Breast lactostasis and its treatment

Every lactating mother knows that there is such an unpleasant phenomenon as breast lactostasis. It must beware of and, if possible, prevent. But is lactostasis so terrible and what is it all about?

Lactostasis - stagnation of milk in the breast of a nursing woman.

This is literally true: with lactostasis, the movement of milk along the ducts is disturbed and the so-called “milk tube” is formed.

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Causes and symptoms of lactostasis

Perhaps lactostasis has not bypassed any nursing mother, however, someone faces milk stagnation every month, and someone once for the entire experience of breastfeeding. You can highlight the most popular causes of lactostasis:

• A rare change in body position. For example, a mother can feed a baby for a long time in one pose or sleep on one side constantly. Some lobes of the mammary gland may be pinched and not emptied in a timely manner;
• Crushing ducts with underwear. Many mothers, especially at the stage of lactation, when milk flows from the breast at high tides, constantly wear a bra, including not taking off at night. In milk, some milk ducts can be pinched, which causes difficulties in the movement of milk in them;
• Stress and accumulated fatigue can also affect the condition of the ducts of the mammary glands. The ducts are spasmodic and the outflow of milk in this place is disrupted;
• The cause of lactostasis may be an increase in the viscosity of milk. This occurs after eating certain foods (such as nuts), or from an insufficient amount of fluid drunk (especially in the heat);
• It is possible to provoke stagnation of milk by constant expressions. Some mothers who seek to establish natural feeding find themselves confused by the recommendations of their grandmothers, and sometimes pediatricians, that it is necessary to express breasts to the end after each application. Since milk is produced in response to sucking, or, in other words, in response to emptying the breast, decantation of an additional volume by the body is regarded as a signal of an additional need for milk. As a result, by the next feeding of milk there is already much more: the volume sucked by the baby is replenished, and from above - the volume of expressed milk. The child does not cope with this huge amount, the chest overflows. Mom, in an attempt to correct the situation, decantes again and ends up in a vicious circle with constantly crowded breasts and stagnation of milk;
• Sometimes milk stagnation occurs as a reaction to a changing weather. This is difficult to explain, but GV consultants have noted a surge in treatment with lactostasis in such periods.

Video: reasons. symptoms, elimination measures, prevention of lactostasis

Symptoms are not difficult to recognize:

• Localized swelling of the mammary gland, inside of which one can feel the seal;
• Soreness of the blockage of ducts;
• Redness of the chest where stagnation occurred;
• Temperature increase. If the temperature on the thermometer approaches 39 - this is a dangerous sign, which can mean the onset of purulent-inflammatory processes in the chest. At this temperature, you need to see a doctor.

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Treatment

With the treatment of lactostasis, (if this process has not yet reached a critical point), any mother can cope on her own at home. All actions with this problem are designed to restore the movement of milk in the clogged duct - that is, it is simply necessary to determine stagnation.

Decantation

The best assistant in breast dissection is the baby himself. The child should be applied to the sore chest as often as possible, including at night (pluses of night feedings) Most often, this is where the entire treatment ends. However, if breastfeeding is very painful for mom, you first need to ease her condition by expressing a little milk manually:

• With the help of heat, it is necessary to improve the outflow of milk. You can apply a warm compress (for example, a towel moistened with hot water), take a bath or stand in the shower for 10 minutes, directing water to the chest area;
• With very careful movements, massage the chest at the stagnation site. You can use massage oil or cream;
• We strain a little milk only to alleviate the condition and relieve pain;
• At the end, we remove tissue swelling with a cold compress applied to the chest for 5-10 minutes.

After manual pumping, it is necessary to attach the baby to the chest so that it completes the job by sucking. This sequence of actions can be done 2-3 times a day.

Video: how to express breast with lactostasis

Compresses

You can relieve pain with lactostasis with the help of compresses or ointments. The most effective are compresses from very affordable products:

• Compress of cold cabbage leaf. The sheet needs to be beaten off a little so that the juice goes, and applied to the place of compaction in the chest;
• Honey compress. Honey is mixed with flour to the consistency of a tight dough, a cake is formed from this mass and applied to the chest;
• Compress from cold low-fat cottage cheese.

Video: how to treat lactostasis with folk methods at home

Ointments

Of the medicines, Traumeel S cream, Arnica ointment, and Malavit solution help well. It is better to always have any of these funds for a nursing mother in a medicine cabinet.

Remember!

Does lactostasis feed?

The answer is yes. With any subtle signs of stagnation of milk, mother should often apply the baby to the "sick" breast. No pumping, even after a massage, can cope with emptying the breast like a baby.

So that the baby effectively resolves the stasis, it can be applied to the chest in different positions, based on which part of the mammary gland has formed “Milk cork”. There is such a rule: in which part of the chest the chin of a sucking baby rests, from that part it best sucks milk. Based on this rule, you can choose such feeding positionin which the baby will actively suck “Problematic” share.

Lactostasis Prevention

The best prevention of lactostasis is well-established breastfeeding. The rules are very simple:

1. Change the feeding position periodically (link to various poses above).
2. Do not wear tight bras from a “past life”. Many mothers after giving birth for aesthetic reasons continue to wear the same underwear that they wore before.However, the breast size of a nursing mother usually increases, in addition, ordinary underwear has stiff seams and bones. When feeding, it is better to wear special bras. As a rule, they have a soft cup, there are no bones, they carefully support the chest, without restricting it.
3. Do not deny yourself a vacation. Homework can be postponed until later, because overwork is an important factor in the occurrence of many health problems.
4. Stick to nutrition rulesrecommended to nursing mother and drink plenty of fluids.

The occurrence of lactostasis is the usual “working” situation for a nursing mother. You should not be afraid of this, because timely actions help solve the problem quickly enough. What you really should focus on is your own feelings. With any hint of tightening and pain, you should be puzzled by remedial measures, then there is practically no chance of serious problems.

When to see a doctor

Basically, all mothers successfully cope with the elimination of lactostasis on their own, but you need to be on the alert, and in some cases, be sure to consult a doctor:

1. If high temperature does not drop for more than 2 days.
2. If in a few days the lump in the chest does not get smaller.

A nursing mother can contact a gynecologist or mammologist. The doctor will examine the chest and make an ultrasound. Typically, such symptoms are characteristic of incipient mastitis. At the same time, a young mother is prescribed physiotherapy, antibiotics can be prescribed. We read in detail: Which doctor should I contact for lactostasis?

Recommended on the topic:

1. Breast massage (see how to do it right).
2. If it hurts to breastfeed - the reasons.
3. Nipple cracks (treatment and prevention).
4. How to restore lactation - 10 main recommendations.

Treatment experience