What is breast engorgement?

Breast engorgement occurs when the breasts are overfilled with milk and swollen, causing them to feel firm, tender, and painful. This can occur 3 to 5 days after delivering a baby, due to the onset of copious milk production (called primary breast engorgement), or at any time during the postpartum period when milk supply exceeds milk removal (called secondary breast engorgement). Strategies to manage and prevent engorgement are important because this condition increases the risk for breastfeeding problems like mastitis, clogged ducts, latching difficulties, infant feeding refusal, and premature cessation of breastfeeding.^[1]