What should I do if my baby feels pain when weaning from breast milk?

Breastfeeding is a very scientific feeding method nowadays. Since the quality problems of milk powder were exposed, people have more trust in this method. However, breastfeeding also has a time limit. Generally, weaning begins around one year old, and at this time, you need to prepare more abundant food for the baby. During the weaning period, mothers will feel a swelling and pain in their breasts. What should they do?

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.

During the weaning period, breast pain is normal, but it is important to prevent mastitis caused by improper weaning.

Weaning should be gradual. The production of milk is the result of the combined action of prolactin and the lactation reflex. The baby's sucking stimulates the nerve endings of the nipple and transmits the stimulation information to the anterior pituitary gland, causing it to secrete prolactin. During the weaning process, the baby sucks less time and frequency, and the secretion of prolactin also decreases. This is a natural process.

Tips to solve breast engorgement

If the swollen breasts are really uncomfortable due to weaning, you can apply a hot towel to relieve the pain. Go to the pharmacy and buy some malt and hawthorn to boil them in water. Boil 10 grams of malt and hawthorn in two bowls of water and drink it all in a day. Add vitamin B6 tablets, three times a day, 10 tablets each time. Eat them for a few days and you will be fine.

Do not squeeze to avoid causing mastitis. When breast engorgement is severe, you can squeeze out some of it, but do not do it frequently as it will promote milk secretion and be detrimental to milk withdrawal.

Eating more leeks can help reduce milk production.

When your breasts swell during weaning, you can use the swelling method: let your breasts swell and endure the pain. After about a week, your breasts will swell back. During the weaning period, you must be patient and avoid letting your baby suck intermittently or expressing milk due to bloating and pain. Doing so will inevitably prolong the weaning time.

After weaning, mothers should drink less soup to help reduce milk secretion and stop milk production faster. If there is still a lot of milk, you can use a bra binder to tightly bind your breasts, or when your breasts are too full, use a breast pump to suck out some of the milk and then bind your breasts tightly with cloth. If you don't feel your breasts are too swollen, don't squeeze your milk to avoid stimulating your breasts to secrete milk. You can also use some medications to stop milk production under the guidance of a doctor.