Sara Chana, lactation consultant extraordinaire, sheds light on the issues, mysteries and joys of breastfeeding.
Engorgement is an abnormal behavior of breastfeeding. Feeling full or heavier is fine, but if your breasts are so full you can barely move your arms, you are having trouble sleeping from the pain, or you are having trouble latching your baby onto the breast then there is something you need to fix.
First you must make sure the baby is latching onto the breast properly. In order for the baby to drain the breast properly the baby must be latched deeply onto the breast tissue and not just on the nipple.
You must hear swallows from the baby. If the baby is just ‘hanging-out’ on the nipple and not drinking the milk, the body will continue to have let-downs from the heat of the baby’s mouth and your breast will be just filling up and not relieving itself.
You must ice your breast after every feed for at least 10 minutes. You must NEVER put heat on a full breast. If you ice your breast, the swollen tissue around the ducts will calm down and allow the milk to flow. Heat may be the common protocol but it does not work as well as ice. If you put heat on the breast you will increase the blood flow to the area, dilate the ducts, which allows more milk to come into the breast. If you twist your ankle what do you do? You use ice, of course!
Green cabbage can also be used in between nursing. Green cabbage worn in the bra reduces inflammation and eases the pain. To use cabbage, take a cabbage leaf that was refrigerated and crunch the leaf in your hand trying to bruise the leaf. Put it inside of your bra up against your skin. Wear the cabbage until it wilts to the heat of your body.
Using counter pressure on the breast you are not using will also help reduce the amount of milk your body is producing (yes, you want to temporarily reduce the amount of milk your body is making, but . . . you will not ‘lose your milk.’ If you baby is breastfeeding on your right breast, then applying counter pressure to the left side will signal the brain to not let that breast fill up with milk. You open your hand and with the palm of your hand press your nipple gently in toward your ribs. Hold that position for 5 counts and then release. Do this at least 4-5 times during the feed. That way the baby will drain one breast and the other breast will not fill up with so much milk.
Sara Chana, IBCLC, RH (AHG) www.sarachana.com is a lactation consultant, classical homeopath, registered herbalist, doula and mother of seven children. She has worked with over 10,000 new moms and babies. She just launched an APP called Breastfeeding For Boobs which has 103 videos and a section on alternative medicine for moms that is available on iTunes and Google Play. It is an encyclopedia that fits in the palm of your hand.