Expert: Sally Wendkos Olds - 10/20/2005

Question
I just had a baby and have chosen to feed him formula.  My breast have filled with milk and it is extremely painful.  How can I relieve the pressure in my breast? Also, how can I get rid of the milk for good and how long will it take?

Thank you so much for your help.

Answer
Dear Danielle,

Congratulations on the birth of your son. I am attaching an excerpt from my book (see below) for relieving engorgement (hard, swollen breasts). If you do not nurse your baby, you will soon stop producing milk. Although some leaking may occur for a few weeks, the painful engorgement shouldn't last more than a few days.

To deal with the pain, you might use ice packs and aspirin or some other mild pain reliever. It may help to squeeze a very small amount of milk from your breasts. Do not take hot showers, which might stimulate milk production.

I just want to suggest that you reconsider your decision while you still can. You might look on it as a thirty-day money-back guarantee. You may well find it gratifying for both you and your baby and go on to nurse well beyond those initial thirty days, but if you don't give it a chance, you might look back later and wonder whether you and your son missed one of life's greatest gifts. And it's very hard to go back once you have let your milk dry up.

Whatever you decide, the important thing is how you feel about your children. A baby raised in a loving home can grow up to be healthy and psychologically secure no matter how she or he receives nourishment.

Regards,

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Chapter One describes the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby, and Chapter Two answers common questions.
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WAYS TO RELIEVE ENGORGEMENT
  * Express or pump a little bit of milk.
  * If your breasts are severely engorged, massage them once or twice a day, starting gently at the outer edges with your fingertips and going toward the nipple area. A mild cream may make the process easier, but don't get any on the areola, because that would make it harder for you to express any milk.
  * Apply cold compresses to relieve swelling and pain. You can apply cold in an ice-pack or a blue freezer-pack wrapped in a thin towel.
  * Wear a firm bra for support. Be sure it's not too tight, since this can make you more uncomfortable and also cause other problems.
  * Apply fresh cabbage leaves to your breasts. Strip out the large vein in each leaf, cut a hole for your nipple, and rinse. They're convenient, cheap, and disposable, and some women report that they relieve pain. You might try it if you don't mind staining your bra -- and smelling like dinner.
  * Take a pain reliever -- either one of the over-the-counter agents listed in Chapter 9, or something your doctor can prescribe.