How to drain the thoracic ducts for the first time. How important is proper pumping when breast milk stagnates? Communication with a specialist

Few of the nursing women escaped such an unpleasant condition as lactostasis. This term is understood as stagnation of milk, manifested by painful sensations, hardened areas and redness of the skin of the breast.

The main danger of this phenomenon lies in the possibility of its transition into a more serious nuisance - inflammation of the mammary glands. And in such a situation, treatment with medications and even surgery is not excluded. That is why it does not hurt to know how lactostasis manifests itself in a nursing mother and how to cure it at home.

Only after the birth of a child, newly-made mothers begin to understand what lactostasis is, having discovered an extremely painful seal in the mammary gland and feeling. However, these are not the only symptoms of the phenomenon.

Of course, it is more correct when nursing mothers turn to specialists for help at the first problems with their breasts. But before that, it is important to “recognize” the signs of lactostasis, which include:

If the temperature in breastfeeding mothers rises to 39.5 ° C, it can be assumed that some infection has joined the swelling and an inflammatory process has begun. In such a situation, a visit to the doctor is mandatory.

Causes

Before proceeding to describe the causes that provoke the formation of "plugs" in the mammary gland, it is necessary to consider the process of development of lactostasis in lactating women.

In one of the areas of the breast, the outflow of milk stops, swelling appears. Hence - unpleasant sensations when touched. The temperature in mothers begins to rise because the milk protein accumulated in the ducts is perceived by the cells of the immune system as a foreign body. The body simply fights with the "enemy".

What causes congestion in the chest? Several factors can provoke them.

Infrequent changes in posture while breastfeeding. If the parent feeds the child for a long time in one position, then only certain areas of the breast will be released. In the rest, the milk secret begins to stagnate, resulting in a seal.
This reason is typical for women who like to nap in one position - most often on the left or right side. In this case, the milk secret accumulates in the lower areas of the chest, located closer to the armpits.
Tight underwear. Some mothers, who are afraid of sagging mammary glands due to the influx of milk, or who want to prevent it from flowing out, get an overly tight bra. Such linen compresses the milk ducts and makes it difficult for the outflow of milk.
Insufficient fluid intake. Due to an incorrectly organized drinking regimen, lack of fluid in the body, excessive passion for nuts, the viscosity of the milk secretion increases. The child is not able to sufficiently empty the breast, resulting in stagnation of milk.
The use of "substitutes" of the mammary gland. A newborn child, forced for some reason to suck on a pacifier or a bottle, develops an incorrect breast latch. Because of this, he takes it worse and sucks milk not actively enough.
Pumping. With normally organized breastfeeding, pumping is an optional procedure. However, some mothers, wanting to improve lactation, pump constantly, and this causes an excessive flow of milk. The newborn is not able to take the entire volume of the product, so the remnants of the secret remain in the milk ducts, gradually clogging them.

In addition, trauma to the mammary gland can lead to lactostasis. If a woman hits her chest against a hard object, there will be swelling of the tissues and, as a result, blockage of the milk ducts.

What do we have to do?

Treatment of lactostasis is a fairly quick process, if you approach it wisely. Nursing mothers can also get rid of seals and relieve other unpleasant symptoms at home.

At the first sign of blockage of the milk ducts, you should seek help from the best "doctor" - your child. It is breastfeeding that is considered the best way to get rid of lactostasis. The popular doctor Komarovsky also speaks about this.

And in order for the attachment to the mammary gland to bear fruit, it is important to adhere to certain rules.

Usually, frequent and proper feeding of the baby leads to a quick disposal of milk "plugs". If treatment with a “child” does not help, you need to use the following algorithm:

Warm compress
Gentle
Pumping
Cold compress

Treatment of lactostasis at home involves the consistent use of these methods. It remains only to understand, apply compresses and.

With distinct and painful seals in the mammary gland, compresses will help to drain the “cork”. Warm pads relax the pectoral muscles and improve milk flow, while cold pads perfectly relieve puffiness.

