What are the breast changes during lactation?

Lactation is a special period after a woman gives birth to a baby. During this special period, a woman's breasts will also undergo significant changes. Many women experience breast tenderness and sensitivity after giving birth. Many women worry whether these physical changes are harmful to their bodies. In fact, these are normal breast changes during lactation. So, what are the changes in women's breasts during lactation?

1. Breast enlargement

The size of a person's breasts is not fixed. At least pregnancy and lactation are good times for breasts to grow larger. At this time, the estrogen level in the pregnant mother's body is relatively high. Under the stimulation of estrogen, it is difficult for the breasts not to grow larger. However, many mothers may ignore this change and still wear their previous underwear. The previous bras were not supportive enough to support the enlarged breasts, and would also squeeze out the breasts and create accessory breasts. It is recommended that mothers change into a nursing bra during the breastfeeding period. Nursing bras have greater support and will not cause harm to the breasts.

2. Breast pain

The main cause of breast pain is milk duct blockage. During breastfeeding, some mothers have a lot of milk, but because the baby sucks less, a lot of milk will be blocked in the breasts, causing breast pain. At this time, the mother needs to prepare a breast pump to empty the excess milk in the breast to prevent the milk from blocking the mammary glands. The expressed milk can be stored in a disposable milk storage bag, which can then be placed in the refrigerator and heated up when needed.

3. The color of the areola becomes darker

In fact, the darkening of the areola begins during pregnancy. This is because the level of estrogen in the mother's body is relatively high during pregnancy, which causes pigmentation in the body, so the color of the areola becomes darker. Although the estrogen level in the mother's body begins to drop after giving birth, it still takes some time to return to the state before pregnancy, so during this period, the mother's areola is still dark. Don’t worry, moms. As the estrogen level gradually recovers, the color of the areola will gradually become lighter.

4. Breast hardening

In the first few days after giving birth, the mother will feel her breasts becoming hard and even a little painful. This is because during pregnancy, the level of female hormones increases, stimulating the brain's nerve center to secrete "prolactin". After delivery, prolactin increases rapidly, prompting the mammary glands to secrete milk. So a few days after giving birth, the soft breasts suddenly become hard because of the secretion of milk.

From pregnancy to lactation, under the influence of female hormones, the mother's breasts will inevitably change. Some changes are normal and the mother should treat them differently.