Engorged Breasts

Within the first two to three days after you havegiven birth, you may discover that your breastsfeel swollen, tender, throbbing, lumpy, and overly full. Sometimes, the swelling will extendall the way to your armpit, and you may run a low fever as well.

The causesWithin 72 hours of giving birth, an abundanceof milk will come in or become available to yourbaby. As this happens, more blood will flowto your breasts and some of the surrounding tissuewill swell. The result is full, swollen, engorgedbreasts.

Not every postpartum mom experienced trueengorgement. Some women's breasts become onlyslightly full, while others find their breastshave become amazingly hard. Some women will hardlynotice the pain, as they are involved in otherthings during the first few days.

Treating itKeep in mind, engorgement is a positive signthat you are producing milk to feed to your baby. Until you produce the right amount:

1. Wear a supportive nursing bra, evenat night - making sure it isn't too tight.

2. Breast feed often, every 2 - 3 hours if you can. Try to get the first side of yourbreasts as soft as possible. If your baby seemssatisfied with just one breast, you can offerthe other at the next feeding.

3. Avoid letting your baby latch on andsuck when the areola is very firm. To reducethe possibility of nipple damage, you can use a pump until your areola softens up.

4. Avoid pumping milk except when youneed to soften the areola or when your baby is unable to latch on. Excessive pumping canlead to the over production of milk and prolongedengorgement.

5. To help soothe the pain and relieveswelling, apply cold packs to your breasts fora short amount of time after you nurse. Crushedice in a plastic bag will also work.

6. Look ahead. You'll get past thisengorgement in no time and soon be able toenjoy your breast feeding relationship with yournew baby.

Engorgement will pass very quickly. You can expect it to diminish within 24 - 48 hours, asnursing your baby will only help the problem. Ifyou aren't breast feeding, it will normallyget worse before it gets better. Once theengorgement has passed, your breasts will besofter and still full of milk.

During this time, you can and should continue tonurse. Unrelieved engorgement can cause a dropin your production of milk, so it's important to breast feed right from the start. Keep aneye for signs of hunger and feed him when heneeds to be fed.

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Breast Feeding Toddlers

Because more and more women are choosing to breastfeed their babies, more and more are also findingthat they enjoy it enough to continue longer thanthe first few months they planned on. Breastfeeding to 3 - 4 years of age is common in muchof the world recently, and is still common inmany societies for toddlers to be breast fed.

Because mothers and babies often enjoy to breastfeed, you shouldn't stop it. After six months,many think that breast milk loses it's value -which isn't true. Even after six months, it still contains protein, fat, and other importantnutrients which babies and children need.

The fact is, immune factors in breast milk willprotect the baby against infections. Breastmilk also contains factors that will help the immune system mature, and other organs to developand mature as well.

It's been shown and proven in the past that children in daycare who are still breast feedinghave far less severe infections than the children that aren't breast feeding. The motherwill lose less work time if she chooses to continue nursing her baby once she is back towork.

If you have thought about breast feeding yourbaby once he gets passed 6 months of age, you have made a wise decision. Although many feelthat it isn't necessary, breast milk will alwayshelp babies and toddlers. Breast milk is thebest milk you can give to your baby.

No matter what others may tell you, breast feedingonly needs to be stopped when you and the babyagree on it. You don't have to stop when someoneelse wants you to - you should only stop when you feel that it's the right time.

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Breast Feeding In Public

Babies that are breast fed are very portable andeasy to comfort no matter where your schedule hasyou going. Many women however, worry about breast feeding in public. The worry of nursingin a public place is normally worse than theactual experience and often times the only peoplewho notice you feeding are the other mothers whoare doing the same thing.

Many women find ways to breast feed discreetly. You can ask your partner or even a friend to stand in front of you while you lift your shirtfrom the waist. When you breast feed, the baby'sbody will cover most of your upper body and youcan pull your shirt down to her face to coverthe tops of your breast. Some mothers prefer toput a light blanket over their shoulders as atype of cover.

When you are visiting someone else's home, youmay feel more comfortable either leaving theroom or turning away from people when you firstput the baby to your breast. If you would likemore privacy, breast feed in an empty room, car,or public restroom.

A lot of restrooms are becoming more baby friendly and they even have a seperate are witha changing table and a chair. Several shoppingmalls now offer special mother's rooms where the mom can breast feed her baby in privacy,which will help sensitive babies who are toodistracted by feeding to nurse well in public.It won't take long at all though, before yourbaby will learn to breast feed without any fussat all.