The simplest but most effective procedure is to soak a tissue in warm water and apply it to the hardened area. It is necessary to make such a compress before feeding or decanting milk. If the body temperature is high, warm pads are canceled.

However, elevated temperature is not an absolute contraindication for applying compresses. Breastfeeding experts recommend treating lactostasis with the following overlays:

For breastfeeding mothers, a cold compress is also useful, which is effective for severe swelling. It is extremely simple to do it - it is enough to apply a cold cloth for a couple of minutes after decanting or feeding the baby.

No need to apply compresses soaked in alcohol or camphor to the chest. These substances block the release of oxytocin, as a result of which the waste of milk only worsens, and the swelling of the mammary glands only intensifies.

With pronounced seals, massage of the mammary glands becomes a mandatory procedure for women. However, it is important to understand that the main task of massaging is not to break the seal, but to relax the chest as much as possible. This will help the active movement of the milk secret in the ducts and its outflow.

When breastfeeding, mothers should massage very carefully, observing the following simple rules:

The main purpose of the massage is not to remove the “plugs” in women, but to relax her breasts. Treatment of lactostasis by massaging should take place without pressure and other strong influences that will only increase pain.
Stretching the mammary gland during milk stagnation means only harming yourself. Nursing mothers should have a “golden” rule - the breasts are stroked and gently rubbed, but not kneaded. When breastfeeding, a simple warm-up and relaxation of the mammary glands is enough.
It is necessary to carry out circular massaging movements towards the center of the chest.
If, when massaging the mammary glands, mothers experience severe pain, then the event is transferred under a warm shower. Not very hot water relaxes the chest and reduces the intensity of the pain syndrome. The optimum shower temperature is 36-38 °C.

If the massage is performed in compliance with all the rules, then it becomes a good preparation of the mammary gland for the withdrawal of milk through pumping or feeding the baby.

Rules for successful pumping

For some new moms, breast pumping is stopped by the pain. However, if milk stagnation is dissipated in accordance with the rules, then the painful sensations will disappear after the first procedure, and lactostasis will disappear entirely after one or two days.

When breastfeeding, mothers must pump according to certain rules.

The thumb should be placed above the chest, the rest - clasp the gland from below. In this case, the index and thumb fingers are as close as possible to the edge of the areola.
Then the fingers gradually move to the middle of the chest. At the same time, it is important for women to learn how to make slow and rhythmic movements.
Absolutely all the thoracic lobes must be filtered out, focusing on the compacted areas.
After that, you need to place two fingers on the edges of the areola and press on the gland. In this case, you need to constantly change the position of the fingers so that the milk secret is expressed from all sides.
If the discharge has stopped, you need to massage the chest a little, following the recommendations described above. After the procedure, they again proceed to pumping.
If the seals in the chest are preserved, and the milk secret has stopped flowing out, they again return to the massage. When breastfeeding, massaging well relieves pain and improves the outflow of milk. The movements should be circular and directed towards the nipple.

When breast pumping, it is important for women not to break up the lumps, because, as in the case of massage, this usually leads to an intensification of painful sensations.

Before the procedure, it is necessary to wash your hands thoroughly so as not to introduce bacteria and not turn milk stagnation into inflammation of the mammary glands. You do not need to wash your breasts with soapy water! Otherwise, such treatment will end for mothers.

When breastfeeding, they are actively used to express milk. Such devices can be purchased at any specialized store. They are either electrical or mechanical.

Despite the release of mothers from manual pumping, it is better not to use breast pumps with lactostasis. Firstly, pumping with your hands is safer, and secondly, it is much cheaper. it's still not that cheap.

Nursing mothers can combine treatment at home with the help of non-traditional means with the use of pharmaceuticals. Ointments and medicinal infusions that are allowed during breastfeeding will come in handy.

Before using them, it is better to consult a doctor who will tell you how to treat lactostasis correctly. The following means are allowed:

Used to reduce the severity of pain in nursing mothers. Apply the product to the compacted areas several times a day between feedings.
Elixir Malavit. The tincture is diluted with water (in a ratio of 1 to 1), the cotton wool is moistened and applied to the hardened area. You need to hold the compress until the next feeding of the child.

