Hi ladies,

This is my second baby, but I have a question.

My son was in the hospital for a week, so I'm having to pump my milk for him. Today is Saturday, and i think my milk came in on Tuesday--I forget. At any rate, since the milk came in my boobs are huge and hard and painful. I"m wondering how long this should last and what I can do to help things along.

I'm using cold compresses between feedings (or between pumpings) and I'm wearing a nice supportive bra, but it would be nice for the boobs to actually *shrink*. It seems that even after I pump they're still hard and full.

The lactation consultant said I shouldn't pump for more than 10 minutes because my body will just keep making too much milk. Is 10 minutes about right? In 10 minutes I'm getting 2 ounces of milk from each breast (double pumping) Is that about normal?

Ack. I just want normal boobs back!

DS was very early and I pumped for a week. Once I had him home, I thought, why in the heck am I still pumping when I am not supplementing with bottles of breast milk? I quit pumping and let ds do the job and the engorgement went away. Why are you pumping? Is your babe still in the hospital? Is he not nursing? Do you need to supplement with bottles of breastmilk? Good luck! I know how horrible that hot melon feeling can be, day after day!

He's not home yet, that's why I'm still pumping.
He comes home sometime today, but until then, I have to get this extra milk out of me somehow!

I'm hoping once he comes home the engorgement will go away...I'm just wondering how long normal engorgement lasts and if I'm doing the right thing right now to help it go away.

Here is some engorgement information from a LLLI FAQ about cabbage leaves - maybe they will offer you some relief!

"For engorgement, you might want to try cabbage leaves (Yes! cabbage leaves). It is one of those "home remedies" that has been recognized in the medical/lactation literature as being effective in reducing the swelling that some women have in the early weeks, and also in cases such as yours when the engorgement is long-standing. Even though the use of cabbage leaves has not been scientifically proven, many women find them soothing.

To use, rinse either refrigerated or room temperature cabbage leaves, strip the large vein, and cut a hole for the nipple. The leaves would be applied directly to the breasts, inside your bra. When they wilt, usually within two to four hours, remove and apply fresh leaves. Some practitioners recommend chopping the leaves and chilling; you'll have to "experiment" to see which method works better for you. The relief of engorgement may be the very key to helping your baby to remove the milk better, since it is easier for him to grasp a softened breast than a hard, engorged one. Do be careful not to overuse the cabbage leaves. They are also used to dry up a mother?s milk supply when she chooses to wean abruptly."

Good luck, mama. I know I used to get in a hot shower and let my milk just stream out in those early days. I also took some Motrin for the pain - it helps with the inflammation too.

cabbage leaves work.
and also when I am engorged then I pump until I have relief and my breast are softer. Usually if my breasts are full I can get 4 oz per side easily but everyone is able to pump different amounts, so I wouldn't let that be a guide.

Also I did the warm/hot shower trick and hand expressed, that also helped.

Hope it gets better and your little one is home soon!

I hope you're feeling better!
10 minutes may or may not be enough. Yes, the more you pump the more milk you will make, but you need to make sure you don't get mastitis or plugged ducts.
When baby get's home, he'll be able to tell your breasts how much milk they need to make and if you've been pumping more than he eats, you could be in for a few uncomfortable days. Once he starts nursing, try to hand express and only pump if you feel like you're about to explode!
The cabbage leaves will help!
Have you been breastfeeding him at all or just bm in bottles? How's his latch? Nipple confusion is always a possibility, so keep us updated just in case..........
GOOD LUCK! And congrats!

I have to agree regarding the cabbage leaves. But it does need to be done carefully since it will dry up your milk. I always relied on compresses and massage.

I have twins that were premature and were in the hospital for 3 weeks which I pumped the entire time for them. I would only pump every four hours.

I also agree with the LC. Don't worry about how much milk you are getting out. After you pump for 10 minutes then massage and use some cold compresses on your breasts. Your body will eventually adjust to the less demand.

Hope this helps some

I understand completely!
I brought my baby home from the NICU at 7 weeks old, 2 weeks ago. I was able to teach him to finally nurse this last Sunday night. (I had to use powdered sugar to get him to latch on.) He had been bottle fed for a couple of weeks. So he was good and confused. Not to mention he had only nursed on a nipple sheild. His mouth was too tiny to latch on until he hit 38 weeks.
So now I am engorged. I had been taking Fenugreek to boost my supply before he came home. I wanted to have more than he needed to teach him how to nurse with. I pumped solid for 8 weeks without really nursing. I was using a preemie nipple sheild to nurse with, and it was too small for him to really get much unless I used the SNS under the shield.
I am just glad to have suceeded in nursing this little baby. He weighed 3lbs 2 oz at his smallest. Now he is almost 7 pounds. I taught him to nurse at 38 weeks and he was a few ounces under 7 pounds. He gains about an ounce a day.
I was worried about having too much milk in the beginning, but I ended up being grateful that I started out with so much, because my supply dipped with all of the stress of pumping around the clock. Now I am pumping a few times a day and waiting for my supply to decrease down to what he can consume.