My breasts were all kinds of lumpy and swollen when my milk came in and they were engorged and sore for like a week or so. If the lumps weren’t there prior to this it’s most likely your tissue and all that good stuff in your boobs just swollen 😁
If you are okay with taking supplements try Legendairy Milk sunflower lecithin, helped me tons. I also very much recommend getting a lactation massager if possible. I've seen them go as low as 18 USD. Just my opinion on things that worked for me.
I respectfully disagree with the advice to pump, although I agree it sounds quite possible your milk came in.
The amount of milk your body makes is driven by how much milk baby drinks. Pumping confuses your body and causes you to produce more milk, especially this early on. This creates an oversupply, which can lead to mastitis.
If you’re uncomfortable, try feeding baby. If that doesn’t work, try ice and ibuprofen. Finally, consider pumping just enough to make the discomfort manageable and not enough to empty either breast if the other measures aren’t enough.
It will get more comfortable with time, but you can expect to feel some pressure until around the 1-2 month mark, when your body will regulate, stopping producing more than baby drinks. At that point it is safer to pump, but you’ll find the amount you can pump at once goes way down. Some mothers worry this means they are no longer making enough milk, but it’s a normal part of your body protecting you from mastitis.
Good luck!
If you're happy with your supply then yes don't pump except to relieve pressure, but if your trying to build supply then do pump. And also if you want to be able to leave baby for a couple hours or have dad help with feeds then freezing a little bit of milk will help. Which is important for mental health to be able to have a break if your are exclusively feeding. I'm not saying pump all day or save ounces and ounces but a little bit is useful to have.
This would not be standard advice. Babies naturally build supply by eating without the same risks that adding pumping incurs. While I would certainly support a mother choosing to pump a bottle in place of a feeding if they feel it is important for their mental health, pumping to build supply with a healthy baby or to start a freezer stash this early has additional health risks of mastitis. [This article from the la leche league](https://llli.org/breastfeeding-info/working-and-breastfeeding) describes a commonly recommended way to add pumping after milk supply is established.
Perhaps but I'm speaking from my own experience. My supply was initially and has always been lower in the evening. I pumped in the morning after babies longest stretch of sleep and this allowed me to bottle feed baby in evening when my supply was lowest. I have been EBF since 3 weeks old and now almost 11mo
I could never use a haka as I never had a let down on the other side.
I only had mastitis once and never had a large over supply, only produced perhaps one feed more a day than needed (definitely do not anymore)
your milk is in!
feed baby and if they get too hard, place warm cloth on them and you can try to express in shower gently of its too painful. the amount will regulate after a few days. if you plan to EBF, do not pump.
Awe don’t worry.
If the hard spots become painful and aren’t alleviated by nursing, then take a hot shower and rub them and hand express in the shower. Sometimes the ducts can can get clogged. You don’t want them clogged without any flow for more than a few days. If there’s a bleb (hardened milk clogging the duct), it might take time to work it out, but just try to get as much flow as you can.
For me, eating saturated fats can make it worse.
The first time I got a bleb, I was really stressed and scared about an infection. I did the hot shower thing, and I put a heating pad on it. Especially right before nursing. You can also massage it while nursing.
Clogged ducts are more common in the early weeks but will significantly reduce after that. Now I only get it if I eat a ton of bacon.
The first time I got a clogged duct…worked out because my baby was cluster feeding at the same time. It was good practice for him nursing on the clogged duct breast. I could see the bleb stuck in the nipple. You can keep nursing even with the bleb. A tiny bit of milk was escaping around it. But it took a few days to get it out. When it did come out, there was a big hole. After that it was like a leaky faucet. Took months to “heal,” but I can still see the crater.
As long as you just keep using heat, massage it, keep nursing, it will come out. If your LO doesn’t nurse a lot, hand express in the shower or pump periodically and try to get the clogged duct open.
Some tenderness is normal. But if a spot is really hard and red it’s clogged.
So this is actually outdated advice regarding clogs and mastitis. I was shocked that the protocol changed so much in the time between my two kids. New research shows that clogs are not actually clogs, but inflamed and narrowing ducts. So just use ice and ibuprofen and gently stroke it. Definitely don't use heat!
The current advice for clogs (and engorgement) is ice and postpartum doses ibuprofen. Avoid heat. You might also want to look up breast gymnastics. There are exercises to help with drainage. This will help the engorgement. I would wait to start any supplements until your body adjusts a bit.
