Article: When your breasts first begin to make milk after you deliver your baby, they may feel warm, swollen, and heavy, even uncomfortably so. Symptoms of prolonged breast engorgement after the first 2-5 days include:  breasts that are swollen, firm, and painful flattened, hard areolas (the darker part of the breast around the nipple). This can make it more challenging for the baby to latch on. breasts that seem shiny, warm, hard, or slightly lumpy to the touch (in more severe cases) a slight fever and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the armpits If you find the soreness of your breasts is worsening, or you notice redness or lumpiness to the skin, or pain or burning when feeding, you may have plugged milk ducts or "mastitis" (an infection of the breast).   Plugged milk ducts generally means symptoms of redness, lumpiness, and/or increased pain in the breast secondary to too much milk. It is basically a more serious form of breast engorgement, and you are also more prone to developing an infection in the breast when you have poor milk flow (called "mastitis").  Plugged ducts can also occur for other reasons (where the duct is truly blocked by something else, other than just milk), but this is less common. If you suspect you may have plugged milk ducts or mastitis (both have similar symptoms, but mastitis usually has the added symptom of a fever and/or chills), it is important to see your doctor promptly for treatment. You may need to take an antibiotic. If you do not treat mastitis promptly, it can turn into an abscess that could require disfiguring surgery to treat.

What is a summary?
Know the symptoms of breast engorgement. Learn about complications of breast engorgement and when to seek help.