Engorgement is a very very common health issue among breastfeeding mothers. It can set in within a day and cause extreme discomfort. Breast engorgement needs to be relieved quickly or it may lead to a breast infection called mastitis. In this article, we will discuss home remedies for breast engorgement and even some preventative tips to help keep you and your girls functioning in a healthy way!
What Is Engorgement?
The breast holds the mammary gland, which is responsible for producing breast milk. When the ducts in the mammary gland get clogged, it can cause sections of the breast or the whole breast to become hard and tender. This is called engorgement.
Engorgement by itself is not harmful to you or your breastmilk. With some basic home remedies, engorgement can be treated and managed on your own. However, if the clogged milk ducts are unable to get cleared, an infection may occur. This is then called mastitis. We will also discuss mastitis in greater detail below.
Causes For Breast Engorgement
There are a few different causes for engorgement in a mother. These are listed below.
- Baby misses a feeding or refuses to feed
- Wearing clothing that is too tight
- Holding your breast pump flanges too hard against your breasts when pumping
- Weaning your baby suddenly (note: this can also cause a woman to experience postpartum depression as the hormone estrogen takes a sudden drop!)
- Having super rich and creamy hind milk
When you’re learning how to breastfeed, and your baby is not latching on correctly, it may lead to engorgement as the milk is unable to be pulled from the breast appropriately.
Wearing tight clothing or having a lot of pressure against your breasts can also lead to engorgement. Be sure you have good nursing tops that are comfortable and functional for you!
The last bullet point may surprise you, but it’s true. If you enjoy chocolate, or eat other foods high in saturated fat, it will cause your milk to become more creamy! This is great for the baby, but it may be harming you if you are struggling with engorgement.
Try the home remedies for engorgement found here in this article while eating your rich foods in moderation until you find a good balance.
Best Home Remedies For Breast Engorgement
1. Hot Showers
The warmth from your shower will help loosen the clogged milk ducts. Try a breast massage by hand (explained more below) afterwords while everything is warm and a little looser.
2. Hot/Cold Compresses
Apply heat to the breasts a couple minutes before feeding to help open clogged ducts and aid in milk flow. Make sure your breast cools a little before bringing the baby to your skin to avoid irritating their sensitive skin. Apply cold 15-20 minutes at a time between feeds. This will reduce the swelling.
My favorite hot/cold compresses are the ones that have the arms that can reach all the way up to the arm pit! Yes, clogged milk ducts go all the way back there.
You can put them in the fridge or microwave for hot or cold therapy. The heat is good for unclogging milk ducts, and the cold is good for treating soreness or reducing the swelling of engorgement or mastitis.
3. Breast Massager
You can either massage your breasts by hand or with a breast massager. If you want to do it by hand, gently run fingers from the furthest engorged duct from the nipple and move inward. This will help open clogged ducts.
If you prefer to have an easier and more effective way to massage your breasts, you should check out this breast massager! It has several different vibration modes, has a long battery life, fits all breast shapes and sizes, and can be used to prevent or treat clogged ducts, engorgement, and mastitis!
This massager also aids in faster let downs and increased milk flow! It is a great tool to have on hand for prevention.
There is also a breast massager that includes heat, which will also aid in relieving clogged ducts and breast engorgement!
4. Breastfeed Or Pump
The most efficient way to unclog milk ducts is a nursing baby! Even if it hurts, nurse on the engorged side. Your baby is able to get a milk duct unclogged faster and better than anything else! Nurse for as along as you can. Also, nursing frequently will also help to unclogged your milk duct and bring relief from your engorgement.
If nursing is a challenge, try pumping. Are you not sure which kind of breast pump to try? Read my article Best Wearable Breast Pumps to learn what kind of breast pumps are out there and find one that works best for you.
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What If The Nipple And Areola Are Swollen?
This is when the clogged milk ducts around the areola and nipple get hard enough that it is difficult to get a baby to latch. What should you do in this situation?
It may be helpful to apply heat to this area for a few minutes before doing this exercise.
First, take the fingers of one hand and apply pressure around the base of the nipple. Do this for a couple minutes. This will encourage the milk ducts to open. Then, apply pressure around the base of the areola.
After a couple minutes, if the ducts have not opened, hand express a couple teaspoons of milk. Get just enough out so that you are able to lift the nipple away from the breast so your baby can latch on.
Signs Of Mastitis
Mastitis is when engorgement goes for too long without the milk being able to be released. It is an infection of the mammary gland and needs to be addressed immediately! B
If you believe you are experiencing mastitis, be sure to contact your doctor right away!
- temperature over 101.12 degrees Fahrenheit
- Flue like symptoms
- Red area of breast
What Should You Do If You Have Mastitis?
The important thing is to release milk from the infected breast. Continue to breast feed on your infected side. Your breast milk is still safe for your baby. If you are concerned about the quality of your milk, pump the infected side and feed your baby from the good side.
Always check with your doctor for any questions or concerns you may have.
If you have a temperature that won’t go away, call your doctor. You may need antibiotics.
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Want To Learn More?
If you would like to learn more about breastfeeding, be sure to check out these related articles below!
The Breastfeeding Accelerator Course
Best Nursing Bras That Won’t Break The Bank
10 Tips To Overcome Exhaustion While Breastfeeding
Essential Oil For Breastfeeding
How To Naturally Boost Your Milk Supply
[…] Engorgement. Breast engorgement is very common during the early days postpartum as your milk starts to come in. You can express milk to help with the fullness, especially if your baby seems to drown from your milk while he’s nursing. Here are also other ways to remedy discomfort from engorgement. […]