Engorged breasts

I had LO 4 days ago and I am not breast feeding yet. I would like to wait until Monday to speak with a lactation consultant.

However, my breasts are huge and swollen. It feels like hard knots all over them. I guess they're swollen milk glands.

Anyways my question is, how do I soothe this? I'm horrible at hand expressing milk and do not have a breast pump.
Also how long does it take for my milk to dry up without breast feeding?
I cant remember how long it took last time.

Pump, let warm water run on them
Why aren't you BFing yet if you dont mind my asking?

take a warm shower

A hot shower works sometimes. I got a blocked duct with my daughter & it was horrible

Wait why are u waiting to talk to a Lc?! I don't get why u don't just try to nurse er now. Or at least pump it and feed the milk to your LO. Te longer u wait to bg te harder it gets.

Quoting Jennybananna:" Pump, let warm water run on them Why aren't you BFing yet if you dont mind my asking? "

I have never attempted to BF before and I'm clueless on alot of it. What's myths and facts and what not. And I'm also a smoker and taking meds that I would like to talk to a lactition consultant about.
I didn'tjconsider BFing this time around either until just a couple days ago.
I attempted it today and when he latched on, i stopped because it hurt. So I'm just waiting to ask alot of questions.

I suck at pumping btw and I took a hot shower a few minutes ago and now they feel even worse.

Mabe clogged or blocked duct?

<blockquote><b>Quoting My Babies = Love.:</b>" I have never attempted to BF before and I'm clueless on alot of it. What's myths and facts and what ... [snip!] ... I suck at pumping btw and I took a hot shower a few minutes ago and now they feel even worse. Mabe clogged or blocked duct?"</blockquote>


Keep trying to puh through and nurse her sweetie. It's gonna e the best for your breasts. It will get out any clogs and prevent U from eating a yeast infection or mastitis. Those are not fun at all. You can still talk to the Lc Monday but it's best to get LO on now if u want to be successful. Ask us anything, I've gotten the most help from here. What meds are you concerned about? U can check it on Kellymom or safe fetus. Very little of what u consume goes to the baby. Bm is like 90% water. Ask away. We're here to help.

Pumping is going to make MORE milk come back in. Showering just makes my milk drip all over the place.

I'm BFing, so I'm not positive on this, but I hear cold packs and cabbage leaves work pretty well.

Quoting lolajessup:" <blockquote><b>Quoting My Babies = Love.:</b>" I have never attempted to BF before ... [snip!] ... on Kellymom or safe fetus. Very little of what u consume goes to the baby. Bm is like 90% water. Ask away. We're here to help."

Well for one I'm a smoker and heard that the nicotine can reach the baby through breast milk.
I also wonder if it's truth or myth about what I eat will effect the baby. Ex: if I eat a spicy burrito will it tear his little tummy up?
(I know to stay on the same diet as pregnant. like mercury, pasturized diary, and what not.)

Also I am taking tylenol #3 and ibruprofen 800mg.

And another concern is my overall health. I'm very skinny and always have been. I heard it takes 500+ calories a day to breast feed.
and I feel drained all the time so i'm worried that I wont get enough vitamins to to keep me healthy aswell. (i take prenatals and fish oils. i also drink an ensure a day, but I still feel so drained and did when i was pregnant also and I can't afford to keep buying ensures.)

And another thing that sort of bothers me and makes me uncomfortable is (tmi alert!) that me and SO's foreplay has always been him playing and sucking on my nipples...i sort of have a very strong fetish about that.
And It makes me uncomfortable and feel strange. I know BFing is natural and that's the purpose of nipples, but still. KWIM?

Also im afriad of nipple confusion because of how confused he seemed towards the bottle nipple after latching onto my breasts.

I was thinking since i have a 'problem' with him on my breasts that I should just pump the BM... and no nipple confusion in the long run.

Quoting The Inconspicuous Raccoon:" Pumping is going to make MORE milk come back in. Showering just makes my milk drip all over the place. ... [snip!] ... drip all over the place. I'm BFing, so I'm not positive on this, but I hear cold packs and cabbage leaves work pretty well."

Thanks for the info.
I'll research the cabbage leaves and try a cold pack.
my breasts hurt so bad and they'll producing so much milk now that they're dripping like a bottle turned upside down.

<blockquote><b>Quoting My Babies = Love.:</b>" Well for one I'm a smoker and heard that the nicotine can reach the baby through breast milk. I ... [snip!] ... And It makes me uncomfortable and feel strange. I know BFing is natural and that's the purpose of nipples, but still. KWIM?"</blockquote>
Smoking- te benefits of Bfing outright the risks of nicotine reaching the baby. Te bigges problem smoking can cause is low supply. Whatever no biggie.
Tylenol 3- may make baby groggy but like I have said very little of what you consume actually reaches the baby.
Food- I ate whatever I wanted. It all depends on the baby. Some babies can't handle certain things and some can. It won't kill them. You might just have Agassi baby or fussy baby is something doesn't agree. So you just watch for it. It's no reason to not bf because of the occasional spicy food.
Extra calories- 500 calories is not much. YOu can eat like a PB&j and make up the 500 calories.
Foreplay- SO has always sucked on my nipples. While he has accidentally gotten milk usually you have to suck them just right to get milk. It all just depends on the person.
Nipple confusion- if you get him on the breast now and do this as exclusively for the first 6 weeks or until your milk regulates out a little you shouldn't have a problem. It's really not a bi issue unless you're doing it frequently. What I suggest is have someone else do bottles and Ou only do breast. If someone is giving a bottle don't be around. Then they only associate you with breast and lessen the chance of nipple confusion.
Cabbage- cabbage is to dry up your bm. If u wanna bf do not do this.

Quoting lolajessup:" <blockquote><b>Quoting My Babies = Love.:</b>" Well for one I'm a smoker and heard ... [snip!] ... with breast and lessen the chance of nipple confusion. Cabbage- cabbage is to dry up your bm. If u wanna bf do not do this."

 
Everything she says is true! And I use an electric cigarette and BF. That way I can control the amount of nicotine (you can use a very low mg) and it doesn't have all that crap in it that cigs have.