Treatment of lactostasis in women with medical products intended to get rid of edema, hematomas is prohibited! Features of their influence on the child's body during breastfeeding have not been established.

With increased pain or persistent hardening in the chest, the best way out for nursing mothers is to see a doctor. In such situations, physiotherapy is prescribed, which is carried out outside the home, but effectively breaks the stagnation of milk.

Ultrasonic procedures. They will help to get rid of traffic jams in one event. However, the female body reacts to ultrasound in different ways. If, after two procedures, seals persist, this method is abandoned.
Magnetotherapy, UHF. They also show good results after one or two sessions.

Treatment with the help of physiotherapy procedures is usually combined with the use of ointments and folk recipes. Alone, these methods are not very effective.

Prevention

Among lactating women, lactostasis occurs unevenly. Some newly-made parents have never encountered it at all, while others regularly suffer from milk “plugs”. This is why the prevention of congestion is so important.

It is necessary to start preventive measures even before the birth of the child. To this end, the expectant mother should regularly wash with warm water and gently rub her breasts. After childbirth, the following recommendations must be observed.

And, of course, a friendly attitude from the household, a close emotional connection with the baby, the joy of motherhood will be the best warning of congestion in the chest.

Milk "cork" is quite common in new mothers. How to treat lactostasis if, during the next feeding, a woman felt unpleasant hardening in her chest? First of all, there is no need to panic. If you call on the help of a child, regularly massage and express your chest, then you can cope with the problem on your own in one or two days.

Hello, I'm Nadezhda Plotnikova. Having successfully studied at SUSU as a special psychologist, she devoted several years to working with children with developmental problems and advising parents on raising children. I apply the experience gained, among other things, in the creation of psychological articles. Of course, by no means do I pretend to be the ultimate truth, but I hope that my articles will help dear readers deal with any difficulties.

The birth of a baby changes the life of every mother. There are worries not only with the child, but also changes in your body require attention. During lactation, you need to monitor your condition, because every nursing woman needs to know how to express breast milk with her hands. After all, the omission of important points can leave negative consequences.

Proper hand expression of breast milk

Doctors say that you should not express daily. There are cases when such a procedure is necessary. To begin with, consider the circumstances under which a woman should do this:

The first time after childbirth. During this period, the organization of breastfeeding has not yet been established. The baby is able to suck out a small amount of milk, but a lot of it comes, so you need to get rid of overcrowding.
Breastfeeding is prohibited for the baby. Since breastfeeding is hard work for babies, this method of feeding is not allowed for premature babies and children with serious illnesses.
Mom's illness. If you need medication that is prohibited during lactation, then you also have to express yourself.
Laktostasis. Many young mothers face this problem. You should study well the information on how to properly express breast milk with your hands in order to get rid of this trouble.
Separation of the child from the mother. So that someone can feed the child in the absence of the mother, she needs to prepare everything in advance.

Manual expression of breast milk

Before expressing breast milk with your hands, consider the preparation for this procedure:

Tableware. Prepare a container in which you can conveniently express milk. It must be sterilized if you plan to feed it to your child. Since you will be expressing breast milk with your hands, it is more convenient to use a cup with a wide neck.
Hand cleanliness. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap.
Relaxation of the chest. Milk will be easier to express if the breast is slightly warmed up first. A warm shower or compress is great. Soak the diaper in warm water and place it on your chest for 5-10 minutes. Before the procedure, you can drink warm water or tea.
Contact with the baby. Ideal if you feed on one breast while pumping the other. When the baby suckles, there is active stimulation, which makes this process much easier. However, if this does not work out for some reason, you can just be next to him or imagine how you hug your baby. This will help you relax.

