During pregnancy a woman goes through several changes in her body. The hormonal changes as well as the changes in her physical appearance can be a lot to deal with. Added to that she is stressed out about the arrival of the new life that she is about to bring into this world. This stress increases as she progresses in her term and this stress brings about changes in her body.

If you are a pregnant woman then you must remember that you need to avoid getting stressed out as it has an impact on your body and will affect your supply of milk when you child is born. Some mothers suffer from breast engorgement; this is a condition where the supply of milk increases more than the demand and the milk is trapped in the breast. When this happens the breast gets large and hard; this is extremely painful. Fortunately there are several ways to prevent and cure this condition.

A hot water compress will give you a lot of relief. There are several ways that you can use a hot water compress on your breast. The easiest way to use a hot compress is to use a hot water bottle or a towel on the region; however this may not be the most effective remedy. You may try it but if you do not get any relief then do not give up hope for there are plenty of other ways to ease the pain.

Another way to use a hot compress on your breast is to fill a bowl with hot water and soak your breast in the hot water; this will ease the pain and reduce the stiffness in the breast.

Apply a few cabbage leaves to the engorged breast. The leaves are known to be able to reduce the pain and regulate the production of milk.

In order to prevent the breast from getting engorged you must feed your baby more often however do not attempt to over feed the baby as this can make the baby ill. Breast feeding the child regularly reduces the possibility of engorgement.

You must also massage your breast regularly. This increases the blood circulation in the region and softens the breast tissues; thereby preventing any engorgement. Massaging the breast also increases the flow of the milk.

If your body is producing more milk than your child demands then you must use a breast pump to extract the excess milk; you can freeze the supply of milk and offer it to the child later.