My breasts are so full that latching is painful. What should I do?
Engorgement is normal in the first few weeks. Baby’s frequent nursing has signaled your body to bring in a plentiful milk supply. Sometimes your body goes into overdrive and makes more than baby needs. There is also extra blood flow to the breast tissue causing swelling.
Do:
- Latch your baby often and offer the breast any time you are feeling full. This way, your baby will tell your breasts how much milk to make. By steadily feeding on demand during the first 2-4 weeks, your milk supply will regulate itself to provide the amount of milk your baby needs.
- Hand express for a few minutes to soften the nipple area.
- Use cool packs on the breasts after feeding to help reduce swelling.
- Do some gentle finger massage around the breast to help drain the breast while your baby is feeding.
Don't:
- Try your best not to skip or delay feedings as this will make the engorgement worse. Don't let a sleepy baby oversleep and don't let pacifiers delay or replace breastfeeding sessions.
- Avoid using heat and aggressive massage as they increase swelling.
- Hold off on pumping to relieve engorgement during this time. A breast pump can come in handy if medically necessary. But pumping too much during these first weeks can damage delicate breast tissue, take time away from latching your baby to feed, and can tell your breasts to make more milk than needed. Though more milk sounds convenient, it can lead to clogged ducts, mastitis, and excessive leaking.
- Don't fully drain the breast to relieve engorgement if you decide to pump. Only pump for a few minutes and then latch baby instead.
SOURCE: https://www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/engorgement/
https://wicbreastfeeding.fns.usda.gov/engorgement