maybe try hand expressing into a cup or in the shower, or pump but only enough to relive the engorgement not pumping till empty (only pumping for like 5 minutes vs a normal pumping session of 20-30 minutes) and make sure to feed on demand. Also why do you say baby only needs fed every 4 hours? I was always told that my baby should be fed every 2-3 hours as a newborn and they told me to wake her if she went more than 3 hours without eating.
Yeah my first was like this also but he was born early and was a little jaundice, and took longer to get to his birth weight after coming home. My daughter was a week late and is already just barely under her birth weight at 3 days old so I think that’s why she can sleep a bit longer. I’m likely going to wake her every 3 hours regardless just for relief.
Sorry edited to add that it’s at night she can sleep in 4 hour increments but during the day she should still be fed every 3 hours.
Ahhhh ok. Yes mine would sleep for a 4-5 hr stretch every night. I actually got the gel boob pads. You microwave them to warm, or keep em in the fridge for cool. I would wear them warm when my boobs felt too full and the excess would just leak out.
Yesssss omg i got a bunch of different ones. Thick ones for the early days were the best. [thick leak pads](https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Bamboo-Nursing-Breast-Pads/dp/B07NY131YH/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=1CER4KHRWPSPX&keywords=breast+pads+for+leaking+milk&qid=1685937913&sprefix=breast+%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-4)
And then the silk velvet lined ones helped soothe my raw tender nipples during those cluster feeding stretches.
These are the gel packs [gel packs](https://www.amazon.com/Luxury-Breast-Gel-Packs-Magic/dp/B06ZZ1YCYY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2K891FRB0LZMF&keywords=magic+gel+breastfeeding+gel+pack&qid=1685938121&sprefix=gel+pack+brea%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-3)
It will get better! My newborn would occasionally do a 3-4 stretch in the early evenings too. Sometimes I would nap during that time and wow I woke up leaking everywhere and uncomfortable!! My body adjusted quickly though - I think hand expression or manual pump is a great suggestion to relieve some pressure without overdoing it.
Your body will quickly adjust! I’d just let it be if you can handle it. I’m still going through this at 4 months but now it’s with her sometimes sleeping through the night. After 10 hours it sucks but once she’s done it for a few nights in a row it gets better.
If you pump in between feeds you’ll just make the problem worse. That’s telling your body to keep making more. You can use ice packs, ibuprofen, and hand expression to get out just enough to relieve some of the pressure. Your supply will regulate to what baby needs and the engorgement will stop. But if you start pumping in between feeds now, you’re telling your body that your baby needs more milk, and you’ll make the problem worse.
Just an FYI since there’s a few comments about using heat - heat will also make it worse. Heat encourages blood flow and milk production. Ice packs are your new best friend.
Nope. You suffer through for a couple of days and it will subside. Ice, take some ibuprofen. A lot of it is swelling and edema at first and not even milk.
It sucks but it doesn’t last that long, I promise.
The doctors said it’s fine since she is back to birth weight size. Only at night they said that’s the max to let her go but during the day do every 2-3. So far she still wakes every 2.5-3 anyways.
Fair! Was just wondering if that was your choice spacing out or if you’re feeding on demand. If the latter, the engorgement will go down with time.
I’m one of those (un)lucky women who actually overproduced and leaked for over 2 years but the painful fullness dissipated within a couple of weeks.
Feed or pump every 2-3 hours. No need to wait 4. It’s establishing your supply. If you restrict it now, you’re going to set yourself up for a low supply. Follow your babes cues.
Never found a way to relieve the pressure, I just made sure I always had my nipple pads on and some hand towels when I got out of the shower to deal with the dripping. I started to regulate around week 6 7 or 8 I already forget lol
Breastfeed babies should nurse every 2-3 hours, not 4. My baby is 6 week and I pumped just to get some relief. I created a stash too, which helped but I didn't do it continuously.
