My newborn has swollen breasts- what should I do?

Nothing. You need to do nothing out of the ordinary. Simple observation. No squeezing, no pressing. Just wait for it to go away.

Up to 70% of newborns can have breast swelling of different degrees. It is known by different names including gynecomastia of the newborn, or mastauxe. The swelling may be soft or hard and is usually apparent by the third day of life, and can last up to two weeks, and for some, it persists even six months after delivery. it is due to the presence of the mother’s hormone- estrogen, the level of which falls after delivery, that stimulates another level in the brain - called prolactin to increase- this is what happens in normal women as well- and it causes the breast buds to swell- and in some instances, to produce milk.

The breasts may be tender and occasionally, in about five to twenty percent of newborns, breast milk is also secreted for a few weeks. This used to be called witches’ milk- it is indistinguishable from ordinary human breast milk. Again, there is no need to do anything about this, the discharge disappears without treatment,

The normal course is for the breast swelling to go down, although some have been known to last as six months.

This swelling is a cause of great concern to parents, It goes away as the hormones leave the baby’s body. Mothers are particularly advised NEVER TO SQUEEZE OR MASSAGE THE BREAST OR NIPPLE as this can result in an infection under the skin. Just as importantly, when the breasts are squeezed to remove the milk, it increases the expression of milk by about a hundredfold!

If a breast abscess forms because the tissue was manipulated, the baby will need to be cared for in the hospital, with a procedure and antibiotics.