An alternative way is expressing or pumping your milk at home and then offer it in a bottlewhile in public. Keep in mind, offeringbottles with artificial nipples in the firstfew weeks can and probably will interfere withbreast feeding.

When breast feeding in public, you should alwaysuse what works best for you. During the firstfew weeks, it will take some getting used to,as it will be as new for you as it is for thebaby. With some time, you'll have no problemsat all.

If you don't feel comfortable breast feeding ina certain location, then you shouldn't. You should feel a certain level of comfort when youfeed, as the baby can tell when you aren't comfortable doing something. If you show yourbaby that you aren't nervous - you and your baby will be just fine.

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Breast Feeding Complications

Sore nipplesA lot of mothers complain about tender nipples thatmake breast feeding painful and frustrating. There is good news though, as most mothers don't sufferthat long. The nipples will toughen up quickly and render breast feeding virtually painless.

Improperly positioned babies or babies that suckreally hard can make the breasts extremely sore.Below, are some ways to ease your discomfort:

1. Make sure your baby is in the correctposition, since a baby that isn't positioned correctlyis the number one cause of sore nipples.

2. Once you have finished feeding, expose your breasts to the air and try to protect them fromclothing and other irritations.

3. After breast feeding, apply some ultrapurified, medical grade lanolin, making sure to avoidpetroleum jelly and other products with oil.

4. Make sure to wash your nipples with waterand not with soap.

5. Many women find teabags ran under cold water to provide some relief when placed on thenipples.

6. Make sure you vary your position each timewith feeding to ensure that a different area of thenipple is being compressed each time.

Clogged milk ductsClogged milk ducts can be identified as small, red tenderlumps on the tissue of the breast. Clogged ducts can cause the milk to back up and lead to infection.

The best way to unclog these ducts is to ensure that you've emptied as completely as possible. You should offerthe clogged breast first at feeding time, then let your baby empty it as much as possible.

If milk remains after the feeding, the remaining amountshould be removed by hand or with a pump. You shouldalso keep pressure off the duct by making sure yourbra is not too tight.

Breast infectionAlso known as mastititis, breast infection is normallydue to empty breasts completely out of milk, germsgaining entrance to the milk ducts through cracks orfissures in the nipple, and decreased immunity in themother due to stress or inadequate nutrition.

The symptoms of breast infection include severe painor soreness, hardness of the breast, redness of thebreast, heat coming from the area, swelling, or evenchills.

The treatment of breast infection includes bed rest,antibiotics, pain relievers, increased fluid intake,and applying heat. Many women will stop breast feedingduring an infection, although it's actually the wrongthing to do. By emptying the breasts, you'll actually help to prevent clogged milk ducts.

If the pain is so bad you can't feed, try using a pump while laying in a tub of warm water with yourbreasts floating comfortably in the water. You shouldalso make sure that the pump isn't electric if youplan to use it in the bath tub.

You should always make sure that breast infectionsare treated promptly and completely or you may risk the chance of abscess. An abscess is very painful, involving throbbing and swelling.

You'llalso experience swelling, tenderness, and heat inthe area of the abscess. If the infection progressesthis far, your doctor may prescribe medicine and even surgery.

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Breast Feeding And Positioning

For some people, the process of breast feeding seems to come natural, although there's a level of skill required for successful feeding and a correct technique to use. Incorrect positioningis one of the biggest reasons for unsuccessfulfeeding and it can even injure the nipple or breast quite easily.

By stroking the baby's cheek with the nipple, thebaby will open its mouth towards the nipple, whichshould then be pushed in so that the baby will get a mouthful of nipple and areola. This position is known as latching on. A lot of womenprefer to wear a nursing bra to allow easier accessto the breast than other normal bras.

The length of feeding time will vary. Regardlessof the duration of feeding time, it's important for mothers to be comfortable. The following arepositions you can use:

1. Upright - The sitting position where the back is straight.

2. Mobile - Mobile is where the mothercarries her baby in a sling or carrier while breastfeeding. Doing this allows the mother to breast feed in the work of everyday life.

3. Lying down - This is good for night feedsor for those who have had a caesarean section.

4. On her back - The mother is sitting slightly upright, also a useful position for tandembreast feeding.

5. On her side - The mother and baby bothlie on their sides.

6. Hands and knees - In this feeding positionthe mother is on all fours with the baby underneathher.

Keep in mind, this position isn't normallyrecommended.

