How to survive engorgement

1 Gel pads and vegetables
Last time I used hot and cold flannels and peas in freezer bags wrapped in tea towels to massage the breasts and provide some relief from engorgement, which I found extremely painful when I had Baby Girl. This time I was more relaxed about engorgement because I knew what to expect and when to expect it. I still used oscar + dehn thermal gel pads we cooled down in the freezer. I didn’t use the gel pads much last time, and they do warm up quicker than peas, for example, but they’re so easy to use and I liked simply sitting around with them to get some instant relief. Cabbage leaves and grated carrots have also been recommended to me.

2. Weleda Nursing Oil
I seem to develop blocked milk ducts in the breast tissue as soon as the milk comes in, and the main advice from health professionals has been to massage out the lumps in the shower and before each feed. It can be super painful, but I’ve used the Weleda Nursing Oil, which I received to review, this time and it’s a product I’ve come to love. The nourishing oil (£7.95) is recommended to use from week 38 of pregnancy to prepare for breastfeeding and avoid some of the challenges many new mums face. After starting breastfeeding, it can be used between feeds two or three times a day, and ideally half an hour before the feed.

3. Acupuncture
Before I had Baby Boy, I went through my contact list to check I still had the number to one of the private midwives at Women’s Wellness Centre in Fulham Road, as I was expecting to need a home visit for acupuncture on the breast tissue in the first week after he was born. I survived without this time, as it’s not been as bad, but it really seemed to help the first time around when I had to go back to hospital to get checked on day 5 and one of the first questions I was asked was if I had breast implants. A home visit with acupuncture the next day seemed to do wonders.

Tags: Breastfeeding, Cabbage, Carrots, Engorgement, Flannel, Gel packs, Peas, Vegetables