Parenting experience

The most common problem seems to be the extreme fullness of breasts the next day after the delivery. Sometimes it happens even before the delivery.
Mothers feel tired, weak, sleepy, but the milk keeps coming and they have to act fast before it gets any worse.
Babies are also sleepy, and seem too fragile to nurse. The key is persistence.

Before baby learns to accept the nipple, mothers with such problems should pump the extra milk out as soon as possible to avoid the painful knobs of engorged milk channels.
If they appear anyway, they should massage them gently, start pumping the milk, and afterwards put cold presses while resting or during the night. They will ease the pain, slow the milk flow, and allow breast pumping.
When the breasts feel brimming and tight it is very difficult for the baby to get hold of the nipple, so you must pump out some milk before you offer the breast to your baby.
When your baby learns how to suckle, nursing is the method of choice for engorged breasts.

Cold presses

If your breasts seem very hard, heavy and full of knobs, after you massaged them, and pump as much milk as you can, put a cold, wet towel while resting, and during the night, in the morning start the massage, and pump again.
During the day, when you are resting, apply the cold press again.
If the pumping seems unsuccessful, prior gentle massage of the breast, and a warm shower might help. Also offer your breasts to your baby as often as you can.

How to massage the breast

Take the right breast with your left hand from below, and with your right hand press the hard, painful knobs with your index or middle finger in the circular motion. Start the massage from the upper part of the breast making your way to the area just behind the nipple. Wherever you feel the knobs, massage them gently, and then start pumping the milk out.

How to use the breast pump

From my own experience breast pump should feel very gentle and natural.
I used Avent breast pump with great success. It took a few minutes, and then the milk started squirting from different milk channels of my nipple. The part that comes onto the breast has to fit exactly, making a vacuum.
I used it only when my breasts felt hard, and painful, and after the production of milk and the demand for it met, there was no need to pump the milk anymore.

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