engorgement with my previous babies and never had to resort to all these measures to stay comfy.<br><br>
I was wondering what other mamas are doing to keep it under control? I'm trying not to pump too much because I don't want to stimulate my supply, but here's what I am doing (please tell me if I'm doing someting wrong!):<br><br>
1) Pumping only when engorgement is extreme, and only enough to soften my breast which ends up being about 3x per day (including night) and I'm getting about 3-4oz from each side just to get comfortable.<br><br>
2) Nursing as much as I can and on demand, although my baby is a very efficient nurser and only will nurse about every 2-3 hours.<br><br>
3) Nursing my 4yo in the morning and at night, but again- trying not to nurse him any more than that because I don't want to continue this amount of production.<br><br>
4) Applying warm compresses before nursing (sometimes, if the baby will wait!)<br><br>
5) Getting in the shower/bath and massaging in hot water morning and night<br><br>
6) Applying cabbage leaves in between feedings, on and off through the day<br><br>
What else can I do? I can fully empty my breast and a few hours later I look like Dolly Parton again- and it feels so hard and painful.<br><br>
Jiust wondering what your protocol is for releiving engorgement and how much longer I will have to deal with this? You'd think I would know, but this surprised me.</div>
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OMG!!! WOW!!! you have so much milk...I thought I was doing good with 200 frozen ounces but holy cow, your amazing mama!!!

 

[Starfish11]

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<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>gillibean</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/15419524"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">The only thing I would do differently is that instead of pumping, just hand express over the sink or into a glass. Expressing while in the bath works well too. I find that once I get going, just a bit of pressure will keep the stream flowing. I like this better than pumping because it relieves the pressure without stimulating more production as much as a pump.</div>
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This is what most helped me get through engorgement. I am so sorry you are going through this--ouch ouch ouch. It's a painful marvel.<br><br>
I woke up the day after my milk came in and my left breast felt like what Pam Anderson's must be like. Hard and gigantic I was in awe. My nipple looked like a huckleberry <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/irked.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="irked">

 

[Tenk]

I have resorted to exclusively pumping because Lilah just can NOT get the hang of nursing, or she's just not efficient at all, so this is making me so very jealous, I'm so impressed by you mamas!!!

 

[attached2ethan]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>Tenk</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/15420799"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I have resorted to exclusively pumping because Lilah just can NOT get the hang of nursing, or she's just not efficient at all, so this is making me so very jealous, I'm so impressed by you mamas!!!</div>
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Props to you mama, because pumping exclusively is SO much harder than nursing at the breast- I admire moms who have this dedication to feed their babies breastmilk. And it's not to late to "teach" her to relatch either- it would take some work and support by a professional, but you could definitely do it if you wanted!!!

 

[henny penny]

Cold compresses were the only thing to help me when I was horribly engorged with ds. Good Luck. It hurts!

 

[Hooplehead]

I had engorgement issues a few days ago. Itried all the tricks but still ended up with mastitis. The midwife put me on antibiotics and 48 hours of bedrest with Lane. She also told me to feed every three hours instead of two since I obviously have good supply. ( I was sitting on the exam table dripping). She also looked at my diaper log and since lane is producing way more than the min it would not hurt to go an extra hour. Oh and she wants me to give both breasts at each feeding so she felt the extra time might make him hungrier so he would take both.

 

[at_the_hip]

The homeopathic remedy Pulsatilla 30c can often help to regulate milk production! Look it up online and there is tons of info.