I can't remember from the initial post if the mother was actually in the
hospital or on bed-rest at home, but what sounds like "engorgement" can
be other things.

Several years ago I got a call from a mother a  few days post-partum who
said she was exhausted, and her breasts were swollen and painful, and
not letting down.  It sounded like a classic case of milk "coming in,"
so I reviewed the basics of dealing with engorgement and encouraging a
let-down, etc.  She lived nearby, and was going to come over to my house
the next day.  When she didn't arrive, I called her house, and her
husband told me she had collapsed during the night, and he took her to
the emergency room, for a diagnosis of post-partum preeclampsia, with
swelling and extremely high blood pressure.

It's hard to say how one would distinguish such a rare case from the
common scenario of a stressed-out engorged mother, especially in a phone
call.  But if this pregnant mother is engorged and not leaking milk, it
might be worth looking at other health issues.

Margaret

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