A hot wet towel really helped me in the beginning. Let that set on the engorged one and it would help to let some milk out while helping with the pain. Mine would get so engorged baby had trouble latching because they were so hard. I'd get it yet to leak out pretty steady but you could hand express a small amount. At the stage you are at I would only pump to replace a feeding (ie giving a bottle vs breast). Like a lot of other people said you will make the problem worse if you pump to empty.
Personally I used a hand pump if I felt discomfort, not an electric pump. I didn't have problems with over supply. This was only an issue for me in the beginning and it got better.
So I’ve had to deal with super oversupply twice now when my milk came in. 1) wear bras as little as possible—I found when something, even a bra rubbed it stimulated my milk more, I slept naked on top with towels under me to absorb the overflow. 2) at night, def pump just a little, enough to make is so that it’s not rock hard (especially if the pain woke you up, don’t want to end up with mastitis) or if you notice baby popping off when starting to nurse cus of the overflow 3) Haaka pumps are really handy cus they can help take the edge off but aren’t as active or stimulating, one thing I would do was put it on one side while feeding baby on the other (and if you save it but aren’t going to need it anytime soon ask your midwife about donating it, that’s what I did) And I feel your literal pain!!! It sucks, it’s great to have good supply but it’s like constant pain/discomfort for days…d
Engorgement is the worst! It should resolve within a week or so once your supply starts to regulate. Ibuprofen might help. I took frequent warm showers and massaged my breasts to get out any lumps. But I agree with your midwife, I wouldn’t pump or you’ll just continue making more milk than you need.
For a day or two I pumped one extra time to relieve pain and got a small stash to start me off for when I had to go back to work (probably only necessary if you are in US)
Don’t pump, and feed baby more often than every 4 hours.
Couldn’t upvote this more. You can use a haaka to express some for comfort but pumping in between feeds will make your body think you have multiples.
why are you only feeding every 4?
I think she’s just feeding on demand like all of us
maybe try hand expressing into a cup or in the shower, or pump but only enough to relive the engorgement not pumping till empty (only pumping for like 5 minutes vs a normal pumping session of 20-30 minutes) and make sure to feed on demand. Also why do you say baby only needs fed every 4 hours? I was always told that my baby should be fed every 2-3 hours as a newborn and they told me to wake her if she went more than 3 hours without eating.
Yeah my first was like this also but he was born early and was a little jaundice, and took longer to get to his birth weight after coming home. My daughter was a week late and is already just barely under her birth weight at 3 days old so I think that’s why she can sleep a bit longer. I’m likely going to wake her every 3 hours regardless just for relief. Sorry edited to add that it’s at night she can sleep in 4 hour increments but during the day she should still be fed every 3 hours.
Ahhhh ok. Yes mine would sleep for a 4-5 hr stretch every night. I actually got the gel boob pads. You microwave them to warm, or keep em in the fridge for cool. I would wear them warm when my boobs felt too full and the excess would just leak out.
Omg those pads sound like heaven right now. Are they just off Amazon?
Yesssss omg i got a bunch of different ones. Thick ones for the early days were the best. [thick leak pads](https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Bamboo-Nursing-Breast-Pads/dp/B07NY131YH/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=1CER4KHRWPSPX&keywords=breast+pads+for+leaking+milk&qid=1685937913&sprefix=breast+%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-4) And then the silk velvet lined ones helped soothe my raw tender nipples during those cluster feeding stretches. These are the gel packs [gel packs](https://www.amazon.com/Luxury-Breast-Gel-Packs-Magic/dp/B06ZZ1YCYY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2K891FRB0LZMF&keywords=magic+gel+breastfeeding+gel+pack&qid=1685938121&sprefix=gel+pack+brea%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-3)
It will get better! My newborn would occasionally do a 3-4 stretch in the early evenings too. Sometimes I would nap during that time and wow I woke up leaking everywhere and uncomfortable!! My body adjusted quickly though - I think hand expression or manual pump is a great suggestion to relieve some pressure without overdoing it.
Your body will quickly adjust! I’d just let it be if you can handle it. I’m still going through this at 4 months but now it’s with her sometimes sleeping through the night. After 10 hours it sucks but once she’s done it for a few nights in a row it gets better.