Rules for expressing breast milk with your hands:

When doing this for the first time, many women notice that only drops are coming. You should not worry about this, and even more so, quit the job you have begun. Continuing to move forward, after a few minutes, jets will go. Actually, this will be an indicator that everything is going right. If it doesn't work, do a light massage and try again. Any sharp pain indicates an incorrect action.

How often should breast milk be expressed?

Experts say that a woman can understand how often to express her breasts according to her feelings. If it is soft after feeding and does not cause discomfort, then pumping is not necessary. Some notice that after feeding with one breast, the second remained firm. In this case, it should be decant until soft. Expressing breast milk with your hands after feeding until empty will be a signal to the body that there is little production and the next time it will come much more.

Hand expressing breast milk

The first time after the birth of the crumbs, it is important to listen to your body and sensations. Babies at this time eat only on demand and often a little, so make sure that the chest is not hard with lumps. Pumping while breastfeeding plays an important role. If you ignore this moment, in the future you can get a lot of negative consequences.

How to express breast milk after giving birth with your hands?

On the 2nd or 3rd day after childbirth, the flow of milk in most women in labor is very large, and in many women the body temperature even rises. How to express breast milk with your hands for the first time is important for every woman in labor to know. Due to inexperience, young mothers make many mistakes. For example, instead of wrapping their fingers around the areola, they only press on the nipple, which leads to cracks.

How to express breast milk with your hands during stagnation?

Each woman who has given birth should observe all the changes in her body, since ignoring can cause a lot of trouble in the future. One of the frequent problems of women in labor is that it would not be better to put the baby to the breast more often, but if the baby cannot eat everything, then overcrowding should be eliminated. The technique of expressing breast milk with hands with lactostasis does not differ significantly from ordinary pumping:

Lightly massage and pat those places where there are lumps.
While expressing with your other hand, stroke them with light movements, directing them towards the nipples.
As soon as you feel relief, the process must be completed.

How to express breast milk with your hands into a bottle?

Some mothers are forced to leave their child. In such cases, feeding with expressed milk from a bottle comes to the rescue. For many women, this causes excitement and a lot of questions about this. Let's try to figure everything out.

You can keep this unique product for about 6-8 hours at a temperature of 19-20 degrees. In the refrigerator - no more than 7 days. For freezing, it would be better to purchase special disposable bags. So it can be 3-4 months.

Warm up milk as follows:

If it is frozen, then thaw it first in the refrigerator. Then leave it at room temperature for about an hour.
After that, in a wide mug or other suitable dish, collect hot water, but not boiling water.
Put a bottle of milk in there, stirring it occasionally.
Pull out the bottle of milk when it is heated to about 38 degrees.

How to strain lactostasis? This issue becomes relevant for many women in the postpartum period. Straining stagnant milk is very important, especially in the first month of feeding, when the baby consumes less than is produced by the mammary glands, otherwise there is a threat of mastitis. How to express breast milk at home? Let's figure it out.

Why is it important to express milk at home?

If the first signs of lactostasis (or stagnation of milk in the mammary glands) occur, first of all, you need to contact a gynecologist who will tell you the basic rules for pumping, and also examine your breasts for mastitis. Mastitis is an inflammatory pathology of the mammary glands, which occurs with prolonged stagnation of milk without timely pumping.

Important information! If you do not express milk during lactostasis, then after a couple of weeks a woman develops a serious inflammatory disease of the mammary glands - mastitis. This inflammation can be mild or severe. Severe and prolonged course of mastitis leads to a surgical operation to remove the breast. Therefore, it is so important to carry out the prevention of lactostasis and daily after feeding the baby to create an outflow of milk residues on their own, at home.

Expression of milk is especially needed by women who are breastfeeding a newborn in the first months of his life. The energy needs of the baby are not yet high, and the mammary glands, under the influence of high titers of hormones, produce milk in large enough volumes. In order for milk not to stagnate in the ducts of the mammary glands and thereby create a favorable environment for the reproduction of pathogenic microflora, after each breastfeeding, a woman should express the remaining milk from the breast from which the baby ate.

