What is the cause of breast engorgement?

Breast engorgement is a very common physical condition for many postpartum women. Breast engorgement can easily lead to symptoms such as breast swelling or pain. It can also easily cause lumps in the breasts and cause fever or heat in the body. It needs to be relieved in time. Breast engorgement is a symptom caused by excessive milk and incomplete release of the nipple.

What is the cause of breast engorgement?

Breast engorgement

Breast engorgement is a physiological condition that occurs in new mothers a few months after delivery, and is characterized by swelling, sensitivity, heat, and lumps in the breasts. As breastfeeding time increases, the breast engorgement problem will usually resolve automatically.

New mothers usually suffer from breast engorgement a few months after giving birth. Breast engorgement will usually subside on its own as you breastfeed for longer periods of time. This is because the breasts have gradually learned to "secrete smartly", that is, when the baby is not breastfeeding, the breasts secrete milk very slowly, and when the baby is breastfeeding, the breasts secrete milk quickly and in large quantities, as the saying goes, "eat now and then". Also, because the "eat now" lactation model actually means that the supply of breast milk is produced flexibly according to the needs of the baby, it is also called "supply and demand balance." Supply and demand balance is the optimal lactation pattern for lactating women. Mothers whose lactation reaches a state of supply and demand balance rarely experience breast engorgement.

First breast engorgement

Within 2 to 6 days after you give birth, your breasts will produce milk for your baby. This brings more blood flow to the breast and causes some of the surrounding breast tissue to swell. These can all lead to breast engorgement. During this time, you may experience extreme breast swelling, tenderness, warmth, lumps, and uncomfortable distension. Sometimes your breasts will swell all the way up to your armpits, and you may even have a slight fever.

Don't worry, the initial breast engorgement will pass quickly. You should get relief within 24 to 48 hours, and feeding your baby regularly and frequently can help. Once your baby is able to latch on well and get the amount of milk he needs, your breast engorgement will gradually improve.

Breast engorgement does not prevent you from breastfeeding your baby and will not have any adverse effects on your baby. In fact, if possible, start breastfeeding immediately after your baby is born and gradually establish a feeding routine that suits you and your baby. Watch your baby for signs of hunger, such as sucking his fist or becoming fussy. If he cries, it means he has worked up an appetite. Once the engorgement passes, your breasts will be softer but still full of milk.

If you choose not to breastfeed and instead feed your baby formula, you may find that your breasts become uncomfortably swollen as your milk comes in. Usually, taking pain medication and wearing a supportive bra will do the trick. Occasionally, if your breast engorgement is severe, you may need to hand express some milk to help relieve the tightness in your breasts.

No breast engorgement

No breast engorgement after childbirth. Not every woman who has just given birth will experience breast engorgement. The degree of breast engorgement varies from mother to mother. Some new mothers only experience mild breast swelling, but others may experience abnormally swollen and hard breasts. Breast engorgement is mild and does not mean that there is no milk or that there is little milk. In fact, many mothers only experience slight breast engorgement after giving birth, or even no engorgement at all, which does not affect their breastfeeding at all. Severe breast engorgement at the first time does not mean that there is too much milk. In most cases, it is just because the mother did not start breastfeeding in time, causing milk to accumulate for too long.

Many people mistakenly believe that not having breast engorgement means that they have no milk, or that there is not enough milk to feed the baby. Others ask mothers to wait until their breasts are engorged before starting to breastfeed their babies. These are all wrong practices. If the mother squeezes her nipples and finds liquid coming out, it means that milk has come in.