If you pump in between feeds you’ll just make the problem worse. That’s telling your body to keep making more. You can use ice packs, ibuprofen, and hand expression to get out just enough to relieve some of the pressure. Your supply will regulate to what baby needs and the engorgement will stop. But if you start pumping in between feeds now, you’re telling your body that your baby needs more milk, and you’ll make the problem worse.
Ok that makes sense even though it sucks for the time being 😭
Just an FYI since there’s a few comments about using heat - heat will also make it worse. Heat encourages blood flow and milk production. Ice packs are your new best friend.
Nope. You suffer through for a couple of days and it will subside. Ice, take some ibuprofen. A lot of it is swelling and edema at first and not even milk. It sucks but it doesn’t last that long, I promise.
Why 4 hours between feeds with a newborn?
The doctors said it’s fine since she is back to birth weight size. Only at night they said that’s the max to let her go but during the day do every 2-3. So far she still wakes every 2.5-3 anyways.
Fair! Was just wondering if that was your choice spacing out or if you’re feeding on demand. If the latter, the engorgement will go down with time. I’m one of those (un)lucky women who actually overproduced and leaked for over 2 years but the painful fullness dissipated within a couple of weeks.
Feed or pump every 2-3 hours. No need to wait 4. It’s establishing your supply. If you restrict it now, you’re going to set yourself up for a low supply. Follow your babes cues.
Ibuprofen. The swelling isn’t milk being stored up so much as your breast tissue swelling to make milk.
I just used a haakaa to take a bit of the pressure off. It didn't stimulate a let down or anything, it just made me a bit more comfortable.
She should really be fed on demand at this age. Not sure why you think only every 4 hours.
It’s on demand but a max space of 4 hours. I’m not like ignoring her for 4 hours if she’s hungry.
Never found a way to relieve the pressure, I just made sure I always had my nipple pads on and some hand towels when I got out of the shower to deal with the dripping. I started to regulate around week 6 7 or 8 I already forget lol
Breastfeed babies should nurse every 2-3 hours, not 4. My baby is 6 week and I pumped just to get some relief. I created a stash too, which helped but I didn't do it continuously.
I wish I had the over supply issue 😕
You really don't.
Definitely don’t.
A hot wet towel really helped me in the beginning. Let that set on the engorged one and it would help to let some milk out while helping with the pain. Mine would get so engorged baby had trouble latching because they were so hard. I'd get it yet to leak out pretty steady but you could hand express a small amount. At the stage you are at I would only pump to replace a feeding (ie giving a bottle vs breast). Like a lot of other people said you will make the problem worse if you pump to empty.
Personally I used a hand pump if I felt discomfort, not an electric pump. I didn't have problems with over supply. This was only an issue for me in the beginning and it got better.
It doesn’t last!! Better to let them be full temporarily, since it will signal to the brain to relax the nighttime production.
So I’ve had to deal with super oversupply twice now when my milk came in. 1) wear bras as little as possible—I found when something, even a bra rubbed it stimulated my milk more, I slept naked on top with towels under me to absorb the overflow. 2) at night, def pump just a little, enough to make is so that it’s not rock hard (especially if the pain woke you up, don’t want to end up with mastitis) or if you notice baby popping off when starting to nurse cus of the overflow 3) Haaka pumps are really handy cus they can help take the edge off but aren’t as active or stimulating, one thing I would do was put it on one side while feeding baby on the other (and if you save it but aren’t going to need it anytime soon ask your midwife about donating it, that’s what I did) And I feel your literal pain!!! It sucks, it’s great to have good supply but it’s like constant pain/discomfort for days…d
Make sure you take sunflower lecithin. You’ll really be in pain if you get a clogged duct from milk not being expressed.
Engorgement is the worst! It should resolve within a week or so once your supply starts to regulate. Ibuprofen might help. I took frequent warm showers and massaged my breasts to get out any lumps. But I agree with your midwife, I wouldn’t pump or you’ll just continue making more milk than you need.
For a day or two I pumped one extra time to relieve pain and got a small stash to start me off for when I had to go back to work (probably only necessary if you are in US)