As she entered into her 3rd day of breastfeeding, we realised that the baby didn't seem to have urinate at all for the whole day, as we realised the diaper is almost clean and light. Now my wife feels that her breasts are hardened, and cannot seem to pump out any milk, whether by hand or pump. Please help.
2006-08-24 05:19:52 · 27 answers · asked by simon ng 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
It sounds like she is engorged, not blocked ducts. With blocked ducts she would have a red, hard and tender SPOT in her breast that may be hot.
At 3 days old, engorgement it normal. The milk usually comes in at 3-5 days postpartum and mom will feel that her breasts are hard and engorged. Right now her body doesn't know if it should make milk for one baby, twins or triplets! So it's making A LOT of milk which has caused the engorgement. Normally, postpartum engorgement will subside within 12-48 hours if properly treated.
Will the baby latch on and nurse? That's the BEST way to treat and prevent engorgement! She should be nursing *at least* every 2 hours around the clock right now. Breastmilk digests in about 90 minutes. This will help to make sure baby is getting enough milk and will help to regulate her supply and prevent engorgement.
She can try taking a hot shower to get blood flow going to her breasts and get her milk to let down. Then it may be easier to latch baby on or to respond to the pump. She could also try warm compresses prior to nursing sessions or leaning over a basin or bowl of hot water and letting her breasts soak in it. Heat will get the blood flowing and help the milk flow.
For discomfort BETWEEN nursing or pumping sessions, cold compresses will help her. Bags of frozen peas work GREAT for this since the conform to the shape of her breasts. Cabbage leaves worn in her bra may help as well.
Some gentle massage from the outer portion of the breast in towards the areola before nursing may help her some. Check out the link below on reverse pressure softening as well.
DIAPERS.....
In the early days, baby typically has one dirty diaper for each day of life (so a 3 day old should have 3 dirty diapers today). After day 4, stools should be yellow and baby should have at least 3-4 stools daily that are the size of a US quarter or larger. Some babies stool every time they nurse, or even more often--this is normal, too. The normal stool of a breastfed baby is loose (soft to runny) and may be seedy or curdy.
In the early days, baby typically has one wet diaper for each day of life (1 on day one, 2 on day two...etc.). Once mom's milk comes in, expect 5-6+ wet diapers every 24 hours. To feel what a sufficiently wet diaper is like, pour 3 tbsp of water into a clean diaper. A piece of toilet tissue or a piece of gauze placed in the clean diaper at changing time will help you determine if the diaper is wet later.
If you really think that baby has not been peeing, call your caregiver and talk to him/her and see if he wants your baby to be seen in the office. If mom's breasts are now engorged, meaning her milk has just come in, I would be comfortable waiting a bit (say 12 hours) before suggesting that you go in to see the doctor as long ***as the baby is currently nursing frequently.*** Now that mom's milk is in, as long as baby is nursing every 2 hours or so then you should start to see wet and dirty diapers coming.
You may also want to see if there is a Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) or a La Leche League Leader near you who can see your wife and baby and watch them nurse. This may help to assure you that all is going OK and she may be able to give you some tips to help out. A LLL Leader may be willing to visit you at home and will help you for free.
2006-08-24 05:30:21 · answer #1 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Blocked duct
Blocked ducts develop when milk is prevented from passing thru the ducts to the nipple. This problem can occur any time during the period when you are breastfeeding. Pain is generally localized to one particular area of the breast and there is often a reddened area of the breast over a distinctly tender lump. When milk is blocked from draining, it is more likely to become infected. Blocked ducts should be treated promptly:
As with engorgement, breast feed more frequently, apply warm compresses before feeding, make sure your bra is not too tight, and massage the sore area
Have your baby nurse on the sore breast first. If possible, position her so that her chin is over the side of the breast that is painful, as this will be where the most "suction" is applied. In general, switch feeding positions from one feeding to the next so that milk is "extracted" more evenly from many areas of the breast
Consult your doctor if you have fever or worsening pain, are unable to breastfeed, or if the lump and/or pain is not improving over 1-3 days. Also seek advice if you are repeatedly experiencing blocked ducts
I have also included to informative sites below that will help!
2006-08-24 14:19:10 · answer #2 · answered by nknicolek 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You have already recieved some excellet advice. I can't stress enough how important it is that you get some help from and LC and/or LLL learder asap.
Do NOT use a bottle; it WILL hurt the breastfeeding relaitonship. If suplementation is nessecary, there are other ways to get it into the baby: a small cup, a spoon, an eyedropper.
You definately need to get the milk flowing. Engorgement is normal, but untreated it can lead to all sorts of problems like mastitus. Definately try hot showers, massage, hot compress, etc. And most importantly nurse the bay as often as possible!
