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Ask A Lactation Consultant

Q. What protocol do you recommend for the breastfeeding mother experiencing engorgement? Is there any scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of cabbage leaves as part of a protocol and do they dry up the milk supply?

A. Hi, Engorgement is caused by a couple of different things going on in a mother's body. #1 is milk that is building up in supply and the other is swelling. The cabbage leaves work to decrease the amount of swelling. There has been studies done with cabbage leaves that do show some effectiveness. Some institutions are even using them to decrease swelling after surgeries or injuries where there is swelling. What I usually tell a mother to do for engorgement is to use warm before feeding baby or expressing and cool after. The warmth helps to increase blood flow to the breast and allows the milk to flow and the cool afterwards helps to decrease the swelling. Mothers can use an ice pack or cabbage leaves for the swelling. Cabbage leaves should be cool when applied and crushed just slightly and then laced in mom's bra and left until they wilt. A mother would not want to use the cabbage leaf treatment for longer than 24-48 hours because it can profoundly decrease milk supply if left too long. But they can work very well to dexcrease swelling.

Stephanie Ryan, RN, BSN, ICCE, IBCLC answers your breastfeeding questions.