The danger of degeneration of lactostasis into a more serious inflammatory pathology makes it necessary to treat the first signs of stagnation on your own at home. The only way to treat lactostasis is to express milk yourself at home.

Technique for self-exfoliation of milk at home

If a nursing mother has discovered the first symptoms of lactostasis (swelling and pain in the area of the mammary glands, a rise in body temperature), first of all, you need to warm up the affected breast. For this, warming up and light massaging are used, the effect of which will only be enhanced by warm water. For greater effect, doctors recommend doing warm compresses in the chest area. To do this, use honey, cabbage. Apply a compress for 15 minutes and proceed to the next steps. Heat has been proven to relax the muscular wall of the thoracic ducts, making it easier for milk to drain.

Next, if the baby is hungry, feed him. Remember that feeding is the best way to eliminate congestion symptoms. If one feeding was not enough, they proceed to an independent massage technique of pumping, which any woman can do right at home.

Self-pumping technique at home:

Place the right and left hands in the region of the lower quadrants of the mammary gland: four fingers cover the gland from below, and the thumbs are located in close proximity to the halos. With smooth, rhythmic massage movements, move inward towards the chest, trying to drain all the main excretory ducts.
Change the position of the hands relative to the areola of the nipple, and then continue pumping with squeezing movements without strong pressure and pressure.
Grasp the mammary gland with one hand, placing the index and thumb around the areola, and with the other help hold the breast. Do circular massaging movements.
If there is no relief and compacted painful areas are still palpable in the chest, pay them the most attention when massaging. Do all the same movements, only locally over the infiltrates.
The final step: Squeeze the mammary gland directly above the areolas several times with light movements to remove all milk residues.

Important! If, after decanting, the pain and swelling have not gone away, and the temperature continues to hold, immediately consult a gynecologist for advice.

For women suffering from lactostasis, pumping is a painful and unpleasant procedure, but it must be performed. Pain is not a reason for refusal, otherwise an inflammatory degeneration develops.

Educational video: Expressing breast milk with lactostasis

An alternative way to deal with lactostasis at home

To carry out daily manual massage at home is sometimes beyond the power of even the most patient mothers. This takes a lot of time, given that a nursing woman has little of it. Therefore, at home, special devices are widely used - breast pumps. You can buy them at any pharmacy at fairly low prices.

There are several types of these devices for use at home: pump-action, piston-like, electric, electronic. Choose the one that is most convenient for you in terms of price and application.

Modern women in pursuit of proper feeding "on demand" quite often forget about such a once universally accepted and often necessary concept as pumping breast milk.

We all watch numerous videos on the Internet telling how to properly breastfeed "on demand" and do not think at all that sometimes this is not enough.

Of course, it’s great if a particular woman has a large, strong baby, who is able to fully drain, and constantly empty her mother’s breasts while breastfeeding.

But, unfortunately, this is not always the case. Quite weak children are often born, or children who are simply not too active, who cannot or do not want to be too active eating “mother's breasts”.

In such cases, congestion can form in the mammary gland, which often clog the milk ducts. Actually, such stagnation of breast milk (lumps or seals in the mammary gland) is called by doctors with the formidable word lactostasis.

Moreover, women are often frightened by an even more frightening term - mastitis - when lumps that do not disappear for a long time, or stagnation of breast milk during lactostasis, takes on the character of an inflammatory (infected or not infected) pathological process.

How to determine that you are faced with lactostasis?

Most women before childbirth have no idea what lactostasis is, and do not even think about the fact that some painful seals may appear in the breast. However, when a problem arises, the vast majority of women accurately determine that the seals that appear in the mammary gland are associated precisely with the manifestations of lactostasis.

For those women who still doubt that they will be able to independently determine the development of such a condition as lactostasis, we will give the main signs of the problem.

Although, of course, it would be better if, if any problems with the mammary gland appear during the period when breastfeeding is carried out, the woman will seek medical advice.

