Engorgement

Re: Engorgement

• WDDCH member

  August 2015

  They'll feel super swollen and lumpy when engorged. It's worse than pregnancy breast pain, IMO.

  

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• FinalyFound member

  August 2015

  If your engorged they'll be sore but also be hard to the touch. Think 'rock hard'.

  

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• jabeauty90 member

  August 2015

  WDDCH said:

  They'll feel super swollen and lumpy when engorged. It's worse than pregnancy breast pain, IMO.

  This!
  
  Also make sure to drain the breast completely and massage the hard lumps because you don't want to end up with mastitis.
  
  

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• ElleMF728 member

  August 2015

  Mine feel hard as rocks as PP said, I also can tell when I'm full because my breasts start tingling. 

  

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• yessirio member

  August 2015

  Yup hard n sooooo painful! I had to put on hot hot rags on them to make the milk come out n it worked perfectly! Hope u feel better

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• kanga915 member

  August 2015

  It's awful. That was the worst part of postpartum for me. It hurt so so bad. I never had breast tenderness as a pregnancy symptom so I can't compare. But it is no fun. It only lasts a few days though. You can lean over bowls of warm water. Also cabbage leaves in your bra (I know it's nuts but google it).

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• dmbfan46835 member

  August 2015

  All of the above!! I am also engorged. Totally sucks! I was told cabbage and ice packs and massaging. Thank God for my best pump. I just sit and massage and pump. They are rock hard, lumpy and massive. They also are kinda red and just look angry. Be aggressive with the massaging and pumping or it can get really bad. I hear mastitis is the worst thing ever. Good luck!!

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• etayislove member

  August 2015

  Cabbage leaves, warm steamy showers, massage while nursing, nurse as much as possible. You can pump to relieve some pressure but it's best to take it easy because if you pump too much you could end up with oversupply.

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• FinalyFound member

  August 2015

  etayislove said:

  Cabbage leaves, warm steamy showers, massage while nursing, nurse as much as possible. You can pump to relieve some pressure but it's best to take it easy because if you pump too much you could end up with oversupply.

  
  I agree with the cabbage leaves, just make sure you don't break the leaves membranes and let any of their juice absorb into your skin. It can help dry out your supply

  

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• slp213psu member

  August 2015

  I would take a warm shower and let the water run right over them and hand express while leaning down. Hand expressing was a little painful at first but once milk came out and they softened I would stop (sometimes the milk wouldn't!!!). I know...people would probably gasp at letting breast milk go down the drain!!!

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• Boobopgirl member

  August 2015

  I ditto what some people said about pumping to relieve engorgement.  Be careful.  Pumping too much can lead to your body making even MORE milk which = MORE engorgement.  You want it to get the message that it's giving you too much milk.  So if you do pump, only pump enough to get some relief and don't overdo it.
  
  I haven't even had my baby yet, and my left side I can already tell is gonna give me trouble this time.  Even with just colostrum it's getting lumpy/hard/plugged ducts (not the whole thing but just right under the nipple) so I can't imagine what it's gonna be like once milk comes in.

  

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