2006-08-24 14:18:58 · answer #3 · answered by doxhaelend 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would make an appointment with a lactation consultant. That is a free service from the hospital she delivered in. Until then give her a wet warm clean washcloth to hold over her breast and nipple before feeding and have her start with the clogged side first. Also keep pumping but definitely get to a lactation consultant before she gets mastitis. (that is a breast infection) I had that with my oldest and it is no fun! Good luck! It will happen, just be patient, but get going to the appointment! Have her pump for about 15 minutes a side a few times a day! Good luck!
Don't do a bottle! That will confuse baby and could possibly put an end to breastfeeding as a bottle nipple is so much easier for a baby to get milk from!
Contact me with any more questions! I will be happy to answer them for you!
2006-08-24 12:32:46 · answer #4 · answered by mom_of_4 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm assuming that you have a 3 day old baby, so first, congratulations! Secondly, I'm hoping that the baby hasn't been given anything but her breasts so far.
It sounds like her milk came in...it's natural for her breasts to get hard...her body hasn't decided how much milk it actually needs to make quite yet....to ease her discomfort, have her stand in the shower & let the warm water run over her chest, and she can try to gently express some milk by hand. If she's not able to do that while in the shower, have her try using an electric pump...start it off slow & gentle, I'm sure she's pretty uncomfortable about now. If she still can't get any, have the baby nursing on one side & use the pump on the other...don't pump to drain them, just to relieve the discomfort and to make it easier for the baby to latch on. Let the baby nurse as frequently as he (or she) seems interested...don't watch the clock, and don't wait till baby's screaming...let the baby nurse as long as he'd like...again, don't even glance at a clock.
Once baby gets his first taste of mature milk (as opposed to colostrum) & realizes how plentiful it is, things will be much better for both of them. If the milk is too abundant and is "letting down" too fast for baby to deal with, have mom lay on her back & let gravity do its thing to supress an over-active let down.
Then, in between feedings, she can get some relief by using ice packs.
2006-08-24 12:37:13 · answer #5 · answered by aspie_pride 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Put a warm heating pad on the area of the blocked duct for about five min. before she breastfeeds, always start on the side that is blocked (if both are then start with the one that hurts the most), while breastfeeding massage the breast that she is nursing out of. It may take a couple of times nursing, but this should help, I would still contact her doc right away so that it gets taken care of and she doesn't get mastisis.
2006-08-24 12:45:14 · answer #6 · answered by bluekitty8098 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I had the same problem with one breast at first. Warm compresses a couple times a day helped open it up for me. I also messaged the nipple a bit while I was putting on the compresses. I also read that keeping up the suction on the affected nipple helps too. My son unfortunately wouldn't breastfeed, so I pumped for a couple of weeks before reverting to formula, and I think the pumping helped open it up too. So tell her not to stop trying to breastfeed.
But don't let the baby suffer. The baby needs to eat, even if it means reverting to formula, hon. He cannot go more than a few more hours without sufficient food. His lack of a wet diaper is a big sign he's not getting enough. Please don't let him go another day. And if you're not sure how much is coming out of her breast, try pumping both breasts. You'll know right there how much your son is getting.
2006-08-24 12:27:44 · answer #7 · answered by I'm just me 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
That sucks. A hot shower, hot as she can stand it while using a manual pump helps a lot. She needs to do that to get the milk flowing and to avoid catching mastitis, it is not fun to have at all. Soon as she gets out, feed the baby then and afterwards, pump out more milk, alternating breasts. Hot water bottles can help between feedings and pumpings with the pain. She can safely use tylenol also. Good luck.
2006-08-24 12:24:21 · answer #8 · answered by Goddess of Nuts PBUH 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
your wife's breasts may be hardened due to her milk just coming in, or preparing to come in (3-5 days after delivery is normal). the baby needs to get some milk now, though, as they dehydrate much faster than adults. one or two supplementary bottles of formula is not going to harm your breastfeeding child's nursing. try a wide mouth, slow flow nurser to help minimize the difference between bf-ing and bottle feeding.
rather rapidly now, your wife's milk should come in. keep the nursing going, even if you are supplementing at the moment!!! once the milk does come in, your wife will feel the "tingling" as the milk lets down for the baby. the baby will gulp and noisily swallow when the milk is flowing. it is the sweetest sound in the world, and quite soothing once you know that the nursing is successful!
best wishes, and congratulations on your new baby!
2006-08-24 12:30:08 · answer #9 · answered by kaydeedid 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
this happened to me while my baby was in the NICU and I was pumping...the nurses there told me to massage, and use HOT (as hot as you can stand) rags. I used hand towels (cloth diapers that we used as burp rags also worked great) and folded them the long way to fit around my breast....let them sit for about 5 minutes or so on the breast before feeding, and flowed like a river. If this doesn't work, I'd go see a doctor. Best wishes! Congratulations!
2006-08-24 12:56:33 · answer #10 · answered by Mrs. Lucky 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