What to do if milk is not flowing after 3 days of delivery

For new mothers, breastfeeding is a novel experience, but due to their lack of experience, they will always face various problems, such as milk engorgement, milk stasis, mastitis and other possibilities. So what are the causes of postpartum milk engorgement and obstruction? Is there any good way to alleviate it? Let us take a closer look at it below, and we hope it will be helpful to all new mothers.

The causes and treatment methods of physiological milk swelling 2-3 days after delivery. Physiological milk swelling, commonly known as milk letdown, is scientifically a signal of the arrival of the second stage of lactation. Lactation is divided into stage I and stage II. Stage I begins at about 20 weeks of pregnancy and lasts until 48 hours after delivery, and the secretion is called colostrum. Stage II begins to show obvious feelings at 48-72 hours (changes in composition begin before 48 hours), and transitional milk and mature milk are secreted. Many people say that there is no milk in the first two days, which means that the second stage of lactation has not started in the first two days. But please don’t forget that the colostrum secreted in the first stage of lactation is enough to maintain the baby’s survival activities in the first two days.

So, I have answered this question hundreds of times: What to do if there is no milk in the first two days? There is colostrum in the first two days, which is enough for the baby! This is the answer!

Does everyone have colostrum? All the mothers I have met so far have colostrum, even some who cannot squeeze out even a drop. The change in their child's stool color and weight tells me that the child is taking in. Of course, mothers can check whether their breasts have grown during puberty and pregnancy, whether they have had breast surgery, etc. These may affect the amount and removal of colostrum.

There is also a question that mothers often ask: Do mothers who have a cesarean section have no milk in the first two days? The answer is that cesarean section does not affect the secretion of colostrum in the first two days. However, mothers who have undergone cesarean section are prone to breast edema, and many mothers who have undergone cesarean section mistakenly believe that they cannot breastfeed because of the medication they received after delivery or that their posture is inconvenient for breastfeeding, which results in a decrease in milk supply afterwards.

Having said this, let’s return to physiological breast swelling. I currently believe that physiological breast enlargement can be divided into two situations. One is due to some edema caused by infusion before and during delivery, and the breasts usually have a floating ball feeling. Confinement nannies like to call it milk gas, but it is actually not gas, but liquid. Therefore, kneading and pressing will only make it worse. Oxytocin is an antidiuretic substance, so mothers who use oxytocin are particularly prone to this condition. As for eating something to help excrete water, there have been no specific trials, and it will only be effective if taken in large quantities. Consider using potato chips.

The second situation is too much milk. Because breasts are usually prepared. As a result, more milk is produced than the baby needs. Then the milk production is too fast and exceeds the amount used, and you will feel bloated. In this case, if the mother is very uncomfortable, she can consider using a breast pump to express some of the milk.

The questions that mothers will ask at this time are:

1. The baby is unwilling to suck, there must be no milk in it;

2. The breast pump cannot suck out any milk.

If the mother has already experienced physiological milk increase, it is usually necessary to review whether she gave her baby milk powder in the first two days after delivery. Insufficient sucking is the main cause of physiological breast engorgement. What may follow is that the child may become dissatisfied with breast flow and have a nipple preference. The swelling of the mammary glands may cause the milk ducts to narrow, so when you squeeze them at this time, it will feel much more difficult than for some mothers who have sucked well after giving birth. When the child has confused flow and the passage becomes narrower, the child will naturally be unwilling to suck. In this regard, you can watch a video specifically on how to deal with physiological breast engorgement. This will be more effective than the ordinary Marmite milking method in dealing with physiological breast engorgement. You can also use this method to increase the flow rate while your child is sucking.

As for the situation where the breast pump cannot suck out the milk, mothers should check whether the areola is very hard. If so, they should soften the areola first. There are two methods for areola softening: reverse pressure and Marmite pressure. It depends on the specific situation. It would be better to let the baby suck or use a breast pump to express milk after the areola has been softened.

Usually, this process is over within 48 hours and the swelling returns to its original state. It's a bit like morning sickness during pregnancy. The degree and duration of swelling vary from woman to woman, just as the degree and duration of morning sickness vary from woman to woman. However, physiological breast swelling cannot be eliminated by external force, it can only be relieved, just like morning sickness cannot be eliminated but only relieved, unless you stop breastfeeding, just like if you don't want morning sickness, you can only get rid of the baby and not give birth. But it can be prevented if you feed on demand without restrictions after delivery (when I say feeding on demand, I don’t mean feeding with formula before giving birth, or feeding with formula after breastfeeding).

There are three ways to relieve physiological breast swelling:

1. Before the second stage of lactation, the baby should be fed 8-12 times a day. I once met two mothers with physiological breast swelling on the same day. One mother did not add any formula to her baby for the first three days and had been drinking breast milk. The alveoli were not swollen much, just slightly harder than ordinary breasts, and milk was easily discharged. The other mother did not feed her baby for the first three days, so it was very difficult for her to squeeze out milk. If the mother is separated from the baby, she must start using a professional breast pump to express milk immediately after delivery.

2. After the second stage of lactation comes, let the baby breastfeed without limit on time and frequency. If the baby is not around, breastfeed every 2-3 hours. There is no need to empty the breast, and 15 minutes on each side is best. One thing that needs to be confirmed here is that the child is latching and sucking effectively. Because these children have usually been interfered with by bottles. So some mothers will say that after the child has eaten, the breast is still very hard and the child cannot eat. It’s all about posture! Needs correction.