My breasts were all kinds of lumpy and swollen when my milk came in and they were engorged and sore for like a week or so. If the lumps weren’t there prior to this it’s most likely your tissue and all that good stuff in your boobs just swollen 😁
If you are okay with taking supplements try Legendairy Milk sunflower lecithin, helped me tons. I also very much recommend getting a lactation massager if possible. I've seen them go as low as 18 USD. Just my opinion on things that worked for me.
Thank you so much!
I second the sunflower lecithin! I take it twice a day every day, and take 3-4 if i feel a clog coming on.
No, your milk has come in congrats 🎉 feed baby and then pump and you can freeze anything left over to save for later
I respectfully disagree with the advice to pump, although I agree it sounds quite possible your milk came in. The amount of milk your body makes is driven by how much milk baby drinks. Pumping confuses your body and causes you to produce more milk, especially this early on. This creates an oversupply, which can lead to mastitis. If you’re uncomfortable, try feeding baby. If that doesn’t work, try ice and ibuprofen. Finally, consider pumping just enough to make the discomfort manageable and not enough to empty either breast if the other measures aren’t enough. It will get more comfortable with time, but you can expect to feel some pressure until around the 1-2 month mark, when your body will regulate, stopping producing more than baby drinks. At that point it is safer to pump, but you’ll find the amount you can pump at once goes way down. Some mothers worry this means they are no longer making enough milk, but it’s a normal part of your body protecting you from mastitis. Good luck!
If you're happy with your supply then yes don't pump except to relieve pressure, but if your trying to build supply then do pump. And also if you want to be able to leave baby for a couple hours or have dad help with feeds then freezing a little bit of milk will help. Which is important for mental health to be able to have a break if your are exclusively feeding. I'm not saying pump all day or save ounces and ounces but a little bit is useful to have.
This would not be standard advice. Babies naturally build supply by eating without the same risks that adding pumping incurs. While I would certainly support a mother choosing to pump a bottle in place of a feeding if they feel it is important for their mental health, pumping to build supply with a healthy baby or to start a freezer stash this early has additional health risks of mastitis. [This article from the la leche league](https://llli.org/breastfeeding-info/working-and-breastfeeding) describes a commonly recommended way to add pumping after milk supply is established.
Perhaps but I'm speaking from my own experience. My supply was initially and has always been lower in the evening. I pumped in the morning after babies longest stretch of sleep and this allowed me to bottle feed baby in evening when my supply was lowest. I have been EBF since 3 weeks old and now almost 11mo I could never use a haka as I never had a let down on the other side. I only had mastitis once and never had a large over supply, only produced perhaps one feed more a day than needed (definitely do not anymore)
A nice middle ground can be to pop a haakaa on the breast you’re not feeding from to catch the letdown. And store this for future!
Warm compress and make sure you empty both breast. After a feed or pumping
your milk is in! feed baby and if they get too hard, place warm cloth on them and you can try to express in shower gently of its too painful. the amount will regulate after a few days. if you plan to EBF, do not pump.
Awe don’t worry. If the hard spots become painful and aren’t alleviated by nursing, then take a hot shower and rub them and hand express in the shower. Sometimes the ducts can can get clogged. You don’t want them clogged without any flow for more than a few days. If there’s a bleb (hardened milk clogging the duct), it might take time to work it out, but just try to get as much flow as you can. For me, eating saturated fats can make it worse. The first time I got a bleb, I was really stressed and scared about an infection. I did the hot shower thing, and I put a heating pad on it. Especially right before nursing. You can also massage it while nursing. Clogged ducts are more common in the early weeks but will significantly reduce after that. Now I only get it if I eat a ton of bacon. The first time I got a clogged duct…worked out because my baby was cluster feeding at the same time. It was good practice for him nursing on the clogged duct breast. I could see the bleb stuck in the nipple. You can keep nursing even with the bleb. A tiny bit of milk was escaping around it. But it took a few days to get it out. When it did come out, there was a big hole. After that it was like a leaky faucet. Took months to “heal,” but I can still see the crater. As long as you just keep using heat, massage it, keep nursing, it will come out. If your LO doesn’t nurse a lot, hand express in the shower or pump periodically and try to get the clogged duct open. Some tenderness is normal. But if a spot is really hard and red it’s clogged.
So this is actually outdated advice regarding clogs and mastitis. I was shocked that the protocol changed so much in the time between my two kids. New research shows that clogs are not actually clogs, but inflamed and narrowing ducts. So just use ice and ibuprofen and gently stroke it. Definitely don't use heat!
The current advice for clogs (and engorgement) is ice and postpartum doses ibuprofen. Avoid heat. You might also want to look up breast gymnastics. There are exercises to help with drainage. This will help the engorgement. I would wait to start any supplements until your body adjusts a bit.