What does it feel like for a woman to have breast swelling?

Exclusive breastfeeding has been going on for a while, and the baby is growing up slowly. Generally, the baby can be weaned 10 months after birth. But I heard that breast milk will swell after weaning. So, what does breast milk swell feel like? Let’s take a look together.

What does breast engorgement feel like?

Breast engorgement: Many breastfeeding mothers experience this experience: when the milk begins to secrete or after the milk stops, the breasts begin to become warm, heavy, painful, and sometimes even as hard as a rock. The surface of the breast looks smooth and full, and even the nipple becomes more erect and painful. In this case, even if the mother endures the pain to breastfeed, it is difficult for the product to hold the mother's nipple. This is called "milk swelling".

What to do if your breasts are swollen

1. Use a manual breast pump

If the baby cannot use sucking to help the mother for some reason, then a manual breast pump should be chosen to help. When choosing a manual breast pump, you should make sure that the suction force is appropriate and that your nipples do not feel pain when using it. It is recommended to choose an automatic breast pump with the function of adjusting the intensity of breastfeeding, and the pressure and speed of the manual breast pump can be adjusted in time according to the actual situation.

2. Massage therapy

After cleaning your hands, hold the entire breast, apply force evenly and slowly from the breast to the nipple to massage and squeeze. This will help unclog the milk duct and promote the relief and disappearance of edema. During the massage process, if you find that a certain part of the breast is particularly swollen and painful, you can squeeze that point with a little force to discharge the accumulated milk to avoid blockage of the milk duct here and cause mastitis.

3. Spacious bra shoulder method

For swollen and sagging breasts, you can use soft cotton cloth to make a loose bra to support the shoulders. This can not only improve the blood circulation of the breasts and promote lymphatic return, but also help to maintain the smoothness of the mammary ducts, thereby reducing milk accumulation and relieving breast swelling and pain. Note that new mothers should not wear bras that are too tight, as such bras may inhibit milk secretion.

4. Diet therapy

New mothers should ensure that their diet is light and avoid greasy food. It is best not to consume too much milk-inducing soup. They should also eat high-protein, high-fat, and high-glycogen foods in moderation to prevent the secretion of excessive milk, which will become sticky and clump in the mammary gland and be difficult to discharge.

5. Kale therapy

Using cabbage for breast application is a common folk method: take a cabbage, wash it, and completely peel off a leaf. Then cover the entire breast with the leaves along the armpits and pectoralis major muscle. Then use a bra to slightly inflate it so that the cabbage leaves are in full contact with the skin. Remove it after 24 hours. This method can effectively relieve breast swelling and prevent new mothers from suffering from mastitis due to poor maintenance.

6. Chinese herbal medicine treatment

Take 120g of Glauber's salt, put them into 2 tea bags respectively, apply them on the chest and tie them up. It can significantly relieve the feeling of breast swelling and pain, and is particularly effective in treating breast swelling and pain.

7. Apply ice or heat

After expressing some milk, apply a soft towel dipped in cold water to the breast, or use a cold water bag for ice compress, which can relieve breast hematoma and relieve swelling and pain. Before breastfeeding, you can use a cold and damp towel to warm the breast for a few minutes, and then cooperate with gentle massage and tapping movements to soften the breast and nipple, relieve the feeling of milk swelling, and when breastfeeding, feed the breast that feels the most obvious milk swelling first.