So, the stagnation of milk in the breast of a nursing woman is characterized by:

Swelling and swelling of the breast.
Painful sensations in the chest, both during the process of feeding, and at the moment when milk is expressed.
Stagnation of milk during lactostasis is often accompanied by situations when some painful seals appear in the woman’s chest, which are extremely difficult to break.
Rarely, an increase in body temperature and redness of certain areas of the skin on the breast affected by lactostasis.
Also, with lactostasis, situations are observed when breast milk is discharged from the nipple unevenly (on the one hand in streams, and on the other with barely noticeable drops), which also indicates that milk stagnation occurs in a separate duct.

It is usually not difficult to determine that milk stagnation occurs in the mammary gland, it is much more difficult to deal with this situation.

If a few days after the initial arrival of milk, you feel that the breast has noticeably increased in size, that it is full, swollen and painful - most likely, this is lactostasis.

Panic in such a situation, crying and shouting: “I can’t cope,” while buying all kinds of medicines, of course, is not worth it. But it is absolutely impossible to remain inactive, realizing that stagnation has developed. But what needs to be done with lactostasis, how to properly express all breast milk, or rather all its excess, we will tell further.

Correct behavior at the first sign of stagnation

At the first sign of a problem called lactostasis, it is extremely important to learn how to properly and fully empty that very problem breast. It is incredibly important to be able to eliminate the resulting congestion in a timely manner, and eventually restore (establish) the process of normal breastfeeding.

Lactostasis is always a painful and extremely unpleasant phenomenon, but most importantly, it is a phenomenon that can (if you fail to behave correctly) degenerate into more serious pathological infected problems. It is quite acceptable to start treating lactostasis at home, especially if the problem is not accompanied by a high body temperature.

But, at the same time, we hasten to warn women who categorically do not want to go to doctors!

If lactostasis cannot be stopped for a long time, if the body temperature rises to critical levels and does not subside, if properly performed decantation does not help you within two days, consult a doctor immediately, otherwise, the problem may become rampant when simple decantation cannot help.

First, you should warm up the painful chest moderately. This can be done under a normal warm shower. Some doctors recommend that before pumping, make a warming honey or cabbage compress (no more than 15 minutes). It is believed that heat can somewhat expand the milk ducts, and therefore, will contribute to the speedy outflow of stagnant milk.
Secondly, if you do consult a doctor, you may be advised to have a physiotherapy session before expressing breast milk. It can be UHF therapy or let's say ultrasound.
And thirdly, start decanting, lightly massaging the thickened chest while doing this. The video with this procedure will clearly show how this is done.

Women should remember one more important detail, a hungry baby can carry out a full-fledged decantation and express stagnant milk in a sick mother's chest much better than anyone else.

About the pumping process itself, in detail

So, we have already said that it is necessary and important to express when stagnation occurs, especially if the baby is in no hurry to empty his mother's breast. But, how to carry out that very decanting when the chest is swollen and hurts a lot? Many women are ready to immediately abandon this idea by saying: “I can’t and that’s it.” Which, of course, is fundamentally wrong. The concept of can not, in this case, is highly debatable.

E. Malysheva: Recently, I have been receiving many letters from my regular spectators about breast problems: MASTI, LACTOSTASIS, FIBROADENOMA. To completely get rid of these problems, I advise you to familiarize yourself with my new method based on natural ingredients...

First of all, because lactostasis that is not resolved for a long time is always the most direct path to mastitis and possibly surgical intervention.

If you still decide to express, be sure to first look at the video technique of this process, since pumping with lactostasis has its own specifics. After all, expressing painful breasts is really very difficult.

It is very important to prepare the painful mammary gland for the fact that the milk from it will be expressed. For this, as we have already said, it is desirable to adopt the thermal procedures described above. When the mammary gland is warmed up, you can begin the process itself.

We carry out decanting:

Step #1 - Initially, you need to place all four fingers of your hand directly under one painful breast. In this case, the thumb and forefinger must be as close as possible to the edge of the nipple areola. Start expressing milk should be slow, but rhythmic.

