How to massage breast lumps when breast milk is swollen

After weaning, because the body's milk secretion system has not been able to fully adjust back, the breasts will continue to secrete milk. The accumulation of milk in the breasts can easily cause milk engorgement, breast clumping and even blockage of the mammary glands. Breast engorgement and breast lumps are common problems during breastfeeding. The reasons are largely related to the baby not sucking the milk cleanly or other reasons for blockage. Now many breastfeeding mothers are very concerned about the topic of how to rub breast engorgement and breast lumps.

How to massage breast lumps when breast milk is swollen

1. Shower your breasts with boiling water: Gently massage your breasts and shake them up and down, which is beneficial to the discharge of milk and thus to the patency of the mammary glands. The best way is to let the baby suck the nipple more. When the baby sucks the nipple, the breast milk will increase, and the milk swelling and lumps will be quickly sucked away by the baby.

2. Apply heat with a cotton towel: If there are lumps in the breast and it hurts a lot, you can apply heat to the area with the lumps with a hot cotton towel, which can help unclog the mammary glands and relieve pain. Before your baby sucks your nipple or uses a breast pump to express milk, apply a hot towel to the hard area on your chest.

3. Use a manual breast pump: If you have milk lumps, you can buy a manual breast pump to suck them out. It may be slightly painful when sucking, but just bear with it. If the milk lumps are not very serious, a manual breast pump can usually clear them and remove the lumps. After applying the hot cotton towel and after the baby has finished sucking, if there are still lumps in the chest, you need to use a manual breast pump to suck out the remaining breast milk. If all the breast milk is sucked out, the lumps will naturally disappear.

4. Unblocking the mammary glands: If the manual breast pump cannot extract the unnecessary milk, then ask a lactation consultant for help. They have professional skills and experience to help unblock the mammary glands. The actual effect is very good and they can generally remove lumps. If the lumps have not been removed after a period of time, a lactation specialist will be needed to help remove the lumps.

5. See a doctor: If the lactation consultant cannot solve the problem, then you need to see a doctor for a detailed examination to see if there is any breast disease so that it can be detected and treated early. If the swelling still cannot be relieved and the pain recurs, the mother can go to the hospital and ask the doctor to prescribe painkillers.

How to prevent breast engorgement

1. Immediately and properly deal with breast engorgement: After giving birth, you can use 30g of orange seeds, decocted in water and taken orally. Generally, 2-3 doses can avoid milk stagnation.

2. Discharge the accumulated milk and unclog the mammary ducts: There are many ways to discharge milk, such as manual breast milk expression, nipple pump (or manual breast pump) expression of breast milk, acupuncture and long-term massage to express milk, etc. But no matter which method is used, the accumulated milk must be discharged as much as possible and the mammary ducts must be unclogged.

3. Insist on breastfeeding and do not stop breastfeeding: Breast milk is the best natural nutritional supplement for babies. It is economically convenient, nutritionally safe, and can enhance the relationship between mother and daughter. The antigens it contains can enhance the baby's disease resistance.

4. Suck the affected breast first: Because the baby is hungry, the initial sucking power is relatively weak. Therefore, when mothers with mastitis are breastfeeding, they should let the baby suck the affected breast first, and try to let the baby suck empty before switching to the other side. This will help to unblock the blocked milk ducts and prevent the formation of lumps in the breast.

5. Treat cracked nipples promptly: When cracked nipples occur, bacteria will immediately invade through the cracks and cause mastitis.

6. Breastfeed as needed by mothers and babies: If the breasts are swollen or you do not breastfeed for a long time, the milk will easily accumulate and cause mastitis. Therefore, mothers should breastfeed as needed during breastfeeding and empty their breasts at any time.

7. Pay attention to daily cleaning of the nipples: In the middle and late stages of pregnancy, it is common to clean the nipples with warm water or 75% ethanol. After giving birth, the nipples need to be cleaned before and after each feeding, and the area should be kept clean and dry.