Get Ready for a bit of a Hormonal Roller Coaster and the associated Physical Changes in your Body just after you meet your Baby

At some point in the first few days after your baby’s birth, you will notice a change in your mammary glands as there is a surge in milk production - what some people refer to as your milk ‘coming in’. This can be anywhere from day 2 - 5 (likely on the later end if you have diabetes, a cesarean birth or were on magnesium sulfate for high blood pressure).Â
Your breasts may feel swollen, warm, heavy, hard or lumpy; this is normal! GENTLY massage any firmness or lumpiness while your baby is eating or you are pumping - this will help move that milk out of those ducts where it has accumulated. Anytime we talk about massage, think about using one finger to gently massage a specific small spot, or a whole hand to gently massage a larger area. It should never hurt! We don’t want to increase any inflammation.
At this point, if you are comfortable with it, it’s best to go without a bra to avoid compressing the tissue further and causing additional swelling. Or try a nursing tank top for gentle support if you would like - those are very popular!
If your breast is too full of milk when your baby starts eating, the tissues may be too firm for them to latch...like latching onto a bowling ball! This won’t work well. You may need to use your hand expression skills, a manual pump or an electric pump to express a little bit of milk to soften the breast or mammary gland enough for your baby to be able to hold the nipple and breast tissue in their mouth.
Just remember NOT to use a pump to fully empty an engorged breast AFTER your baby eats because:
you will send your body the message that it needs to continue making that much milk, and
the engorgement level won’t ever go away, which is definitely not what you want.Â
During engorgement, either during the onset of lactation or during weaning, pump or express milk ONLY to the point of softening the breast or mammary tissue, or to relief for yourself, not to empty.
The uncomfortable engorgement feeling usually subsides within 24-48 hours, but your breasts are likely still going to feel unusually large to you for several more weeks, until you get to around the 6 week mark of the milk supply being set, when everything stabilizes a bit. If you need additional relief, you can use cold packs/ice and even ibuprofen to reduce the discomfort and inflammation, but expect to feel much better in a couple days and in the meantime, enjoy watching all the milk spilling out of your baby’s mouth!
~ Naomi, Infant Feeding Expert*
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