Breast swelling, pain, and heat

Another important task for expectant mothers after giving birth is to provide breast milk for their babies. The amount and consistency of breast milk during breastfeeding will be affected by many external factors and vary from person to person. Some mothers worry about not having enough milk for their children, while some mothers have too much breast milk and often have to endure the pain of milk engorgement. Below, I will tell you what to do if your breasts are swollen, hard and painful.

What should I do if my breasts are swollen, hard and painful?

1. Hot compress: Hot compress can make the milk blockage in the mammary gland smoother and improve the breast circulation. When applying heat, be careful to avoid the nipples and nipple areas, as the skin there is more tender. The temperature of the hot compress should not be too high to avoid scalding the skin.

2. Massage: After applying heat to the breasts, you can massage them. There are many different ways to massage the breasts. Generally, hold one breast with both hands, and massage from the bottom of the breast to the nipple alternately, and then squeeze the milk into a container.

3. Rely on a manual breast pump: When your breasts are swollen and painful, you can use a manual or electric breast pump to assist in expressing breast milk, which is very effective.

4. Shower: When your breasts are swollen and painful, why not take a shower and massage your breasts, which will make you feel more comfortable.

5. Soak the breasts in warm water: You can put a basin of warm water on your knees, then bend your upper body to your knees, soak your breasts in the basin, gently shake your breasts, and use force to make the milk flow out more easily.

6. Ice compress: If the pain of breast engorgement is very severe, you can use ice compress to relieve the pain. Remember to squeeze the milk first and then apply ice.

7. Go to the hospital: If the swelling cannot be relieved and the pain recurs, you need to ask a doctor for painkillers.

Causes of breast swelling

The key is that mothers do not know how to feed their babies. For example, some mothers have nipple indentations, which will inevitably affect the baby's nipple sucking. The baby cannot suck milk, and the mother does not know what to do. In the end, the mother's milk becomes swollen. Some mothers decisively give up exclusive breastfeeding, which is very unacceptable. In fact, as long as the mother uses the thumbs of both hands to gently press both sides of the nipple from all angles, and pull it outwards to make the nipple stand out, once to several times a day, the problem can be solved. Some cases are caused by the mother having too much milk and the baby cannot stop sucking, while others are caused by the mother not breastfeeding promptly.

Because the baby needs to suck the nipple for a long time and the breast needs to be filled with rich milk for a long time, the breast and nipple are prone to frequent discomfort. In order to avoid this kind of situation, mothers must know as much as possible about the methods and problems of breastfeeding, and carry out some necessary protection and massage of the breasts in a targeted manner.