How to prevent breast milk from swelling in the middle of the night when you have too much milk

If you have too much milk, it is easy to get breast engorgement. Breast engorgement is a relatively dangerous symptom for women who are breastfeeding, because it not only causes great pain to women, but may also lead to health diseases such as mastitis. Of course, breast engorgement can be prevented through certain methods. So, how can you prevent milk from swelling in the middle of the night if you have too much milk? This will be introduced below!

1. Let your baby suck as early as possible

After delivery, let the baby have close contact with the new mother as soon as possible, and start sucking breast milk within half an hour after the baby is born. This will not only help the baby get colostrum containing rich nutrients and immunoglobulins, but also stimulate the secretion of breast milk. As the baby sucks, the mother's milk ducts can be gradually unblocked, making breastfeeding smooth.

2. Breast pump helps

If the baby cannot help the mother by sucking for some reason, then a breast pump should be chosen to help, and the mother also needs to use a breast pump to empty the excess milk after breastfeeding. When choosing a breast pump, you should pay attention to the fact that the suction must be moderate and the nipples should not feel any pain when using it.

3. Gentle massage

After washing their hands, new mothers should hold the entire breast, apply even force and gently massage and squeeze from all sides of the breast toward the nipple. This can help unclog the milk ducts and reduce or eliminate skin edema. During the massage, if you find that a certain part of the breast is particularly swollen and painful, you can squeeze that area with a little force to expel the accumulated milk to prevent the milk duct from being blocked and causing mastitis.

4. Avoid nipple cracking

During pregnancy, you should be prepared to prevent nipple cracks. Use a soapy towel to scrub your nipples frequently so that the skin on the nipples will gradually thicken and will not be easily broken by the baby. After delivery, you can squeeze out a small amount of milk or olive oil after breastfeeding and apply it on the nipples and areola to prevent nipple cracking.

5. Hot Bath

When your breasts are swollen and painful, you might as well take a hot shower and massage your breasts, which will feel more comfortable.

6. Soak breasts in warm water

You can place a basin of warm water on your knees, then bend your upper body to your knees, let your breasts soak in the basin, and gently shake your breasts. Gravity will allow the milk to flow out more easily.

7. Cold compress

If the pain from breast engorgement is very severe, you can use cold compresses to relieve the pain. Always remember to express the milk before applying cold compress.