Moreover, you need to press on the chest in such a way that your fingers move towards the center of the chest, and as if deep into the mammary gland itself. It is important to drain the chest so that the primary pressure is on the clogged lactiferous sinuses.

Step #2. At the second stage, if you want to quickly drain the breast, you should put the working (thumb and forefinger) fingers on the edge of the nipple halo itself. It is important, when expressing, to constantly change the position of your fingers around the areola itself, so that milk is released from all parts of the breast.

In cases where nothing else is released from the nipple, and the lumps in the chest remain in place (and are still painful), it is necessary to stop for a few seconds and gently massage the affected breast. Then continue to express.

Step number 3 - repeat massaging the gland again, but with both hands. Massage movements should be directed from the periphery to the center of the nipple. Massage can only be light, which is a gentle tapping or pressing down of existing seals. After that, you can continue to express the remaining milk.

It’s great if after pumping you can attach your baby to the painful breast, often enough, it is his help in pumping that is decisive. It is also important to remember the need for proper rest with such a diagnosis as lactostasis, which means that after completing the procedure, it will be nice to have a good rest. Moreover, during the rest, you can put a compress with cabbage on the sore chest, which will help relieve swelling.

Do you still think that it is completely impossible to cure your body?

How can they be identified?

nervousness, sleep disturbance and appetite;
allergies (watery eyes, rashes, runny nose);
frequent headaches, constipation or diarrhea;
frequent colds, sore throat, nasal congestion;
pain in the joints and muscles;
chronic fatigue (you get tired quickly, no matter what you do);
dark circles, bags under the eyes.

Everyone knows the benefits of breast milk for the development of the baby. Not surprisingly, most new mothers try to feed their baby on their own. However, many women, especially primiparas, are faced with such a problem as lactostasis. So called excessive accumulation of milk in any place of the mammary gland. In this case, a spasm of the milk ducts or their clamping may occur. How to strain lactostasis at home?

Causes

To effectively deal with lactostasis, you need to know the main causes of its occurrence:

Cracks in the nipples that caused blockage of the milk ducts.
Long break in feeding.
A monotonous method of emptying the breast (usually when decanting), leading to the emptying of not all of its areas.
Stagnation of milk provoked by an uncomfortable posture during sleep or lying on your side for a long time.
Tight underwear.
Chest injury.
The introduction of complementary foods, leading to a decrease in the milk sucked by the infant.

signs

The occurrence of lactostasis in the mammary gland is accompanied by a number of characteristic features:

The chest becomes edematous and swollen.
There are painful sensations during pumping and feeding.
Painful seals appear in the tissues of the gland.
Almost complete hardening of the breast occurs, while probing feels the shape of a lobule, and sometimes several.
Sometimes the temperature rises, and the skin in problem areas turns red.
The secretion of milk from the nipple can occur unevenly: from one end in streams, and from the other - drops.

Pumping Rules

To cope with lactostasis on your own, you must definitely express yourself correctly. In this case, you should act according to a certain scheme:

Four fingers of the hand should be placed under the gland. The thumb and index finger should be as close as possible to the edge of the areola of the nipple.
Start pumping with your thumb and forefinger located on the edge of the areola. At the same time, in the process, their position must constantly be changed, which is necessary for the release of milk from the entire mammary gland.
Pumping movements should be rhythmic and slow.

Pressure on the chest should be carried out to the center of the chest, deep into the gland. This is done to provide primary pressure on the lactiferous sinuses.

If milk stops flowing from the nipple, and painful seals remain, it is necessary to massage the affected gland. The greatest attention should be paid to places where milk stagnation is most pronounced. It is necessary to express there most intensively.
Massage the breast with both hands, moving from the periphery to the center of the nipple. The massage should be light, consisting in gentle tapping or squeezing of the seals. Then pumping is required to continue.
If possible, attach to the baby's chest.

