I gave birth on the 13th May and had always thought I would breast feed, however I have an inverted nipple and it caused so much heart ache and pain that I have decided to bottle feed.

I breast fed for the first 2 days and baby would only accept one breast leaving that one very painful and baby would not even entertain the other one.

The midwifes were fab and really tried to help me breast feed but it is not to be.

I have put baby on SMA gold and now have incredibly painful breast as the milk has come in. I am in pain and upset about not been able to feed how I expected, but actually realise now that bottle feeding is not such a bad thing. My baby is happy and I am now happy.

So anyway any tips on engorged breast and what are the dos and don'ts to bottle feeding. All help gratefully appreciated.

By the way - sorry what am I like - I had a little girl called Caitlin, weighing in at 8lbs

Hello sazzle and nice to meet you!

Have a look at our Breastfeeding Section .... where you should be able to find an article about Engorged Breasts somewhere. Sorry to hear about your problems but I'm sure here you'll find someone who can help you and give you advice.

Hiya, lovely to see you back on the site & congratulations on your baby girl

Sorry to hear you had to stop b'f when you wanted to do it so much. I also had to give up earlier than expected with Zac because I have a hernia which was making it painful for me to feed him. I stops gradually though so my breasts weren't too bad. I did actually stop a lot quicker with my 1st baby though & it was very painful as my breasts became engorged. I just tried to ignore the pain but it got so bad that I did have to express a bit from them just to make myself more comfortable. That did help. Also try having a hot bath. This will help to empty a small amount from them. I wouldn't express too much though as this will stimulate your breast to produce more, so I did it just enough to take the edge of the pain.

I found that the pain was only really bad for a day or 2 then my breasts got a lot more comfortable & eventually stopped hurting at all.

As for the bottle feeding it's pretty straight forward. I started with the amount that it said on the tin for his age, then as he has started finishing all of his bottles I started adding an ounce more so he was full & going about 4 hours between feeds

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Thanks for the advice. It all still seems very ver whelming at the moment, not helped by the fact that I keep crying for stupid reasons - I know its my hormones and my husband is very supportive so hope it all gets easier soon

You will feel better soon hun. It is very emotional having to give up when you don't want to, but it's not the end of the world. As you say, your hormones are haywire atm & you'll be feeling upset at the most silly things at times but it does get a lot better & easier. It won't take long to start feeling less emotional about everything, honestly. What you are feeling is perfectly normal for a new mom x

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Congrats on your baby and even if you only breastfed for a couple of days, you still managed to give her some colostrum which is packed full of goodness so well done

For engorged breasts, it doesn't last that long luckily - within a week it's all settled down. In the meantime, you can squeeze out just enough to make it bearable in the shower (not too much or you'll increase the supply even more) or throughout the day, with a warl flannel and a towel. It's an old wive's tale but does actually help a bit too to put cabbage leaves down your bra - don't ask me why though !!

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if it works thats all that matters

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Congratulations on your baby! Engorged breasts are so painful but they do ease up after a while xx

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