Breast care after stillbirth or death of a child

Some parents will want to stop their milk production. Other parents may want to continue to produce milk. It is your choice, and you should do what gives you the most comfort during this period.

Milk production is stimulated when milk is removed from the breast regularly. To safely stop milk from being produced, you will need to reduce the amount of milk removed slowly.

It may take weeks or months for your milk to disappear completely. You may still have leaks for some time after the discomfort has settled. If you find milk production difficult to manage, you can talk to your local doctor about medications or strategies to comfortably stop or reduce your breast milk.

Milk production can be uncomfortable, especially early on when the milk comes in, and supply starts to regulate. If you want to stop your milk production, it is important to keep yourself comfortable.

Try the following tips to manage some of the discomfort with milk production.

1. handle your breasts gently
2. keep your fluid levels up and try to eat
3. wear a well-fitting bra or crop top rather than a tight breast binder
4. use disposable or reusable breast pads to help absorb milk leaks
5. use cold compresses in your bra – for example, wet face washers, cool gel packs, washed cabbage leaves or disposable nappies that have been filled with water and frozen
6. avoid excessive heat on the breasts
7. take pain medicine like paracetamol or ibuprofen when needed
8. hand express just enough milk to give you relief.

Engorgement

Engorgement is when the breasts become swollen, hard, and painful. You can relieve the pain of engorgement by gently hand expressing or pumping. Over a few days, only express enough milk to keep your breasts comfortable. Try applying cool packs to help with inflammation, avoid heat and take over-the-counter pain relief like paracetamol or ibuprofen if needed.

Mastitis

Mastitis is a potentially severe and painful infection of your breast tissue. It can happen when the milk ducts are blocked or bacteria gets into the breast. Mastitis can be common in the first 3 months of milk production but can happen anytime.

Signs of mastitis include:

• the breasts feeling tender or hot to the touch
• redness, usually in a triangle shape
• swelling
• lumps in the breast tissue
• pain or burning when removing milk
• flu-like symptoms – cough, sore throat, runny nose, and headache
• fever.

See your doctor as soon as possible if you are experiencing mastitis. It will be treated with antibiotics, gentle massage, removing milk and resting.

The funeral of a child is one of the most difficult things to experience. You will need extra support from a partner, friends, and family, whether it be emotional or physical closeness or just having some support with cooking, cleaning, and self-care.

On the day of the funeral or memorial service, it is essential to make sure you are as comfortable as possible. Consider:

• wearing a comfortable and supportive bra with breast pads to absorb any leaks
• wear patterned or dark-coloured clothing with a jacket, cardigan or light shawl to cover any leaks
• bring extra breast pads and over-the-counter pain medicine like paracetamol or ibuprofen.