It is ok to be alarmed but do know that this situation will go away after a short amount of time, especially if you are breast feeding frequently, your new born baby. Not every mom will become fully engorged but she will fill up when her milk comes in. Some mom’s who do become truly engorged may have a little difficulty breast feeding their babies, so a breast pump may be necessary to relieve some of the fullness and pressure.

If the breast and nipples are too full, it will be difficult for the new baby to get a proper latch on the nipple. Using a breast pump to relieve some of the fullness will help, but care should be taken so as not to stimulate the breasts into over producing due to pumping.

If you do become fully engorged, you might have some pain. Some moms will not even notice that pain as they are too busy doing other things, like taking care of the new baby to notice the pain of having fully engorged breasts. If you do become fully engorged there are a few things to do to help.

1. Breast feed often. This is a natural thing to do as the new baby will need to eat at least ever 2 hours. If you feed the baby every two hours you should have no problem. Try giving one breast, then the other to relieve some pressure, but if the baby is content with one breast, give the opposite breast to the baby on the next feeding cycle.
2. If your breasts are truly engorged and the areola is hard, you shouldn’t let the baby latch on as it can cause some pain and damage to the area. Instead use a pump to relieve some of the pressure and soften the areola up first, then let the baby latch to the breast to feed.
3. Avoid over pumping as this can stimulate the breasts to over produce and aggravate the situation.
4. Wear a good supportive maternity bra that is properly fitted. 9 out of 10 women have the wrong sized bra for their breasts. Going to a lactation specialist or a maternity boutique where they can properly measure you and fit you, is critical to support and comfort. This is HIGHLY recommended.
5. Apply cooling compressed to the engorged breasts to relieve some of the pain and swelling, not to cold but cool. Do this after nursing for short periods of time on alternating breasts.
6. Once the initial engorgement is over you should have no more problems with this and you will be able to enjoy the time spent with your new baby while breast feeding.

This period of engorgement should only last a day or two, once it is over be sure to feed the baby at any sign of hunger. If you do become engorged remember to pump a little to relieve the pressure, but not over pump. If you do not relieve the engorged breasts in a timely manner it can cause a drop in milk production for a short time. Relieving pressure and nursing are important to do during this period as it will pass quickly, and may get worse before it gets better. Do not make it a reason to stop breast feeding. Make it a reason to continue feeding.

Larry has been writing articles for a a few years and enjoys writing on a variety of topics. One such topic is Hospital Grade Breast Pumps. He is a father of one and one on the way. His wife is an advocate of using a Hospital Grade Breast Pump to help ensure optimal breast health.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_L_Clark
http://EzineArticles.com/?Dealing-With-and-Preventing-Engorged-Breasts&id=3829315

As far back as 1974, Janet P. Wallace, PhD, an associate professor and director of the Adult Fitness Program at Indiana University in Bloomington, remembers hearing women complain that their nursing babies refused to drink breast milk after the mothers finished exercising.

Wallace’s most recent study on the subject, which was published just last year, is the latest in an ongoing series of experiments aimed not only at finding out why infants may be finicky about postexercise milk, but how exercising mothers can alleviate the problem without giving up their fitness programs.

In a survey of 75 women who participated in postpartum exercise classes through local hospitals or YMCAs, 7% of new mothers said they had problems nursing their babies after exercising. Wallace says that while such difficulties may not seem widespread, those who do encounter the problem may face a serious dilemma.Wallace also notes that this situation may affect more women than statistics indicate because only women enrolled in supervised classes were polled. Most exercising mothers, especially those who worked out regularly before they gave birth, do so outside of structured classes. Furthermore, Wallace says that women in classes often perform moderate levels of exercise, whereas most of the women she heard complaints from were mothers who exercised heavily and took part in athletic competitions.

Some mothers are left wondering if they should give up their own health agendas for the benefit of their newborns. Wallace says no woman should have to make that decision.
“The whole purpose of these studies is to help women who want to both exercise and breast – feed,” says Wallace. “Women shouldn’t have to choose between the very intimate act of nurturing their babies and keeping themselves in shape. They should have the option of doing both.”

Why Babies Sour On Postexercise Milk

Wallace points to the buildup of lactic acid in breast milk after  exercise as at least one reason for the sourpuss response by nursing babies of active women. Wallace’s tests show a 105% increase in lactic acid concentration in postexercise breast milk compared to pre – exercise breast milk. Although it’s not harmful, lactic acid tastes sour and has been found to alter the flavor of mother’s milk. Studies show that even newborn have a sense of taste refined enough to detech the change. (Taste buds reach mature adult morphology 13 – 15 weeks in utero and are complete before birth.)
Wallace studied 26 nursing mothers and their babies. The infants ranged from 2 – 6 months old. The mothers engaged in a graded treadmill exercise. The treadmills were started at very slow speeds and increased until each woman reached her maximum effort. The women exercised on the treadmill fcr 30 minutes.

Lactic acid concentration was measured in milk samples taken before the exercise and at periods 10 minutes and 30 minutes after the exercise was completed. The babies were then given samples of the milk an a double – blind test, meaning the offered milk was coded so that neither the babies nor the mothers nor the investigators knew if it was milk taken from the mother before of later she exercised. The mothers then rated response of their babies in accepting the milk.

When the code was broken, the test results showed that babies preferred pre – exercise milk to postexercise milk by a statistically significant factor.

What Can You Do?

Wallace says the test results don’t mean mothers have to give up their fitness routines. She offers these guidelines for exercising mothers whose babies may turn up their noses at postexercise milk:
> The simplest solution is to exercise at moderate intensity to prevent excessive lactic acid production. In Wallace’s studies, the lactic acid concentration for women who exercised moderately was only one – third as high as the lactic acid buildup in women who exercised heavily.
> If a nursing mother wants to continue high – intensity training, Wallace suggests nursing the infant before exercising, or collecting the milk before exercising and storing it in the refrigerator for later. (Of course, refrigerated milk should be reheated before it’s fed to the baby!)
> The mother may also try waiting 30 minutes after exercising, emptying her breast milk, and allowing new milk to be produced before breast – feeding.
Wallace emphasizes that many exercising mothers have no problem with babies rejecting milk. If that’s the case, she says women shouldn’t worry about altering their routines. No evidence shows that postexercise milk is in any way nutritionally inferior to pre – exercise milk, Wallace says. Studies have shown that exercising does not alter the fat or carbohydrate content of mother’s milk, though research is currently in progress to test if exercise affects the vitamin or mineral composition of mother’s milk.
“These guidelines are only for mothers who have a problem nursing their babies after exercise,” says Wallace. “Mothers who don’t have a problem do not need to make any modifications.”