How to eliminate breast edema during lactation

The reason why women have breast milk is because there is an organ called mammary gland in the breast, which can convert the food women eat into milk very well. Some women do not pay attention to the condition of their breasts during breastfeeding, which causes breast edema. If breast edema occurs, it will affect the baby's feeding. So how to eliminate breast edema during lactation?

1. More suction and more discharge

When the baby shows a tendency to want to breastfeed, you should feed him/her in time and let him/her suck more. While your baby is feeding, you can gently massage the breast lumps to make it easier for the milk to be extracted. Pay attention to feeding on demand, and don't let the baby suck too frequently, so as not to stimulate the milk let-down, causing the baby to feel full after only a short while, which can easily cause milk stasis.

2. Adjust the feeding posture

Feed the side without milk blockage first, and when the milk starts to flow out, switch to the side with milk blockage. When feeding, let the baby's chin face the lump and choose the appropriate feeding position according to the situation (to unblock the lump at the bottom of the breast, you can choose to hold the baby in a reclining or side-lying position; inside of the breast: cradle hold; outside of the breast: rugby hold; upper side of the breast: 69 position breastfeeding).

3. Promote milk circulation

The bra should not be too tight, just enough to lift the breasts. Be careful not to put pressure on your breasts when you sleep. Do not use the scissor hand gesture all the time when breastfeeding to avoid making the milk blockage worse. If the breasts are slightly sagging, the milk blockage may be located lower down. The mother can raise the breasts when breastfeeding.

4. Cold compress after milk discharge

You can apply cabbage leaves or potato slices on your breasts. Refrigerated leaves are more effective and can be applied for about 20 minutes. Be careful not to apply it on the nipple to avoid leaving odor that interferes with the baby's feeding.

5. Massage your breasts

Do not massage vigorously. If conditions permit, you can ask a professional lactation therapist to help you with massage. The milk-clearing process itself is not painful, but the pain is where the lump occurs.

6. Pay attention to your diet

During the period of milk blockage, mothers should not drink greasy soups or eat too much meat and fish. Eating too much greasy food can make the breasts more easily blocked. It is better to eat a light diet and more vegetables and fruits at this time.