Hi All,
You know, I think if we really think about this it becomes clear that if a
mom is having the typical minor swelling of the breast that comes with her
milk coming in, then a bit of warmth to relax mom is OK, if that is what she
feels she needs to get things going.
On the other hand, if the mother is experiencing severe to extreme
engorgement then to heck with heat and get out the cold cabbage (or ice if
mom thinks cabbage is too wierd)!
I think that this must remain and issue of the severity of the engorgement
and what the mom is comfy with.  I would never recommend heat to a mom with
severe engorgment...I would find out why is she that engorged (lack of
feeds, improper drainage of breast, etc) and then treat from there.  I have
to agree that heat on severely engorged breasts is probably unhelpful
(possibly harmful??), but on the normal swelling and tenderness that those
women (who are feeding a bunch and have good drainage of the breast) a
little warmth can do wonders.  Also, if a mom is having a hard time dealing
with the minor swelling and tenderness, a little warmth can relax her enough
to get things going and have a good feed/pumping thereby avoiding the
extreme engorgement no one wants to go through.
Just some thoughts this early Tuesday morning...

PS I want to thank everyone who has sent me info on twins and BF and reading
the thread on Lactnet (the stuff I didn't get privately) has been a godsend!
My friend is so close to birthing these babies it is scary!  :)  So all this
wonderful info will help a tremendous amount.
Also, I can honestly say that if it had not been for Lactnet, I would not be
half as knowledgeable as I am about BF.  So, all you newbies to this list,
enjoy your education!

Hugs!
Jay
from COLD California - where the sun is shining but there is ICE on my car!!
(not a common thing for us here in the valley!
Jay Simpson, CLE
Sacramento (State Capital), California, West Coast, USA
"No Miracles performed here, just a lot of love and hard work."