Breast engorgement means a phenomenon that occurs to mothers after 2-5 days after birth. At this time, the swelling of the milk gland tissue causes a feeling of chest pressure, mild pain or heat, accompanied by a feeling of chest tightness.
Does milk tension affect mother and baby?
The answer is yes and the breast fullness phenomenon of the mother after giving birth affects quite a lot on mother and baby.
Affect the baby
This problem also affects the baby when the fluid around the milk glands collects and the milk glands begin to swell. The mother's breasts gradually harden, forming a hard lump that makes it difficult for the baby to suckle and not latch on for long. Both mother and child are uncomfortable affecting the baby's care.
Affect the mother
Postpartum tension in addition to causing pain to the mother also leads to milk loss due to the no longer working milk glands. In addition, the mother is blocked in the ducts and may have an infection of the mammary gland.
What to do when breastfeeding?
After giving birth, gently massage the nipples to stimulate the breast to release milk. If the breasts are erect, then the pregnant woman will feel the breasts become full, then you can massage the breasts with a warm towel. The udder comb can be used in a top-down direction to clear the milk glands. After that, it is necessary to gently massage the mammary glands to help with lactation very effectively.
Warm / cold compresses the breasts
After each feeding, to reduce swelling of the milk glands, women can cool the breast and underarms. You can apply cold with a bag of cold water or a bag of homemade cold vegetables (leave the bag in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before). Should leave a thin layer of towel on the mammary gland when cold applied (avoid too cold, cool the stretching place).
Every time you prepare to breastfeed, pregnant women need to warm up their breasts, which can help increase lactation. Pregnant women can use a warm steam bath or apply a warm compress on the mammary glands before feeding their baby.
Suck milk
When having a lot of painful erections to soften the milk glands, use a pump to pump. After breastfeeding, if the milk gland remains tight and painful after breastfeeding. Then the mother needs to pump about 5-10 minutes to quickly remove all the milk. This will help the baby's milk to be softer and easier for the baby to suckle, avoiding the clogging of the milk jet.
Breastfeeding to reduce engorged breasts
When a mother's breast fullness of breasts needs to be examined?
Normal breast engorgement can turn into engorgement if the baby is not feeding enough or the baby is not feeding at all. And the mother does not know how to empty the breast effectively.
After giving birth, if there are symptoms such as: the feeling of chest tightness does not decrease, the fluid around the milk glands collects and the milk glands begin to swell. The mother's breasts gradually harden and the surrounding skin is stretched, the breasts hurt, sometimes the mother may have a mild fever ...
If left for a long time, it can lead to clogging of the ducts and potentially dangerous inflammation of the mammary glands. At this time, pregnant women need to go to the medical facility for counseling. Absolutely do not arbitrarily use drugs to stop lactation, because these drugs can cause many side effects.
What to do to prevent engorged breasts
To prevent engorgement, mothers need to breastfeed regularly, breastfeed every 3 hours (maybe 10-12 times a day, at night should not exceed 3 hours). Each breastfeed for at least 15 minutes on one breast before switching to the other breast. If your baby does not finish the milk, express the milk to avoid clogging.
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