Can I breastfeed directly while wearing a breast pad?

During breastfeeding, pregnant women will encounter many difficult problems. Under normal circumstances, when milk secretion is relatively high, it will be fine if the baby eats more. However, when the baby is not fed in time, milk overflow is likely to occur. At this time, some women will use breast pads to deal with it, but they are afraid that it will affect normal breastfeeding. So, can I breastfeed directly while using a nursing pad? Let’s take a look below.

Nursing pads are designed to prevent breast milk from leaking out during breastfeeding, keeping the bra dry by absorbing excess breast milk. After a pregnant woman gives birth successfully, the levels of estrogen and progesterone drop sharply, and under the action of prolactin, the breasts begin to secrete milk. Every time the baby sucks and stimulates the nipple, it stimulates the secretion of prolactin, thereby promoting the secretion of milk.

WHO advocates breastfeeding, early contact, early sucking, and breastfeeding on demand. Breast pads are mostly made of pure cotton, for comfort and to absorb more milk. However, the disadvantage is that they need to be cleaned promptly to prevent bacterial growth. But often the cleaning is not done properly. Breast milk is high in nutrients and is a good breeding ground for bacteria. Therefore, it is best to clean the nipples before breastfeeding your baby and do not feed directly.

When should breast pads be used?

Generally speaking, breast pads are mainly suitable for mothers who breastfeed after childbirth. One purpose is to prevent breast milk from leaking out and causing clothes to get wet, which requires frequent changing and washing. The other purpose is to prevent nipple infections caused by frequently wet nipples. Therefore, for most women, they can start using it during the breastfeeding period. However, some breastfeeding mothers are often at home, so it is convenient to change underwear and they are not afraid of embarrassment caused by milk leakage. In this case, they do not need to use nursing pads when they are at home, and can choose to use nursing pads when they go out for parties. However, for breastfeeding mothers who need to return to work, they can wear nursing pads before going to work, and prepare a few spare nursing pads for easy replacement.

Precautions for using breast pads

Generally speaking, breast pads are to be used with special nursing bras. The correct way to use it is to spread the breast pad into a round shape, insert it into the interlayer of the bra, and stick the adhesive on the back of the breast pad. In addition, whether it is a washable or disposable breast pad, it needs to be replaced every 3-4 hours.

If it is a disposable breast pad, just replace it in time. However, for reusable breast pads, in addition to replacing them, they should be cleaned in a timely manner. Be careful when cleaning, as women tend to sweat a lot after giving birth, commonly known as "bed sweat". Therefore, underwear and reusable nursing pads must be changed and washed frequently. When cleaning, you may wish to use enzyme detergent, which has an ideal cleaning effect on human secretions. After cleaning, it should be exposed to the sun to achieve the sterilization effect.