Postpartum: Milk Engorgement

Postpartum milk engorgement can be quite painful and frustrating. I just had a baby and I am speaking from first hand experience. I did not experience engorgement to this extent with my first child, so it was a new challenge for me.

My little guy is a great latcher and feeds around the clock. My milk came in much sooner this time around, on day three. However I was at the point of tears from being so engorged and uncomfortable, and on top of that, I became so full that my baby struggled to latch.

Thankfully my husband is a great support and helped me get through. He looked up ways to relieve the pain and help baby latch. I alternated cold compresses every 20 minutes, and when it was time to feed I did reverse pressure softening and massaged the milk down. I also took advil to help with the pain. Warm showers can help too, but be careful not to stand in too long, as it can actually release more milk. I would use warmth right before a feeding. I also used Lansinoh HPA Lanolin for my sore and cracked nipples.

The engorgement went into my lymph nodes which I was worried about, but I would massage it in the shower to help release the pressure. Thankfully I started to feel relief the next day and my day five I was back to normal, aside from my nipples being sore.

They also say cold cabbage can help, but I didn’t try it.

Have you experienced milk engorgement? What did you do to relieve it?