Engorgement with low supply?

Question

4 days postpartum. My breasts are rock hard and SUPER painful. When I pump to try to get relief I barley get an ounce and they are still hard despite the fact that I massage them while pumping. Anyone deal with this? How can I get relief? And more supply from them?

Answer

Your babies stomach is so tiny, an once is what all they eat if not less right now. It doesn't mean you have low supply. Pumping is NOT an indication of how much you make.

Answer

When this happened to me I took a hot shower and hand expressed. Afterward I would nurse baby and be fine.

Answer

At 4 days post partum, your milk is just not starting to change to actual milk and not just colostrum. They will feel fuller and painful for several days and then once your baby has had time to regulate that supply, you'll feel better. Mine took about a week and a half before they felt better and I was able to pump more than just an once. Also, with pumping it is a big mental game. Your milk doesn't let down for a machine unless you are really connecting machine to baby. I sat next to my little one and smiled and interacted while I pumped for the first couple of times before my brain established pump means let down. Ha. Also, while your milk comes in, massage your breasts as much as possible but I'd stay away from warm compresses (advice from my Lactation Specialist) due to warmth causes tissue to swell.... You're already painful from swelling. Just hang in there, you're doing great mama, just stay positive!

Answer

Take a hot shower and massage them in the shower, then pump right when you get out.

Answer

Oh yes! I went through the same thing!! So painful!! Engorgement is basically swelling., right? This is what finally did it'd or me:
Ice before: I smaller ziploc bags of frozen peas in tube socks and wrapped them around my boobs to help swelling of tissue so more milk could evacuate.
Ice after pumping
Limit your pumps to 15 mins
Ibuprofen every 4 hours!
Gentle massage 
Be patient!
It took me about 3 days of working at it to get them moving!

Answer

Try laying a warm towel over your breasts before trying to feed, pump, or express milk. (I'm still pregnant with my first baby so I've never breastfed before) but I read it can help ease the pain and can help prevent developing a clogged duct.

Answer

Hot steamy shower then nurse baby as soon as you get out, helping baby massage breast. Try not to pump unless you have to, baby gets milk out way better than any pump.

Answer

When you pump do you have a let down? I struggled with this a little at first before I got the hang of it. Also you may need different sized pump flanges, if they are not fitting well that can contribute. 
Baby is not eating much at that age so I wouldn't worry about that, I'm just thinking of your engorgement  issue.

Answer

Good suggestions and comments! Thank you! I guess I was just concerned because I thought that once you become engorged it meant your milk was in and in abundance. I also thought that pumping/feeding would make them less hard which is not happening. However, it makes sense that my body wouldn't want to make much due to the age of my baby!

Answer

I know the feeling and it can be frustrating, but just because you don't get much pumping doesn't mean you have low supply. Most women don't pump a ton, especially in the beginning. It also depends on the kind of pump, the time of day (most women get more in the morning) etc...

Engorgement with low supply?

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