Why It Is Important To Treat Breastfeeding Engorgement?

New exciting, fun and diverse experiences await you now that your baby finally arrived. Congratulations! Now, as you started your journey to motherhood, there are many things that you have to know and learn. Breastfeeding is primarily an experience that is inevitable in being a mother. Breastfeeding is important as a child is able to get most nutrients he needs as breastmilk is the most nutritious milk in the world. However, part of the experience is breastfeeding engorgement or the swelling of the breasts due to “new milk” that comes in to supply your baby’s need for food. Breastfeeding engorgement is a normal phenomenon for nursing mothers.


Engorged breasts are mainly due to the new milk that comes in and more blood that flows into the breasts that cause the swelling of the tissues surrounding the breasts. Breastfeeding engorgement often occurs days after childbirth and when a mother is weaning her child to stop breastfeeding. When a child starts bottle feeding, the milk from the breasts left unconsumed and accumulates in the breasts until it dries up and reabsorbed by the body. During the process, you will feel swelling associated with pain and discomfort. Don’t worry as this is normal and temporary.


There are many ways to treat breastfeeding engorgement and to provide relief to mothers experiencing pain and discomfort in this situation. When you are weaning your child to stop breastfeeding, you cannot apply frequent and unrestricted nursing as it will induce more production of milk wherein the goal is to dry up the milk in the breast. Warm showers and warm compress will help you relieve the pain that comes with the engorgement.


One of the effective ways to relieve breastfeeding engorgement is through the use of cabbage leaves. This practice has been used for years and many mothers testify on its effectiveness. Chilled cabbage leaves can provide relief by alleviating the pain and significantly reduce engorgement. There is no research that backed up this practice. However, mother knows best.


A new mother need a lot of advice and guidance in her journey to the frontiers of motherhood. La Leche League is an organization that helps mothers with their common motherhood dilemmas by offering information and services that will surely aid mothers in their everyday life and activities.