Reducing Swelling During Breastfeeding


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Swelling of the breasts is relatively common during breastfeeding. In many cases, swelling during breastfeeding is a result of the breasts being full of milk. Sometimes, this fullness can become painful and your breasts can be a sign of engorgement. Engorgement is most likely to occur during the first days and weeks of breastfeeding, while your body is trying to get a feel for how much milk your baby needs. Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to go about reducing swelling during breastfeeding.

One of the things that you can do to help with reducing swelling during breastfeeding is to use a compress. Many women have, for years, used a compress of cabbage leaves. Using cabbage leaves to reduce swelling during breastfeeding is as straight forward as it sounds. You will want to purchase a plain green cabbage. You will then rinse and dry the leaves, and store them in the refrigerator. After the leaves have cooled, you will take them back out. You will remove the base of the hard core vein, and you will gently pound the leaves. Once the cabbage leaves have been softened, you will wrap them around the areola and the breast. You will want to make sure that the nipple is left exposed. You should experience some relief right away, as the cold often feels good on engorged breasts. You can cover the entire breast, as well as the area under your arms if you wish. You should check your breasts periodically, so that once your breasts are ready to express the breast milk you can pump or nurse. You can use cabbage leaves for longer periods of time, replacing the leaves after every 30 minutes or so. You can use them as much as three times in between feedings, as well.

There are also herbal compresses that may contain a variety of different herbs, such as chamomile, to help comfort your swollen breasts, as well. Some of these herbal compresses may even have cabbage leaves, too. There are other sorts of compresses that have gel in them, much like an ice pack, which can be used also. Some of these compresses may be used either warm or cold.

There are other things that you can do to reduce swelling during breastfeeding. Some women have had success with using a hot towel on their breasts. More frequent feedings will sometimes do the trick. Expressing the breasts, until they are soft but not empty, may help as well. If you cannot seem to control the swelling during breastfeeding with any of these methods, or if you show any signs of injury or infection, you should speak with your health care provider to make sure that there is not a medical problem that is causing the swelling.



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