Engorged? Try Reverse Pressure Softening

RPS, or Reverse Pressure Softening, can help soften the areola when breasts are engorged, which will make it easier for baby to obtain a deep latch.

A deep latch is more comfortable for you and efficient for baby!

When milk volume increases a few days after delivery, many women become engorged. Rock hard breasts replace the soft, pliable "training breasts" that baby became accustomed to during the colostrum phase. Reverse pressure softening can help move fluid away from the nipple, to soften the areola during the engorgement period. This should allow baby to grasp more tissue and latch deeply, which is more comfortable for mom, and allows baby to provide better areolar compression, which gets him more milk! Nipple damage occurs when baby's lips are positioned too close to the nipple, with the corner of his mouth at a narrow angle. The mechanics of RPS are very simple - using two fingers, you gently put inward pressure at the base of your nipple, and if you like, you can slowly spread your fingers apart, pushing fluid away from your nipple and areola. The maneuver is ridiculously easy. Watch this youtube video to see how it's done: https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-infospace-090&hsimp=yhs090&hspart=infospace&param1=pvnahm0vei7vi9fdqac0ddfy&p=reverse+pressure+softening+video&type=ud-c-us--s-p-nszeox5p--exp-none--subid-none#id=4&vid=2bfec1f23f7e23592223d816d4e20254&action=view

What else can I try?

You may want to use RPS in addition to manual expression, which removes a little bit of milk and can trigger a "let-down" of milk. This can also help soften the breast so that baby achieve a deep, comfortable, and effective latch. Here is a good visual demonstration of manual expression: https://med.stanford.edu/newborns/professional-education/breastfeeding/hand-expressing-milk.html

Other important measures to relieve engorgement are: nursing baby frequently based on his hunger cues, and offering to nurse baby at least every three hours, even if this means awakening him! It's also recommended to offer both breasts at each feeding, in the beginning weeks when supply is being established. If either breast has to wait longer than three hours to be emptied, engorgement will compound, and supply may falter. If baby has nursed well and seems content, but discomfort is still present, mom may ice her breasts right after the feeding. And, if mom can take ibuprofen safely, it can reduce pain and swelling. Consider that when engorgement occurs, it isn't just because the milk volume has dramatically increased, but also because the breasts are swollen. Therefore, measures that reduce swelling are helpful. Outdated advice is to use a heating pad on the breasts prior to nursing. Research now indicates that this may increase the congestion, rather than relieve it. However, getting into the shower and letting the warm water run over your breasts may very well turn on the faucets, and is definitely worth trying.

Remember, engorgement is temporary, and usually resolves in about 48 hours. When it happens, take advantage of this window of opportunity to signal to your body that you want the production to continue, and increase! If baby isn't consistently nursing well enough to reduce the discomfort of engorgement, contact a lactation consultant to ask about pumping. If the milk isn't removed, hormone levels will drop and the breasts will quickly stop making milk.