Your baby was born two days ago, you have survived the second night which is notoriously challenging, your babies digestive system has been gently started by receiving colostrum from your breastfeeding efforts. You may be starting to question weather you have enough milk as your baby wants to breastfeed more and more. Yes it is common that babies feed more and more at this point, they are working on transitioning your breast milk. This transition to your breast milk usually occurs on day 3 postpartum, where the breast milk increases and is no longer only colostrum milk. Women who needed a cesarean section could have a delay in their milk transitioning until day 4 or day 5 postpartum.
When your milk transitions you may experience engorgement. Engorgement is when the breast becomes very full with milk, possibly hard to the touch. Engorgement of the breast can make it difficult for your baby to latch on well to the breast, this is due to the areola (darkened skin around the nipple) becoming too full which causes the baby to latch only on the nipple tip. The baby latching only on the tip can cause pain, injury and limit babies intake. Also when the breast becomes to full (Engorged or in hebrew Godesh) it is difficult for the baby to drain the milk out of the breast. Engorgement if not managed could cause your milk supply to deplete. Why does engorgement if not managed deplete your milk? There is a hormone in the breast called FIL (Feedback Inhibitor of Lactation) FIL lowers milk production when your breast is full with milk (when FIL is more present), when the breast is emptied there is less FIL present and your body produces more milk. Enough medical lingo, basically if your breasts are full a lot of the time and they are not being emptied your milk production will decrease. This is why management of Engorgement is so essential to your breastfeeding success. Day 3 to 5 postpartum is likely the time when your breast will be their fullest, your body has given you enough breast milk for multiples and you may only have one baby to feed. The best way to manage engorgement is to have your baby empty the breast. How do you achieve that? Before breastfeeding your baby, place a hot cloth on your breast for about 5 minutes, then once warm hand express your breast into the warm cloth until the areola is soft and the baby will be able to latch onto the breast with a wide asymmetrical latch. While your baby breast feeds massage the breast to maximize the milk emptied. After your feed is done you want to place a cold compress on your breast to lower the inflammation. This cold compress could be green cabbage leaves that you have cooled in your refrigerator, a cold cloth or gel pack. It is also important to take good care of your self during these days, eat, hydrate and sleep as it is common for women to feel very emotionally vulnerable in the days that their milk is transitioning. I wish you a smooth postpartum and am happy to offer support to you.