What are the main signs and symptoms of breast engorgement?

    Written by:
    Brady Holmer
    Last Updated: May 16, 2025

    Breast engorgement is characterized by firm, tender, and swollen breasts that may appear larger, uneven, and shiny, with visible veins and potential swelling that extends to the armpit. Symptoms can include pain, flat or inverted nipples, and a mildly elevated body temperature, and it is common to experience some degree of engorgement in the first week postpartum.

    When the breasts are engorged with milk and swollen, some common signs and symptoms appear in one or (more often) both breasts. The breasts can feel firm, tender, tight, painful, warm, and even lumpy. They will look larger, can be uneven or lopsided, and the skin covering them may appear shiny (due to being stretched) and have more visible veins. The swelling sometimes extends to the armpit or across the sternum and can also affect the nipples, making them firm and flat (or even inverted).[1] Systemically, a mildly elevated body temperature may be present.[2] These signs and symptoms can ebb and flow, remain constant, or progressively worsen with time.[3] It is considered normal to experience some degree of breast engorgement in the first week after giving birth.[4]