Breast massage with lactostasis

A major problem for any lactating woman is lactostasis - milk stagnation, in which the breast massage is shown in parallel with the decantation. This is a very difficult and painful process, you can not do without it, otherwise it will go to mastitis, and an urgent surgical operation will be required.

How to do breast massage with lactostasis?

To begin with, you need to relax and relax your muscles as much as possible. This will cause an influx of the hormone oxytocin, which helps to get milk out, and not to keep it in a full chest. You can take a warm (not hot) shower, drink herbal tea. Well, if the husband will do a back massage, or rather, the thoracic spine.

If you do not already know how to do the massage yourself when stagnation in the chest, it is recommended to observe the safety rules - you can not greatly compress, squeeze and rub - all this will further exacerbate the situation. Movements should be smooth, sparing and directed to the epicenter of the problem - a place of stagnation. It is easy to identify by hardening and tenderness when palpating. If the chest simply hurts, but there is no hard place, then, most likely, the problem is deep and will make itself felt red spot on the skin in place above the blocked duct.

The breast should be gently wrapped around with three fingers (little finger, ring and middle finger), and point and big to make expressing movements. They should be located on the edge of the halo of the nipple and press as if into the inside. First, stroking the breast in a clockwise direction, with fingers from the periphery to the center. After that, again with your fingers, make soft pats. And only then you can start to decant.

After the milk has ceased to flow, the cycle of massage movements is repeated, after which the pumping again takes place. It is very good to massage neatly the very problematic part of the gland, despite the pain - then the effectiveness of the massage is increased.

You need to be prepared for the fact that after this procedure, the temperature may rise, as a reaction to interference in the inflammation zone. If it does not subside within 24 hours, and the situation does not get better, antibiotics will be needed. And if pus appears with the milk, it needs to be stopped urgently and go to the surgeon, as it is not lactostasis, but mastitis.

These same massage movements can be done without pumping, and applying the baby. It will be necessary to change the position of the child in such a way that during such combined medical feeding the infant could suck milk from all the lobes. A well-timed massage can help you get rid of stagnation in a day, if you do it several times a day for at least half an hour.