Techniques to tackle Engorgement :
Engorgement, if ignored, can cause a lot of problems. Therefore, it is important to address it as soon as it starts.
Mild to moderate engorgement can be addressed by using simple techniques at home repeatedly. It is time-consuming to use these techniques but they are most effective and helpful. The following table summarises these techniques.
It can be very painful as breast tissue becomes extremely sensitive during severe engorgement.
If hand expression is too painful and the breast tissue has swollen up a lot, do the following before using the techniques mentioned in the table above -
For a pumping mother, it helps to keep the following things in mind:
It's important to always empty the breast. Sometimes pumps can't drain the breast completely, it's recommended to hand express to drain the breast completely.
What happens if engorgement is ignored?
Mastitis usually happens when the mother ignores all the signs for a long time, and has fever and shivers along with pain. In a few cases, mastitis can happen without fever as well. But the redness is very very evident. Usually accompanied with redness of the breast tissue. In case you have done all the above and the fever doesn’t subside, or the size of lump doesn't change, and other symptoms of engorgement don't decrease, please consult a doctor or your gynaecologist. Don't ignore this. Try the above remedies but be vigilant as well.
References :
https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/engorgement/
https://www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/engorgement/
Easy Breastfeeding by Camilla Conti
One of the common challenges faced by many breastfeeding mothers is engorgement. Engorgement essentially contains the following symptoms.
Common causes of Engorgement :
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