Massive swollen milk boobs

Breasts are made up of four main tissue structures: fat tissue, milk ducts, glands, and connective tissue. The fat adipose tissue is subject to fluctuations in fluid volume. This can cause your breasts to swell, resulting in soreness or tenderness. Other changes in your breast tissue can also result in breast swelling. Breast swelling can cause noticeable changes. For example, your breasts might become noticeably larger.

When you first start breastfeeding your baby, your breasts produce colostrum in small amounts that gradually increase over the first few days. One of the signs milk is coming in is your breasts become fuller and firmer. This swelling is not just caused by the greater quantity of milk, but also by increased blood flow and extra lymph fluids in your breast tissue. For most new mums, if their baby is feeding well and frequently, these feelings of heaviness pass without problems. But some produce almost more milk than their breasts can hold, which makes them feel rock hard and uncomfortably full — a condition called engorgement. While this is usually only temporary, the 24 to 48 hours it typically lasts for can be painful.

Sometimes tight clothing pressing on the breast can cause engorgement. By expressing to comfort, or feeding her baby frequently, a mother will avoid having very sore and tender breasts, and reduce the risk of painful mastitis symptoms or developing an abscess. Her baby, who would normally be the ideal trigger for a let-down, may also be refusing to latch, or be unable to latch because the nipple or breast may have changed shape. The increasing local pressure of milk within the breast is thought to slow milk production through chemical messengers feedback inhibitors and mechanical means 1.

We all know that breastfeeding is wonderful! But it can also come with its own set of challenges. However, most breastfeeding issues can be resolved rather quickly and get you back on track to bonding with your baby, providing the best nutrition and on the road to meeting your breastfeeding goals! This usually occurs when a mother makes more milk than her baby is drinking.