What are the methods for breast dredging during lactation?

Women are prone to mammary gland obstruction after childbirth. This is because it is the first time for the mother to breastfeed, and the mammary glands are prone to milk knots or mammary gland obstruction, which can easily lead to milk engorgement. It will also prevent the newborn from getting breast milk well. There are many ways to unclog the mammary glands. You can massage the breasts to open them up, gently stroke the area around the breasts with your hands to stimulate milk secretion, or use hot compress therapy to relieve the problem. Soaking a towel in hot water and applying the hot towel to the breasts can effectively unclog the inside of the breasts and allow milk to be secreted smoothly.

The most effective way to clear milk knots

Step one: unclog the nipple first. Dip your thumb and index finger in water, pinch the nipple, and rub from the inside out. A small amount of milk will come out.

Step 2: Knead the breast lumps. Dip your hands in water, cover your breasts, and use your palms to gently rub clockwise or counterclockwise from the outside of the breast to the areola.

Step 3: Unclog the milk ducts. Wet five fingers and rub vigorously from the outside of the breast towards the areola. Be sure to massage along the position of the mammary ducts. At this time, you can see milk spurting out. Apply the spurting milk directly on the breasts and continue the operation.

In addition, the following methods are also available:

Circular massage: Place your hands above and below the breasts and massage the entire breast in a circular direction;

Spiral massage: Hold the breast with one hand, and use the index and middle fingers of the other hand to massage in a spiral shape towards the nipple;

Acupressure massage: Place your hands on both sides of your breasts and squeeze from the breasts to the nipples.

The direction of massage is generally from both sides of the armpits towards the nipples; the intensity of the massage must be moderate, it is useless if the strength is not enough, so the mother cannot do it herself, it is best to ask the confinement nanny or husband to help; but too much force may also break the skin, so the strength must be controlled well. Also, remember to keep your hands wet when massaging.

If you don't have anyone to help you, you can try scraping it yourself using the back of a comb or a scraping board. It is best to have a scraping board. If you don’t have one, you can use a cow horn or the back of a wooden comb to scrape. Wherever you press on a hard lump, scrape it away with force.

After the above two steps comes the milk pumping stage, which is to completely open up the mammary ducts. It is best to let the baby suck; if that doesn’t work, use a breast pump (at this time, it is very important to have a breast pump with strong suction and that fits the hand), or you can ask your husband for help.

How to prevent milk lumps

The key to preventing milk lumps is to prevent milk from being trapped. The best way is to let the baby suck the nipple frequently, try to let the baby suck out the milk every time you breastfeed, pay attention to nipple cleanliness, avoid nipple injury, massage the breasts more often, and develop the habit of regular breastfeeding. If the nipple is congenitally inverted, the mother can often squeeze and pull it to correct the inversion.