Stagnation of milk in the breast - what to do?

After the birth of the baby in the life of most women, a new and very important period begins - the breastfeeding of the newborn. It is at this time that a close psychological connection is formed between the young mother and the baby, so it is very important to continue feeding the crumb with breast milk for a long time.

Meanwhile, women often have problems with lactation, which interfere with the normal course of the process of natural feeding. One of the most common among them - the stagnation of milk in the breast. This condition gives the young mother a lot of uncomfortable sensations and makes her suffer, so you should get rid of it as soon as possible.

In this article, we will tell you what causes the stagnation of milk in the breast and what should be done if the nursing mother is faced with this unpleasant problem.

Causes of milk stagnation in the mammary glands

Each mammary gland of a woman consists of a large number of lobules, in which there are many milky ducts. If at least one of these ducts is clogged, the output of breast milk on it is difficult, so that the lobule in which it is found is not completely exhausted.

In the future, the situation is exacerbated, since an increasing number of ducts are clogged, and the milk in the breast remains more and more, which provokes stagnation. If you do not take timely measures, a woman can develop mastitis - a dangerous infectious and inflammatory disease that can lead to serious consequences, for example, an abscess.

Stagnation of milk in the mammary gland causes a simultaneous combination of several factors from the following list:

• long breaks between feedings;
• putting the baby to the mammary glands for a short time;
• wrong grip of the nipple by a child;
• wearing a tight bra;
• intensive compression of the breast during feeding;
• excessive amount of milk;
• persistent nervous stress and fatigue;
• physical exhaustion, chronic fatigue.

What to do when breast milk is stagnant in a nursing mother?

Most young mothers do not know what to do in case of stagnation during breastfeeding, and when the first unpleasant symptoms appear, this condition is sent to the pharmacy. In fact, in order to get rid of this problem, it is enough just to change your tactics. In particular, to eliminate stagnation of breast milk, it is necessary:

1. As often as possible, apply crumbs to the chest. So, in the daytime, the break between attachments should be no more than 1 hour, and in the night time - 2 hours.
2. Within 1-3 days after the appearance of the first symptoms of the disease, decant breast milk after each feeding. Do this by hand, gently and gently massaging your chest with your fingertips. In this case, the direction from the base to the nipple and areola should be observed.
3. Change the position of the body during lactation. To quickly eliminate stagnant areas, you should choose a position in which the child's chin will rest against the affected area.
4. Make a cold compress, for example, a large bubble with ice wrapped in a cut of natural material. This function can also be carried out with a wet towel.

Contrary to popular belief, the affected breast can not be applied:

• compresses with alcohol, as they disrupt the production of oxytocin, providing normal lactation;
• warming compresses, which contribute to increased edema and difficulty in the outflow of breast milk.