Latch Makers

No engorgement is fun, but did you know that there is a "normal" engorgement and bad engorgement. We call this physiological engorgement vs. pathological engorgement. Physiological engorgement occurs when a new mom's milk is starting to transition from colostrum to breastmilk and is a good sign of milk production. While not all moms experience this, it generally occurs around 2-3 days after your baby is born and is more exaggerated after your second pregnancy.

Pathological engorgement is, however, a very different beast, and if you have ever experienced it, you know what I am talking about. This type hurts, it's red hot and very uncomfortable. We always say the best treatment is prevention. The best way to prevent this type of engorgement is to breastfeed your baby on demand, based on feeding cues and NOT pump unless you are told to supplement with breastmilk after latching, are exclusively pumping, or when your baby gets a bottle instead of latching (ex. nighttime bottles).

If you are experiencing engorgement, please reach out to a lactation consultant in your are or send us a DM. We can help.

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If you are EXCLUSIVELY breastfeeding, you really only need to pump if you are returning to work or if your baby gets a bottle.

When your baby gets a bottle, your body is not being told that the milk you’re producing is needed, so pumping is needed to protect your milk supply.

For moms returning to work:
1. You should start pumping 2 to 3 weeks before your start date.
2. You should try to pump one to two times a day, once in the morning and again whenever is the most convenient.
3. You should pump after breastfeeding and only until you see milk stop flowing.
4. Once you’ve started work you should pump throughout the day the same number of times your baby gets a bottle.

We often say breaskmilk is magical and that’s not just because we’re lactation consultants. Breastmilk really is the complete nutrition powerhouse package. Giving babies exactly what they need, when they need it.

My favorite example of this is with illness prevention. Did you know that your body passes antibodies from germs you encounter to your baby through breastmilk. Even if the baby isn’t exposed. This means that as soon as you’re exposed to an illness you are helping your baby stay healthy 🤯.

Check out our website to learn more, latchmakers.com