I could say that yesterday was the day I finally recovered from an unexpected yet surprising breast engorgement. Why it’s surprising? Simply because breast engorgement is a thing that I never experienced after my son was four months old. He is 16 months old now which means it was about a year ago I experienced my last breast engorgement (before a few days ago). I don’t know the exact cause of the ‘late breast engorgement’ but according to Sioned Hilton on medela.com, breast engorgement could be caused by the decreasing intensity of nursing due to starting solid foods.
I usually use a breast pump to helps me deal with breast engorgement but I faced different situation for now. Since my son prefers direct breastfeeding and my last breast engorgement was around a year ago, I lend the breast pump to my best friend which will deliver on the next few days.
Actually, a few days before the peak, I felt my nipple more sensitive and the breast a bit heavier (the breast engorgement only on the left breast). I still think positive because it could be one of my pre-period symptoms.
On the peak of the breast engorgement day (around 3 days ago) I feel so painful on my breast followed by tenderness and redness especially around the areola. I also found two lumps on my breast that made me more worry and afraid. Moreover, I experienced mood swings due to the intense pain.
The badmood made my husband offered me a trip to a hospital but I feel insecure due to the pandemic. I prefer to do some treatments at home even it would take a longer recovery time due to breastpump unavailability.
First thing I do was massaging my breast by using olive oil. I massage my breast in a circular motion from the outer of the areola to the areola and then in centered motion to the areola. I also put some olive oil on my nipple to moisten the area.
After massaging the breast, I put a warm-hot towel on my breast, especially the lumpy area. According to Sioned Hilton on medela.com, put a warm towel could enhance milk circulation/flow. Moreover, based on the statement on raisingchildren.net.au a warm towel compress could help to soften the breast lumps. I keep massaging the breast after compressing it with a hot towel and some drops of milk immediately out from my nipple.
After knowing that the milk has good flow, I offered my breast to my son and he sucked it for a couple of minutes. While nursing, I continue massaging the breast in centered motion, especially on the lumpy area. Based on Sioned Hilton statement on medela.com, massaging while nursing could help the milk drain effectively.
I really thankful that my son was so cooperative on that day. He asked for breastmilk more often than usual even only a couple of minutes per session. Frequent nursing, massage, and hot compress are helpful in relieving the swollen and tender breast. I feel better and better right after nursing and massaging.
On the other hand, I still confused about the pain and redness that still exist even the breast condition actually improved. I decided to search on the internet and found that it should be compressed with a cold towel. I did it then the pain and redness had been reduced.
On the next day, I still felt my breast a bit swollen, tender, and painful but the redness was gone. The lumps also still there but at least better than the day before. I keep do the things I’ve done on the peak day but with no hot/cold compress. I rely on massaging while nursing and always feel better. To deal with the pain, I rely on shower time. I let the shower directed to my breast for a few seconds.
An additional thing that I did in order to recover from the pain is yoga session named “Yoga for Breast Pain” from Daily Yoga app. Some poses require to laid on the front side of the body that made me afraid would be painful on the breast. Thank God I did not feel any intense pain but I feel the mild one and still okay to continue the session. I also thankful because I decided to do this yoga on the day when my breast condition is better.
On the day which I fully recovered, I still feel tenderness and mild pain but no lump anymore. I felt so much better on that day. I initiated to do sunbathing and yoga to enhance recovery. The yoga session that I have done on that day was “Traditional Sun Salutation” from the Daily Yoga app. The session helped me to enhance my deep breath and flexibility.
Right after the yoga session, I realized that my breast engorgement was totally recovered! Some times I still feel pain on the nipple but it’s not a big deal. The most important is I didn’t feel any intense pain, lump, tenderness, and redness on my breast anymore.
I think the key to deal with the breast engorgement are patient, efforts, and your child’s help. Let’s say thanks to your little one for helping you out from breast engorgement!
New Mom Journal 