During the feeding period, young mothers often face the unpleasant consequences of lactostasis. Stagnation of milk in the breast causes extremely unpleasant sensations, so every woman should know about ways to combat it and preventive measures to prevent the situation from worsening.

Reasons for stagnation

The beginning of treatment for any disease is preceded by the identification and elimination of the causes that caused it, therefore, before starting to study all the ways to express milk during stagnation, you need to familiarize yourself with the causes of its occurrence.

So this is:

• blockage of the ducts, which can cause cracked nipples;
• incorrectly selected bra;
• chest injuries;
• feeding regimen with long breaks;
• monotonous feeding position or repeated pumping technique, as a result of which not all areas of the breast are emptied;
• lying on your side for a long time or an uncomfortable position while sleeping;
• introduction of complementary foods (the amount of milk sucked by the baby decreases).

Symptoms

Lactostasis is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• breast swelling;
• pain during feeding or pumping;
• the breast becomes dense, when palpated, compactions in the form of one or several lobules are detected;
• increased body temperature;
• redness of the skin of the chest;
• uneven milk release.

Expressing your breasts is not a very pleasant procedure, but despite the pain, you need to be patient and strong and proceed with it. Prolonged lactostasis or critically high temperature is a reason for urgent consultation with a specialist. If no action is taken, the problem will lead to extremely unpleasant situations.

Preparing for decanting

You need to familiarize yourself with ways to strain milk stagnation at home. Complete emptying of all areas of the breast will prevent the occurrence of purulent processes and will ensure continuous and normal breastfeeding.

All young mothers who notice the first signs of lactostasis are recommended to follow a certain action plan. So, before you strain lactostasis, you should properly prepare your breasts. There are the following methods for this.

Warming up

Heat dilates the milk ducts and promotes normal milk flow, so before you relieve stagnant milk at home, you can stand in a warm shower.

A cabbage leaf with honey applied to the painful area also helps relieve pain and swelling. The sheet is applied for no more than 15 minutes.

Physiotherapy

Special procedures carried out in the physiotherapy room will have a beneficial effect on the further neutralization of lactostasis; experienced specialists will tell you how to break up the lumps. Among the wide variety, you may prefer ultrasound or UHF therapy.

Massage

You will learn how to massage the mammary glands during milk stagnation in our video at the end of the article. Very simple manipulations, carried out with careful light movements, contribute to the easy outflow of milk.

Decantation technique

A special technique developed for nursing mothers will successfully remove stagnation of breast milk. Due to the pain of the procedure, preliminary preparation is required. The psychological attitude of a woman is also important; she must understand that if nothing is done, then the outcome will be disastrous. The massage is carried out in such a way as not to damage the breasts. All movements must be neat, smooth and soft. Squeezing, excessive pressure and the use of physical force are highly discouraged. You can learn how to massage your breasts during milk stagnation from the video in our article.

The massage is carried out in three stages:

1. Before kneading milk stagnation, you need to sit comfortably and relax, think about something good. Four fingers of one hand are located under the breast, the index and thumb converge in the area near the nipple, that is, they come as close as possible to the areola. The other hand is placed on top of the chest. Next, apply rhythmic pressure with light movements of the palms, trying to move from the periphery to the center. We pay attention to the milky sinuses, which are easily palpable during lactostasis; this is an effective way to strain the thoracic ducts.
2. Only light and soft movements of the fingers and hands will help to resolve lactostasis, otherwise (with the help of sharp, strong pressure) you can only aggravate the situation - this must always be remembered. The position of the hand is under the breast, the thumb and forefinger are closed near the nipple. Using pressing movements, we move towards the center, and try to cover the entire chest space. If the discharge from the nipples has stopped, we massage the breasts to increase lactation at the same pace.
3. We perform light tapping and stroking from the peripheral zone to the center and continue to take steps to strain stagnant milk with our hands.

Duration of treatment

The duration of one procedure should not be less than 20 minutes. It is very important to start treatment in the early stages, then the effect will be noticeable within a day. If a woman does not know how to properly knead the mammary glands during feeding, and time is lost, then progress will be noticeable only after 3 days. Lastly, the redness subsides.

Before straining stagnant milk, you need to carry out proper preparation. Only in this case can one hope for effectiveness and obtaining a good result from the manipulations. There are some recommendations that will improve and facilitate the process.

Warming

You can warm up your breasts with a small heating pad or a warm diaper. It is very important to ensure that the water is warm and not hot.

It is necessary to refuse warming up if a woman has a temperature that is even slightly higher than normal. It is better to wait until it returns to normal, then proceed with further steps to strain stagnant milk at home.

ethnoscience

A cabbage leaf poultice is a great preparatory step before straining the breast. Before applying, the leaf is beaten until the juice is released. If you are not allergic to honey, you can apply a thin layer of honey to the inside of the leaf. This product will not only warm up the breasts, but also make the skin softer and silkier.

Doctors very often recommend this effective method to their patients, as it relieves pain and swelling. Also for this purpose, cakes made from flour and honey are used; if possible, you can apply low-fat cottage cheese to the chest.

Communication with a specialist

The extensive practice of specialists in this field will allow you to choose the most effective way to strain breast milk. They may recommend physical therapy as a preparatory procedure.

