Keep your family safe from germs and bacteria
Primary engorgement
You will know when your milk comes through because your breasts will swell as the new milk distends them. In a few women, this is so dramatic that their breasts become distended by up to three bra cup sizes and they are enormous, tender or sometimes extremely painful. (It may feel as though they have been hit with a cricket bat.) This is known as primary engorgement. The distended breasts can also become so rounded that there is not enough areola and nipple protruding for the baby to latch onto properly. Should this happen to you do not despair. It is a temporary phase and will pass within 48 hours. While it lasts it can be pretty unpleasant and you can get the feeling that you don’t know where to put yourself.
Your breasts must be well supported and you will be grateful that you had the foresight to buy a well-fitting maternity bra, even though you thought it looked ghastly at the time. Properly supported, your breasts will feel more comfortable (and are less likely to develop stretch marks). It often helps to rest cold flannels on your breasts after a feed. Let them stay there for a good fifteen minutes, and when you put your bra back on tuck a fresh, cold cabbage leaf into each bra cup. There is something about cabbage leaves that ensures they stay colder longer than almost anything else; keep the cabbage in the fridge. Although warm flannels on your breasts or a bath before a feed can help your milk flow, avoid hot flannels as these dilate your blood vessels and can make engorgement worse.
If you are still in hospital, tell the ward sister; she can apply a breast pump if things become desperate. (This is not used routinely as it encourages the breasts to produce even more milk.) You might also need to take some painkillers such as paracetamol.
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