Breastfeeding isn't for everyone. Among other things, certain medications moms really need (anti-seizure drugs, blood-pressure medications) and medical conditions (being HIV positive, a previous breast surgery) can pose a risk to babies or make it impossible to nurse.

What can you expect if you're not planning to nurse? "Several days of being uncomfortably full and sore when milk production kicks in (about three to five days after giving birth), and then your breasts will 'deflate,'" says M. Kelly Shanahan, M.D., an ob-gyn at Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

Ease the temporary discomfort of engorgement by wearing a snug sports bra, placing cold cabbage leaves inside your bra cup or applying an ice pack to your breasts intermittently, and taking acetaminophen (Tylenol). Just having warm water rain down on them in the shower will stimulate more milk production, says Dr. Shanahan, so turn your back to the water while showering.

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