BF & Engorgement - How long does it last?

AmandaAndJason09

Just wondering... I have been engorged since yesterday when my milk came all the way in. I was able to still feed off one breast, although the other has taken quite a lot of coaxing and manual hand expressing to get back down enough for him to semi-latch okay after about 24 hours (and I can't believe I got an ounce out of hand expressing on the fourth day!). Now the "good" breast is getting too engorged for me to get a good latch. Please tell me that this only last for a day or two! My mom said she'd front me the money for the pump if I need it, but I'd really prefer to wait until I get paid on Friday.

gandcnky

I only remember it lasting a day or two, but it is painful for sure!  You might want to massage (if you can stand it) and apply compresses before nursing (I can't remember if it's warm or cold, so hopefully someone can help here...I'm thinking warm).  Try to nurse as much as possible, and I promise it gets better!

Mrs.Cooley2bee

The crazy engorgement only lasted a few days with me but you will probably be dealing with some of it for a few weeks until your body gets regulated.  It should just get better and better though.  I never did pump in the first month because I was hoping not to stimulate even more production.  I say if you can go without pumping for a bit it might be best to let your body do it's job.  BUT, obviously your baby needs to be a ble to latch so it might be necessary. GL!

klee411

Mrs.Cooley2bee:

I never did pump in the first month because I was hoping not to stimulate even more production.  I say if you can go without pumping for a bit it might be best to let your body do it's job.  BUT, obviously your baby needs to be able to latch so it might be necessary. GL!

Same as above. That first week BF about killed me. My already ginormous boobs got even bigger and I felt like DS never ate enough to "empty" them if that makes sense. But my friends (one who is a nurse) suggested I wait a few weeks before pumping. Let your body regulate how much you need and it all works out. I know it hurts (and I got mastitis 2x to prove it) but just get past a few more days and it should get better. GL!

Kle2922

Rock hard engorgement only last a few days for me.  I didn't have a pump yet at that point either, and I was dying.  It was so much better once I went out and got it.  Hope you can make it till Friday.

JenRose05

Mine lasted about 2 1/2 days this time around. Engorgement this time was nothing like it was with Ben... I remember having to manually pump for a minute on each side before nursing just so he could latch correctly...

AmandaAndJason09

Thanks for reassuring me, ladies. I can now sort of latch on one side, and the other side will hopefully be good by tomorrow. I'm going to keep hand-expressing the non-latching side and cup feeding him so that maybe I'll be able to latch him tomorrow. I'm glad to see at least one of the ladies have improved today!