Newborns boobies?

nurse_suzan · Jun 27, 2005

I am not an ob nurse, that being said I have a question about newborns having "engorged breasts". My neighbor has a 2 week old with this. I have heard of the hormones from the mom and newborn effecting the newborns breasts however this particular newborns breast are about the size of a silver dollars and hard with inverted nipples. Has anyone seen this or have any ideas?

Yes this is from hormones, and will go away

NursePamela · Jun 27, 2005

What do you think of putting cabbage leaves on the newborn boobies?

baby&mommynurse · Jun 27, 2005

What do you think of putting cabbage leaves on the newborn boobies?

I'm curious to where you got your information about placing cabbage leaves on enlarged newborn breasts, as I have never heard of this. There is no need to treat enlarged breasts in newborns as this condition is common. It is a result of exposure from maternal hormones and will go away within a few days or a few weeks. There may also be discharge which is also normal.

NursePamela · Jun 27, 2005

If the moms boobs are engorged you put cold cabbage leaves on them so,,,,, if the babies boobs are "engorged" ???? This is just a guess / question. The babies breasts are about 3 inches in diameter and hard. The baby does not cry when you touch them but seems to get a bit uncomfortable.

baby&mommynurse · Jun 27, 2005

A mom's breasts would be engorged due to an over supply of milk, baby's breasts are enlarged (not engorged) due to hormones. So, there is no need to treat the baby. Maybe the baby is uncomfortable just because the breasts are being touched? The newborns I work with usually don't like too much activity or stimulation. If the mom is concerned that they are not decreasing in size, she should consult with a pediatrician.

NursePamela · Jun 27, 2005

Thanks for the info. Have you ever seen it anything other than hormones?

baby&mommynurse · Jun 27, 2005

If the baby is a male, then it could also be a condition called gynecomastia... breast development that occurs in males. Most likely your neighbor's baby just has swollen breasts due to mom's hormones.

NursePamela · Jun 27, 2005

Thanks again. The baby is a girl.

SmilingBluEyes · Jun 27, 2005

This is a normal finding in healthy newborns and no intervention is necessary. Also normal for girls is a mucousy pink lady partsl discharge. Also from hormone exposure in-utero. Again, no need for intervention, just basic diapering hygiene.

austin heart, BSN, RN · Jun 27, 2005

My son had this problem at birth and my Pedi said that it was from my hormones and that it would go away and it did after a few days. I think that it just natural for us to worry about our newborns and want them to be "perfect". And they are, even with this issue. :) My best advice is just to reassure your friend that this is normal.

prmenrs, RN · Jun 27, 2005

Babies can also get mastitis. I've seen babies w/one breast larger than the other and warmer and erythematous. Pediatrician should be consulted if this is seen. Antibiotics may be necessary.

The gender of the baby doesn't matter for this condition. Little boys may also have enlarged testes from the hormone exposure, and this may last for a few months. Pseudomenstration only lasts ~ a week. (I hate to think of those tykes having cramps, don't you? Let's hope not.)

Cabbage leaves are a common folk remedy in some cultures for inflammation, fever, headaches, or even just to keep cool in hot weather. Some ?Korean baseball player recently got into trouble because he had one under his hat! Don't think there is any concrete evidence as to whether it works or not.