she should breastfeed as frequently as the baby is willing. If the baby is not able to attach and suckle effectively, she should express her milk by hand or with a pump a few times until the breasts are softer, so that the baby can attach better, and then get them to breastfeed frequently. She can apply warm compresses to the breast or take a warm shower before expressing, which helps the milk to flow. She can use cold compresses after feeding or expressing, which helps to reduce the oedema. Engorgement occurs less often in baby-friendly hospitals which practise the Ten Steps and which help mothers to start breastfeeding soon after delivery. Regular breastfeeding can and should be continued. The treatment for breast engorgement can be divided into non-medical and medical methods. The non-medical methods include hot/cold packs, Gua-Sha (scraping therapy), acupuncture and drinking specialized herbal teas whereas medical methods are proteolytic enzymes such as serrapeptase, protease, and subcutaneous oxytocin. Cabbage leaves are often cited as a possible treatment but studies have found they provide "no overall benefit" on breast engorgement. Evidence from published clinical trials on the effectiveness of treatment options is of weak quality and is not strong enough to justify a clinical recommendation. See also Galactorrhea Mammoplasia References External links Breast Engorgement Breast diseases Breastfeeding