Dear Lisa,
Her edema may take a few weeks to resolve. After delivery mom's have a lot
of fluid
from her increased blood supply. The fluid then has to leave the body
(increased
urinating , sweating). Some shifts into the tissues and causes increased
edema. If
she had PIH, her edema could be worsened. Time will take care of it, but I
think
your idea of green cabbage should help or cold compresses. It makes it hard
for baby
to latch and also for milk to let-down with so much tissue swelling. I've
worked in
Obstetrics for years and I have never seen a mom who did not get increased
swelling.
If lying down works, keep it up. Dad's are very important until mom can gain
confidence and is able to see what she is doing through the swelling.
Encouragement
and football hold with a lot of pillows is the only other easy position for
large
breasts that may be helpful for her to see what she is doing. Hope this
helps.
Terry


> Subject: Worsening edema, super-sized breast
> Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1999 22:15:33 -0700
> From: Lisa Marasco IBCLC <[log in to unmask]>
>
> I have had two moms, back to back, who did not have a lot of swelling
before
> delivery, but during and after developed it pretty badly. What seems
strange
> to me is that both of them have complained that it has been getting worse
> (3-4 day mark). One mom's milk was simply not coming in and baby was
already
> more than a pound below BW; the other mom has had super-breast growth,
> 38DD-38KK, baby struggles to latch, and her breasts were distended to the
> point that she had bilateral pau d'orange. I've never seen this latter
> phenomena before, and I've always read about it in the context of
abscesses
> or cancer. I can tell you for a fact, however, that hers is related to
edema
> + engorgement.
>
> Anyone seen this edema that gets worse? I did suggest watermelon for both
> and cabbage for the engorged mom. What's going on here?
>
> On those KK breasts; they are just so big and round as well as long, that
it
> is hard for mom to be able to see her nipple, let alone get baby lined up.
> Her belly is still large, and lay upon that those breasts and you have
great
> difficulty putting mom and babe together. We switched to laying down, and
I
> was able to get baby on after a bit of coaxing; however, mom is not able
to
> see around herself well enough yet, and dad did not work out as a
> latch-helper (willing, but timing and finesse weren't there). Anyone
worked
> through this before?
>
> -Lisa Marasco, BA, IBCLC
>
>