Anytime you don't feel comfortable with a feeding position, always stop and switch to a differentposition.

Each position is different, while somemothers prefer one position, other's may like a totally different position. All you need to do isexperiment and see which position is best for you.

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Breast Feeding And Jaundice

Jaundice is a result of buildup in the blood of thebilirubin, a yellow pigment that comes from thebreakdown of older red blood cells. It's normalfor the red blood cells to break down, althoughthe bilirubin formed doesn't normally cause jaundicebecause the liver will metabolize it and then getrid of it in the gut.

However, the newborn baby will often becomejaundiced during the first few days due to theliver enzyme that metabolizes the bilirubin becomingrelatively immature. Therefore, newborn babies will have more red blood cells than adults, andthus more will break down at any given time.

Breast milk jaundiceThere is a condition that's commonly referred to as breast milk jaundice, although no one knowswhat actually causes it. In order to diagnose it,the baby should be at least a week old. The babyshould also be gaining well with breast feedingalone, having lots of bowel movements with thepassing of clean urine.

In this type of setting, the baby has what is referred to as breast milk jaundice. On occasion,infections of the urine or an under functioningof the baby's thyroid gland, as well as otherrare illnesses that may cause the same types ofproblems.

Breast milk jaundice will peak at 10 - 21 days,although it can last for 2 - 3 months. Contraryto what you may think, breast milk jaundice isnormal.

Rarely, if at all ever, does breastfeeding need to be stopped for even a briefperiod of time. If the baby is doing well on breast milk, there is no reason at all to stop or supplement witha lactation aid.

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Breast Feeding Adopted Babies

Not only is breast feeding an adopted baby easy,the chances are that you will produce a largeamount of milk. It isn't complicated to do, although it is different than breast feeding ababy you have been pregnant with for 9 months.

Breast feeding and milkThere are two objectives that are involved inbreast feeding an adopted baby. The first isgetting your baby to breast feed, and the otheris producing enough breast milk.

There is more to breast feeding than just milk,which is why many mothers are happy to feed without expecting to produce milk in the waythe baby needs. It's the closeness and thebond breast feeding provides that many mothers look for.

Taking the breastEven though many feel the early introduction ofbottles may interfere with breast feeding, theearly introduction of artificial nipples caninterfere a great deal. The sooner you can getthe baby to the breast after birth, the better things will be.

Babies will however, require the flow from thebreast in order to stay attached and continueto suck, especially if they are used to gettingflow from a bottle or other method of feeding.

Producing breast milkAs soon as you have an adopted baby in sight,contact a lactation clinic and start gettingyour milk supply ready. Keep in mind, youmay never produce a full milk supply for yourbaby, although it may happen.

You shouldnever feel discouraged by what you may bepumping before the baby, as a pump is neverquite as good at extracting milk as a babywho is well latched and sucking.

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Benefits Of Breast Feeding

Once you've given birth, breast feeding is the singlemost important thing you can do to protect your babyand help to promote good health. Best of all, breastfeeding is free.

Along with saving you money on HMR (Human Milk Replacement), breast feeding can also help you to keep your medical bills down. Babies that are fedwith formula get sicker more often and more seriouslythan babies that are breast fed They also have moreear infections, respiratory infections, and otherproblems.

This can be even more true if your family has had ahistory of allergies. When a baby is breast fed, theantibodies pass on from the mother to the baby, helping to protect against illness and allergies. Asthe baby's system matures, his body will begin to make it's own antibodies, and he'll be more equippedto handle sensitivities of food.

Sucking on the breast will also help with the development or jaw alignment and the development ofthe cheekbone. For this very reason, there is lessof the need for costly orthodontic work when the child gets older.

Unlike formula, breast milk is always ready, alwaysavailable, convenient, and always the right temperaturefor feeding. Plus, it contains all of the vitaminsand minerals your growing baby needs, saving you a lot of money.

Breast feeding also offers many benefits for the momas well. The baby sucking at the breast will causecontractions right after birth, leading to less bleeding for the mom, and helping her uterus to it'sshape before pregnancy much faster.

Breast feeding will also burn calories, so a mom canlose weight much faster than if she fed her baby witha bottle. Breast feeding will also create a specialbond with the mother and the baby - which is onething formula simpy cannot do.

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