How to Soothe Engorgement – Help For Nursing Moms
Posted in Pregnancy, Your Health on 12. Nov, 2009
My cousin is getting ready to have her first baby in a few months, and I was thinking about her today and reflecting on what it was like a few years ago for me as a new mom. Pregnancy, a newborn baby, and nursing were consuming! There is so much information to absorb, and the clock seems to start ticking once you see that positive pregnancy test.
I learned a lot during that first year as a new mom, and I try to pass on whatever little nuggets of wisdom that were passed on to me. Some things I had to learn the hard way, while others were easier thanks to the help of friends and family. Advice from moms who know what they are doing can be very helpful when you’re sleep deprived, sore from delivery, and not exactly sure what you are doing.
One thing in particular I learned was a bit of information passed to me from my mother-in-law (who incidentally has twelve children!). Before I had my daughter, she let me in on a little “nursing hack” that I would later be extremely grateful for. We all know that during those first few days and weeks of nursing, breastfeeding can be pretty painful. One of the reasons it can be so painful is because your breasts become engorged with milk, and sometimes the supply exceeds the demand. Trust me, this isn’t a pretty picture.
Here’s the trick: Take a clean diaper, and wet it with a decent amount of water (the diaper will absorb the water). Put it in the microwave and let it get hot. This will act as a heating pad, and it stays hot for a long time. It feels absolutely wonderful when you are engorged, and this homemade heating pad is much more effective than anything else I’ve tried. When you have a three day old baby who just won’t nurse enough to help you out, this will help tremendously.
-Grace
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