What to do if breast milk engorgement occurs

Many people grow up drinking breast milk, and when the child is young, the breast milk may be sufficient and the child eats less, which is particularly easy to cause breast milk swelling. Mothers will feel uncomfortable in the breasts and even feel swollen and painful. In order to make this obstacle disappear quickly, mothers can squeeze out their own milk. So what should you do if your breast milk is swollen?

Causes of breast engorgement:

Breast engorgement is mainly caused by increased blood and water in the breast milk and connective tissue. Pregnant women begin to produce colostrum from the late stages of pregnancy. When the placenta is delivered, prolactin increases, stimulating the production of milk, and the mammary ducts and surrounding tissues swell, reaching their peak on the 3rd or 4th day after delivery. If the mother fails to breastfeed the baby soon after birth, or the interval between feedings is too long, or the milk is secreted too much and the baby cannot finish it, the milk cannot be completely removed, and milk accumulates in the mammary ducts, making the breasts swollen and painful. At this time, the breasts become hard and the nipples are difficult to latch on. The mother will reduce the number of breastfeeding times for fear of pain, which will cause milk flow to stop and aggravate breast engorgement.

The best way to prevent breast engorgement:

Let the baby start sucking as early as possible and start breastfeeding within half an hour after birth, so that more milk will be secreted. Pay attention to the number of feedings, about once every 2-3 hours, to remove milk, ensure the patency of the mammary ducts, and prevent milk engorgement. If the milk secretion is too much and the baby cannot finish it, use a breast pump to suck out the excess milk. This can not only solve the breast pain of postpartum women, but also promote milk secretion.

How to deal with breast engorgement:

Generally speaking, the milk ducts will be unobstructed after timely and frequent sucking for 1-2 days. However, when the breasts are overly swollen, the mother often suffers from pain. At this time, the following methods can be used to relieve the discomfort.

1. Hot compress can make the milk lumps blocking the breast glands become unobstructed and improve breast circulation. When applying hot compress, be careful to avoid the areola and nipple areas because the skin in these two areas is more tender. The temperature of the hot compress should not be too hot to avoid scalding the skin.

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

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

4. Hot bath: When your breasts are swollen and painful, you may want to take a hot bath and massage your breasts, which will make you feel more comfortable.

5. Soak the breasts in warm water. Place a basin of warm water on your knees, bend your upper body to your knees, soak your breasts in the basin, and gently shake your breasts. Gravity will allow the milk to flow out more easily.

6. Cold compress: If the pain from breast engorgement is very severe, you can use cold compress to relieve the pain. Always remember to express the milk before applying cold compress. 7. As a folk remedy, you can use two raw pancakes (fermented flour), press them into flat round shapes, and apply them to both sides of the breasts. Change them every 24 hours, and the effect is also very good.

8. See a doctor. If the swelling cannot be relieved and the pain continues, ask your doctor to prescribe painkillers. How to breastfeed when milk is swollen? If your breasts are swollen and hard, you must use the above method to soften them so that the baby can easily hold the nipple. You can also express the breast milk and feed it to your baby.