How to get rid of stagnant milk

The following procedures will help to defeat lactostasis at home:

Application of warm compresses. They cause an oxytocin reflex, which helps milk flow better. To put a compress, a napkin is moistened in warm water and placed on a painful area of \u200b\u200bthe gland. Keep it there until it cools down.
Means of traditional medicine. To combat lactostasis, compresses from cabbage leaves are applied to the inflamed area (they are first beaten off until juice appears) or dough cakes with honey. You can also use a baked onion (it should be cut in half). A good result is given by compresses from camphor oil, soda-salt solution. With caution, you can use ice packs, but you need to make sure that there is no frostbite of the tissues. Alcohol compresses should not be used for lactostasis, as they lead to blockage of oxytocin, which ultimately makes pumping difficult. Usually compresses are placed at night.
Use of the shower. The process of pumping becomes less painful, and the outflow of milk is more intense if it takes place under a warm shower (you should beware of hypothermia).
Use of a steam inhaler. Decaying lactostasis is faster when using a steam inhaler.
Breast massage. Before you start straining, you should do a chest massage. It is necessary to move in a circular motion from the base of the gland to the periphery of the nipple. The massage should be gentle, you should not actively knead the chest, breaking the lumps. You should not use the services of a professional massage therapist, as he can injure the milk ducts, causing lactostasis in other breast lobes.
Pumping. This procedure must be carried out in accordance with a number of the rules mentioned above.
A breast pump can help to deflate the breast.
Husband help. There is an opinion among women that the resorption of lumps with the help of a husband can help to cope with lactostasis. However, it is worth remembering that in the mouth of an adult there are many harmful bacteria that can penetrate the chest and lead to infection of the gland and oral cavity of the baby.
Before feeding the baby, it is necessary to express 10-20 grams of milk from the breast, which will make the baby suck much more actively.
Before feeding, wash the breasts with hot water.
Change position while feeding. When applying the baby to the chest, it is necessary to position it so that the problem area is under the lower jaw of the child. This means that if a seal has formed in the upper chest, the baby should lie with his feet to the mother's face. To achieve this position, the baby must be laid on the bed, and mommy needs to lean towards him so that the chest is in the desired position. Of course, feeding in such a position is inconvenient, but it will help to quickly cope with lactostasis.
Reduce fluid intake.
Give the baby a breast more often, and it must be applied to both glands equally often.
Try to avoid any stress.

Duration of treatment

Treatment of lactostasis, started in the early stages, gives a result in about 24 hours. If time is missed, recovery may take 2-3 days.

You can stop decanting after three days, if there has been noticeable progress. In this situation, it is often enough to apply the baby to the breast.

Redness is the last of all symptoms to disappear.

Prevention

It is necessary to start the prevention of lactostasis even before the birth of the baby. For this, expectant mothers need to wash and rub the mammary glands. It is worth taking care of the nipples. A good result is sewn from the inside to the bra pieces of coarse linen.

Nursing mothers should wash their breasts after each feeding and use clean hands (or a breast pump) to express the remaining milk.

You need to feed the baby on demand, while making sure that he suckles the breast correctly. It should be noted that the baby sucks out more milk from the part of the gland to which his chin is pressed. Therefore, it is necessary to change the position of the baby during feeding. The chest itself should not be held, as this can lead to compression of the blood flow. If it prevents the baby from eating, hold the gland very carefully so as not to pinch the ducts.

A nursing woman should treat her breasts very carefully, avoiding any injury to her, since even a slight bruise can cause lactostasis. The bra must be of the appropriate size, as a model of the wrong size can also provoke duct occlusion. For the same reason, it is better for a nursing mother to avoid sleeping on her stomach. And, of course, it should be remembered that any stressful experiences have an extremely negative effect on the condition of the mammary gland.

It is quite possible to cope with lactostasis at home. However, every nursing mother should remember that measures to eliminate this condition must be taken immediately (preferably deal with it in the first 12 hours). By itself, lactostasis is not cured, so it is necessary to start fighting it immediately after the first signs appear. Otherwise, lactostasis can turn into such an unpleasant disease as mastitis. It is much more difficult to cure it and, in addition, mastitis is dangerous for its complications.