How long does engorgement last?

[sarahsthreads]

My new daughter is just a week old. We had to stay in the hospital for 4 days because I ended up needing a c-section and things were going really well in the hospital with the lactation consultants checking up on us constantly.

The day we came home, my milk started coming in, and the next day or two my breasts hurt worse than my incision. Now it's not quite so bad...except for at night and most of the morning. How long does this last? I had read 24-48 hours, but we're going on 4 days now...

Also, is it normal for a baby to have an easier time latching on to one side than the other? One side she latches right on and eats like a champ. The other side she latches on, pops off, latches on, pops off, gets frantic, I calm her down...and this goes on for 20 minutes before she finally settles down to eat. I've tried pumping both sides at this point (only as an experiment because I don't want to start producing too much milk) and I know both "work". ;) That side is a little more sore than the other, but I'm assuming that has a lot to do with the fact that we have to do this little dance every time we use that side.

For what it's worth, she was back up to her birth-weight at 5 days, and she's sleeping good 2-3 hour stretches during the day with an occasional 4-hour stretch at night, so she's got to be filling her tummy, right? We were also having major spit-up episodes until I got smart enough to burp her every time she came off instead of just at the end of a feeding.

Anyway, sorry this is so long, and thanks in advance for any help!

Sarah :)

[smallestangel]

Hi

I hear ya! I too, had some MAJOR engorgement after we came home. It lasted about a week. It's okay to pump just a small amount to relieve the engorgement, it shouldn't make you overproduce. Something that we ran into was that I was *so* engorged that JD had a hard time latching on (he kept popping off & crying) because my nipples were flattening out. Pumping a bit right before nursing &/or using a warm, wet wash cloth to soften my breast helped that. I also used cabbage leaves (in moderation) & bags of frozen vegetables. Here's a link: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/engorgement.html#prevention

I'm right handed and in the beginning it was always easier nursing on the right than on the left. My left nipple was often sore since it was harder to find a comfy position.

Keep an eye on yourself! :) My soreness turned into pain quickly. We ended up having thrush. I believe it was in part due to the fact that I had a c-section and was on IV antibiotics in the hospital. Just something you should watch out for. The sooner you catch it, the better. Here's another link on that:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/thrush-resources.html


Hope this helps and congrats on your new baby!!


Amanda & Jacob :)

[jillc]

Hi Sarah,

Congrats on your new little angel! I had a c-section too, and totally agree that the breast pain was worse than the incision pain for a few days! Hang in there. Everything that you've described sounds perfectly normal to me. The first couple of weeks of breastfeeding are the toughest, and it will get lots easier after that, once your body gets used to what's going on & you and baby get the hang of things. It is so worth pushing through the first few tough weeks.

Milk production is at its peak during the night and early morning hours since you're more relaxed/sleeping (funny since w/a newborn, there's not a whole lot of sleeping going on). I expect that your engorgement will lessen before too much longer, but you'll probably always feel more "full" during the night & early morning.

As far as the latching on & popping off issue... I'm sure there are lots of possibilities, but the first that comes to my mind is this...
According to my LC, most women have one breast that produces more than the other one. It's the "super-producer", if you will. I know this is noticeably true for me. Could it be that the breast that she's popping off of is your super-producer? Maybe there's more milk coming out and/or coming out faster than on the other side, and your DD is initially having trouble keeping up with the flow, so she pops off, but then latches back on b/c she's hungry and wants to keep trying to nurse. This would also explain why that breast feels more tender - maybe it's more full. What if you tried pumping a tiny bit before you put your DD to that breast? Maybe that would make that breast more manageable for her until she really gets the hang of things. That's what I would try.

Wonderful that DD is back at her birth weight, and if she's making lots of #1 & #2 diapers, then she's doing great. :)

Sounds like you guys are doing just fine. Hope this helps. Congrats again! Keep up the good work, Mommy!!

Happy Halloween!
Jill

[jillc]

Hi Amanda,

Just thought it was funny that we replied to Sarah at the same time & then I noticed that Jacob & my Abby are just 1 day apart. :) Love these precious March babies!! :)

Happy Halloween!
Jill

[sarahsthreads]

Thanks for the encouragement! Today seemed to go pretty well - I did end up pumping this morning a little bit in between two feedings, and it definitely helped. We do want to be able to feed her expressed milk eventually, so I suppose starting a small stash now isn't a bad idea.

The soreness is really only at latch-on, it's just that the one side is excruciating compared to the other. Once she's on and stays on, it's pretty comfortable. That doesn't sound like the thrush symptoms, so hopefully that's not our problem. I am going to put in a call to the hospital lactation consultants tomorrow just in case.

All I know is, she's been a sleepy-head all day, so I'm expecting tonight to be a loooong night. Oh, well, the more she nurses the less sore I'll be, and sleep is overrated. :)

Sarah :)

[smallestangel]

Hey, Jill :) You've got to love those March babies! Can you believe how these past months have flown by? :)




Sarah,

You sound like you're doing great! You could also try some Lansinoh cream for your soreness. I pick it up at Target but you should be able to find it most places. It's soothing and a little goes a long way.


Amanda & Jacob :)

[KrisM]

At the beginning, we had a left side preference. I don't know why we had it, or why it went away. But, after a week or two, both sides were being used about the same.
Good luck!