When I first stared breastfeeding I thought that I was doing everything absolutely wrong. When I had breast engorgement, I thought that I for sure had Mastitis and I needed to go to the doctor. Thankfully, I had a pretty good support group around me and also medical knowledge to know the difference between the two and the issue resolved itself.
Here is the difference.
Mastitis
• Warm, red, sensitive area on one breast
• Slight fever
• Flu-like aches and chills
Engorgement
• Breasts feel tender
• Breasts feel heavy
• Tender or painful or hot
The solution to both of these seems to be the same: Empty the breast. If you feel like
you might have mastitis please contact your doctor to make sure you do not need an antibiotic.
With engorgement, it is important to empty the breasts with frequent feedings. If you do not remove the milk, your breasts will become heavier and can become tight. Empty the breast to what feels comfortable to you. You can hand express the milk or use a breast pump to do this if you are working.
If your baby is having a hard time latching on, you might want to try using your fingers to push the fluid back and making your nipple be fully available for a good latch. You can also just hand express the milk beforehand a little if the latch is not working with the engorgement.
Basic Engorgement Relieve Tips
• Place an ice pack on your breasts to reduce swelling
• Massage to help milk flow
• Take a hot shower
• Express milk after feeding until your breasts are no longer hard
Preventing Engorgement
• Feed your baby often and as long as the baby wants
• Breastfeed 2 times a night
• Gently massage your breast during a feeding to help baby get more milk
Persistent engorgement can effect your milk supply, create latching difficulties, blocked ducts and mastitis. Finally, if your engorged breasts are not softening after 24hrs and you have tried all of these things, please contact your lactation consultant or healthcare provider.
I hope that some of these tips and ideas help you on your own motherly journey.
Feel free to leave a comment below with things that I have not included on this list that you found most helpful to you! If you have any questions or want to discuss breastfeeding further please contact me so we can work together.
Much love,
Krystina
