Causes of breast milk leakage

Many female friends may not be so clear about the situation of breast galactorrhea, so they will still be confused when they have this symptom, or even ignore it. This is wrong. When galactorrhea occurs, you should go to the hospital for a detailed breast examination. If this situation continues to occur, it is likely to cause mastitis in the future.

Causes of Breast Milk Leakage

What we usually call "milk regurgitation" is also called "milk spillage", which is common in babies under 6 months old. The main manifestation is a non-jet-like phenomenon in which milk overflows from the baby's mouth after feeding, which usually occurs 2 to 4 times a day.

The main cause of milk regurgitation is the anatomical characteristics of the baby itself: ⑴ The entrance and exit of the stomach are at the same height, making the stomach horizontal. ⑵ The muscles at the entrance where the stomach connects to the esophagus are relatively loose, while the muscles at the exit where the stomach connects to the duodenum are better developed. It is easy for milk to flow upward but relatively difficult for it to flow downward, so once the stomach contracts, the milk will easily overflow upward. ⑶ When feeding, babies often swallow air. The air expands due to the heat when it enters the body, so it is easy to vomit out the milk, causing milk regurgitation.

As the baby grows older, the outlet of the stomach gradually descends, making the stomach more vertical, and the muscles at the entrance become more developed. As a result, the number of times of milk regurgitation decreases accordingly. It becomes rare after 6 months and no longer occurs after one year old. Therefore, galactorrhea is very common and does not require any treatment.

However, if the leaking milk is accidentally inhaled into the trachea or flows down the Eustachian tube to the middle ear, it can cause otitis media, aspiration pneumonia, and in severe cases, suffocation, resulting in serious sequelae and even life-threatening.

1. Change the diaper before feeding and do not turn the baby's body after feeding.

2. After each feeding, hold the baby upright and pat his back gently. Wait until the belching stops before laying him down.

3. When the baby lies down, his head should be slightly raised and his body should remain in the right side position, so that the milk in the stomach can flow down through the pylorus and reach the duodenum directly.

4. Wrap a small towel around the baby's neck to prevent vomitus from flowing to the neck and irritating the skin (vomitus often contains gastric acid and pepsin) and causing erosion of the neck skin.

5. For children with severe milk regurgitation, the upper body should be raised 30 degrees when lying down, and 2 to 3 drops of 1:5000 atropine should be taken orally 10 to 15 minutes before each feeding to relax the muscles at the outlet of the stomach, so as to facilitate the flow of milk into the duodenum.

6. If the baby chokes, coughs, turns blue in face and has purple lips after weaning, you should immediately place him face down on your knees with his head down and pat his back vigorously. After the baby's complexion recovered, he was immediately sent to the hospital for further treatment.