How to remove milk knots

It is not easy to get pregnant. You have to carry a big belly for several months. It is not only big but also heavy. Giving birth is not easy, and some people will feel pain for more than ten hours. Giving birth is not easy either. New mothers do not let their babies suck milk in time when their breasts are swollen, which results in the milk not being able to flow out naturally when their breasts swell again, thus forming milk knots. How should a new mother eliminate milk knots?

The reason for milk lumps is that the suppression of the human pituitary gland leads to a decrease in milk secretion; breast engorgement causes mastitis, which reduces milk supply. Furthermore, with the increasing number of working mothers, many of them go out early and come back late every day, and their babies do not suck enough, which causes the mammary glands to not secrete milk normally. Some mothers have short and inverted nipples, and due to nipple injuries caused by breastfeeding, they have to reduce the number of times their babies suck, resulting in a decrease in milk supply and insufficient milk, which is called milk knots.

Step 1: Use the pads of the four fingers other than the thumb to gently push in circles along the outer edge of the breast. You can use the fingers of both hands to push from the outside to the inside, gradually pushing to the areola area. If there is already a lump, there will be pain. This is the pain caused by the swollen milk overwhelming the nerves around the mammary gland. Do not avoid it, but be sure to rub it, and do not use brute force.

Step 2: Still use four fingers to comb from the outer base of the breast towards the nipple. All areas of the breast should be combed, especially the milk knot area, which needs to be combed repeatedly. The key to this technique is to make sure the direction is correct. Do not comb horizontally or crookedly, and do not press down. As a reminder, never use a wooden comb or other hard comb instead of your fingers, as that can easily damage the breast glands. Our soft hands are the best tools.

Step 3: Hold the entire breast with your hands, just like when breastfeeding, and then gently shake it up and down and left and right. Don't underestimate this step, because usually whether you use a breast pump or your baby, what is sucked out is the areola and the milk near the areola, while the milk at the root of the outer edge of the breast often cannot be sucked out, so milk knots are easily accumulated on the outer edge of the breast. The first two steps are to push the milk at the outer edge of the breast to the areola, and the third step is to allow the milk to flow better throughout the mammary glands.

These three steps can be repeated, as they are all ways to promote milk circulation. Massaging like this before each breastfeeding can effectively prevent milk lumps. If there is too much milk and you feel that it has started to accumulate somewhere, that is, when there is a tendency for milk knots to form, you should start massaging immediately to drain out the excess milk. This can also effectively prevent milk knots. Never leave them unattended. Milk knots must be prevented in normal times and dealt with in a timely manner in the early stages.

I recommend the safest, fastest and most effective method to eliminate milk knots to everyone.

1. Take pure Chinese herbal medicine internally: dandelion, honeysuckle. These two types are not scented teas, and they are bought from Chinese medicine stores. It has anti-inflammatory effect, is pure plant and does not affect breastfeeding, has a slow effect and takes three days to take effect. Sometimes, hard lumps are difficult to remove no matter how hard you massage them, and they are also painful. But once the inflammation subsides, the lumps are really easy to eliminate. This is my own bitter experience! If you find it troublesome, you can drink powder: dandelion granules, compound honeysuckle granules. Of course, it is not as good as pure Chinese medicine. Remember that you still need to consolidate for two days after the symptoms disappear to avoid recurrence.

2. Apply cold potato slices: Potatoes have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Always keep potatoes in the refrigerator at home. If milk is congealed, cut a few slices and apply them externally. Replace the potato slices whenever you feel they are dry. Apply it at least twice. When your breasts feel less hard when you touch them, you can let your baby or use a breast pump to suck them. Of course, remember to clean your breasts before sucking. If the lump is more serious, apply it more often. As for why we use ice, one reason is that ice is more comfortable when the breasts are swollen, and the other is because of the principle of thermal expansion and contraction.

3. Eat lecithin: Lecithin has the function of clearing the mammary glands, and it is also very good for babies to eat it. This can be eaten every day, there is no need to wait until mastitis occurs.

4. Daily massage care: Every time the baby or the breast pump finishes sucking, it is not over yet. Use your hands to squeeze around the areola to empty the remaining milk. It is best to empty your breasts before taking a bath, then apply soap while bathing and massage your breasts again to drain the milk. Don’t be afraid of wasting milk, the more you squeeze, the more you’ll have!

5. Express milk frequently: In order to avoid recurring attacks of mastitis, you must express milk every three hours, or whenever you feel your breasts are swollen, regardless of whether it has been three hours. If you are worried that your milk supply is over-stimulated, you can eat some leeks to reduce the production of milk, and you don't have to worry about your milk suddenly disappearing. Just eat moderate amounts.