Breastfeeding; Do you have any remedies for swollen breasts when the first milk comes?

Answer 1

try this... heat a cup of herbal tea. dip a cottonball in that cup and then gently squeeze and rub the soaked cottonball around the swollen areola.

Answer 2

Ouch, I remember that feeling. Try standing under a warm shower and massaging them gently until the milk starts to flow, once you have expressed some milk the pain eases. The best thing is to get the baby to feed, but this is hard if they are full up from just one side, and the other is in agony!
If you want to save the milk for using later, sterilize a bowl, then lean over it and with one hand under the breast, holding the weight, use your other hand to stroke your breast firmly towards the nipple a few times, then gently squeeze from the edge of the coloured bit towards the nipple. After a few tries, your milk should start to flow, and that will ease the pain. The milk in the bowl can be frozen for later use. I found that putting it into a sterilized ice cube tray, then putting the tray carefully in a ziplock bag, before freezing it was ideal. The milk will keep for 3 months in the freezer, and you only need to take out what you need. When you are first weaning, at about 6 months, pop a breastmilk icecube in the hot food, and it is the ideal temperature to feed without having to wait ages!

Answer 3

you NEED a savoy cabbage! You will look like Boudica but it is the most amazing thing because it actually works! I lived in one for the first week after having my son! Otherwise have a warm bath & massage the breast to try & get a bit of milk out. DON'T use a breast pump if you are engorged as pumping only encourages more milk to come - a very helpful midwife told me this! If you squeeze a bit out in the bath you should be ok. Good luck, I don't envy you!

Answer 4

Pump or I would just express by hand some. My youngest would eat every hr for about an hr so I didn't get very swollen with engorgement until I was drying up the well. I did a lot of leaking though!!! When I was sore, a heating pad did the trick!!!

Answer 5

Gee I remember that feeling well mine killed and I felt ill. Well I tried hot flannels. Cabbage leaf on each breast which believe it or not helped can't for the life of me remember why but midwife advised and so I tried. Also expressing milk if feel really engorged which I simply had to do even though often advised not to due to effecting milk supply. However we coped fine got fed up by 2nd baby being told what to do and not to do think you got to do what right for you!! Good luck x

Answer 6

Ice packs can help with the pain. The best thing is to latch the baby on, if you are too full, hand express a little bit until the baby can latch. Your supply will regulate within a few days and you shouldn't get engorged any more. You can also take ibuprofen for the pain.

Answer 7

i have breastfed my 3 boys and i allways got overloaded with milk as to put it i found avent hand breast pump was the best thing i used as i was able to also have some supply for when i needed to have a rest or was out also use avent bottles as i found the teats r good and they dont discorage baby from the breast in enyway dont give up as its the best thing we can do the pain will ease after the milk gets into a routeen u just have to feed on demand and exspress inbetween i found it great hope this helps you a bit:)

Answer 8

Yes i do! they told me to have a hot shower and massage my breasts in warm water but honestly it did not work for long, it was a 10 minute quick fix. What really worked for me was ice packs. if you don't have any of those reusable mushy freeze or heat packs then what i used at first was my baby's diapers i would poor cold water in them and then freeze them. when they were frozen i would put them over my breast, and under my bra, it was such a huge help. Especially when you are trying to sleep and those darn things are massive, sore and in the way, ice packs/diapers helped me so much!!!!

good luck Hun it will get better :)

Answer 9

The best way is to nurse. Have the baby suck on them. Also, put wet warm towels over your breasts (I find it easy to wet the towel, then put in the microwave for like 15-20 seconds, cool to the temperature you can tolerate.) If they continue to engorge and your baby won't do it, pump them, you may need to go to a lactation center for hospital grade pumps to do it properly.

Answer 10

I had a terrible time; try very hot compresses or very hot bath. If it gets really bad, you may have to get a breast pump for a day or so. Good luck, I know it's hard at first.