What should I do if my mother's milk is blocked?

Generally, when a woman reaches the eighth or ninth month of pregnancy, her breasts are fully prepared for breastfeeding. At this time, a small amount of milk will be secreted, and breastfeeding can be carried out after giving birth. However, under normal circumstances, there is no lumps in the breasts before feeling them, and they are very unobstructed. However, after giving birth, the breasts are not only swollen and uncomfortable, but also have lumps. What should I do about the phenomenon of postpartum milk blockage?

There were no lumps before delivery, but one or two days after delivery, after milk production, some lumps suddenly appeared in the breasts. Some were small bumps, and in some cases, the entire breast was severely swollen. Moreover, the milk does not come out smoothly, and only a little bit can be squeezed out by squeezing with hands. Swelling or tingling throughout the breast. If the above phenomena occur, it can be determined that it is milk stasis, which is commonly known as milk blockage.

Postpartum milk blockage (pre-mastitis) is a common problem for breastfeeding mothers. Some mothers even have it every month.

This will happen once or twice. If the blockage is mild, the baby can suck it out. If it is serious, you must find someone to clear the milk or go to the hospital. Some mothers cannot withstand the distress caused by multiple milk blockages and have to choose to wean to end breastfeeding.

Milk blockage is also called milk stasis. It means that when the mother is breastfeeding, lumps or small bumps suddenly appear in the breasts. Milk duct blockage will cause swelling and pain. This is because the milk accumulates in the mammary ducts and cannot come out, causing milk flow obstruction. Therefore, many milk duct blockages are caused by not being treated in time. Some new mothers have no experience and rub their breasts randomly at home, causing redness and swelling of the breasts, which actually causes mastitis.

Some mothers even develop a fever, which is the late stage of mastitis. If treatment is delayed, suppuration is common. At that time, you have to go to the hospital. It is caused by milk duct blockage, so mothers must pay attention during breastfeeding: when small bumps or lumps appear in the breasts, when there is a fever for no reason, this is milk duct blockage.

Tools/Raw Materials

Several towels; lecithin; (cold) water; (hot) water.

Methods/Steps

Just like when the water pipe at home is clogged, who should you turn to? You will answer without hesitation: You must find a plumber. Yes, the same is true for milk ducts. However, if the milk ducts are blocked, you have to rely on your own baby or find a lactation consultant.

Before, some mothers might say that they can unblock the blockage themselves at home. If the milk blockage lasts for more than 1 day and has not been cleared by itself, please deal with it in time. Because if the problem continues to develop, it is very likely to cause milk withdrawal or mastitis, which will not be worth the risk. Of course, when milk duct blockage occurs, we recommend that you apply cold compress first and let your baby suck milk. If the blockage still cannot be resolved, then you should seek help from a lactation consultant. Otherwise, it will be very troublesome to handle it yourself.

First of all, once you find that your milk is blocked, grab your baby to suck the milk after applying hot compress; if your milk is swollen first, it is recommended to apply cold compress to soothe it first, grab your baby to suck the milk, then apply hot compress, or take a hot shower.

Recommendation: If you take lecithin to maintain lactation, milk blockage will occur less frequently. Once it occurs, it will be unblocked quickly.