How to Wear a Nursing Bra to Relieve Swelling After Birth

After giving birth, the new mother's ever-changing hormones will cause her breasts to become swollen or engorged. Engorgement, while temporary, can be painful and uncomfortable. Wearing a nursing bra after giving birth can help relieve the swelling of the breasts and make you feel more comfortable.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Expect some engorgement of your breasts after giving birth. Typically, within two to three days after giving birth, your milk will come in and fill your breasts. This leads to engorged or swollen breasts. Your breasts can feel tender, full, lumpy and swollen during this time. Your breast may also ache or throb and you can have a low-grade fever as well.

2. Wear a nursing bra during the day to help relieve engorgement or swelling. Make sure that the bra is supportive, yet not too tight. A nursing bra that is too tight can be uncomfortable on already sensitive breasts. Be sure to select a soft cup nursing bra instead of an underwire nursing bra. Underwires can compress the breast too much which can lead to clogged milk ducts.

3. Continue to wear the nursing bra overnight. A nursing bra worn at night can help relieve swelling and support your breasts while you sleep.

4. Know that engorgement of the breasts is only a temporary situation. As you continue to breastfeed your baby, the amount of milk in your breasts will adjust to your baby's needs. When this happens, your breasts will no longer appear engorged. This typically happens within 24 to 48 hours.

Tips & Warnings

• Other ways to relieve breast swelling after birth include nursing your baby frequently and applying cold packs or cold washcloths to the breasts.
• An over the counter pain medication can help relieve some of the pain associated with engorged breasts.

[SallyBaby]

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