In any case, only a specialist will give valuable advice for each individual case, tell you what to avoid and how to properly strain milk stagnation for those women who have never undergone such procedures.

Changing your baby's position when feeding

At the first sensation of pain or the appearance of lumps, you should change your position when feeding, this is what determines the uniform emptying of the breast. Lumps in the middle of the chest will disappear if you feed the baby while lying on your side, not with the breast that is lower, but with the one that is further from the baby.

If stagnation has formed on the side of the armpit, feeding should be done from under the arm. If the lower part of the chest is full, the child is placed facing the chest, in a sitting position, the upper part is placed on the back with his legs away from the mother, and she bends over him. In general, your baby's chin should point towards the area where the congestion has formed.

Frequent feeding

In order not to have to worry about how to express breast milk with your hands during stagnation, you need to feed your baby often, but in small portions. Such feeding will have a beneficial effect on the health of mother and baby.

Additional measures

Breast massage

Massage is necessary, as already noted, to ensure relaxation, breaking up seals and better milk flow. For safety reasons, it is better to do it yourself, since a professional massage therapist may not calculate the level of pressure.

The procedure is carried out before feeding or combined with pumping. If the pain is unbearable, you can try performing the procedure in a bath or shower at a water temperature of no more than 37 degrees.

Compresses

They have a warming, relaxing effect, so milk flows better through the ducts.

A regular napkin soaked in warm water is an excellent way to break up cones during lactostasis. It stays on the chest area until it cools down. Traditional medicine offers many remedies used as compresses.

Mistakes to Avoid

To properly establish lactation, you should avoid some mistakes that young mothers most often make:

Feeding according to the schedule

The regimen recommended for many mothers for feeding, which consists of observing a three-hour break, is designed for artificial feeding. Natural feeding in the first days after birth should be done every half hour, with a two-hour break for night sleep allowed.

The baby needs to be put to the breast on demand; over time, the size of the baby's ventricle will increase, and the interval between feedings will increase. Only in this case will it be possible to avoid milk stagnation.

Incorrect feeding technique

There is no need to grab and press the breast with your fingers, trying to direct it into the baby’s mouth. The breasts can be slightly supported, incorrect manipulations will lead to pinching of the milk ducts and stagnation of milk, as a result you will have to resort to one of the ways to express yourself correctly.

The baby's mouth should completely encircle the areola, with his tongue inserted between the lip and breast. Only by following these rules can you avoid cracks, microtraumas of the nipples and congestion in the chest.

Complementary feeding or supplementation

The fact is that using pacifiers for 3 months after birth will lead to a change in sucking technique, and therefore to improper emptying of the breast. It is also not recommended to offer your baby a pacifier.

Pumping after feeding

The woman’s body perceives such manipulations as a lack of milk, so each time its volume increases, hyperlactation and subsequent stagnation occur.

Other mistakes young mothers make may include:

• feeding in one position;
• wearing tight underwear;
• uncomfortable posture during sleep.

Prevention

To preserve women's health, it is important not only to eliminate lactostasis, but also to prevent its reappearance.

1. Maintain a sleep schedule and choose a comfortable position (preferably on your back).
2. Refuse tight clothes and bras, choose comfortable products only from natural fabrics.
3. Avoid overwork, injuries, psycho-emotional stress.
4. Apply your baby to the breast correctly and often.
5. Change not only the breasts when feeding, but also the position of the baby.

Breastfeeding is an amazing period in the life of every woman. In order not to overshadow it, it is better to follow all the prescribed recommendations. Well, if stagnation has formed, you need to take the necessary measures in a timely manner, then you can avoid the negative manifestations of lactostasis.

Video

You will learn how to express milk correctly during lactostasis from our video.

Everyone knows the benefits of breast milk for a baby's development. It is not surprising that most young mothers try to feed their baby on their own. However, many women, especially primigravidas, face a problem such as lactostasis. This is the name given to excess accumulation of milk in any part of the mammary gland. In this case, a spasm of the milk ducts or their compression may occur. How to strain lactostasis at home?

Causes

To effectively combat lactostasis, you need to know the main reasons for its occurrence:

• Cracks in the nipples that have caused blockage of the milk ducts.
• Long break in feeding.
• A monotonous method of emptying the breast (usually when pumping), leading to emptying of not all parts of the breast.
• Milk stagnation caused by an uncomfortable sleeping position or lying on your side for a long time.
• Tight underwear.
• Chest injury.
• Introduction of complementary foods leading to a decrease in milk sucked by the baby.

Signs

The occurrence of lactostasis in the mammary gland is accompanied by a number of characteristic signs:

• The breasts become swollen and swollen.
• Painful sensations occur during pumping and during feeding.
• Painful lumps appear in the gland tissues.
• Almost complete hardening of the breast occurs, and when palpated, the shape of a lobule, and sometimes several, is felt.
• Sometimes the temperature rises, and the skin in problem areas turns red.
• The release of milk from the nipple may occur unevenly: from one end in streams, and from the other in drops.

Pumping rules

To cope with lactostasis on your own, you must express yourself correctly. In this case, you should act according to a certain scheme:

1. Four fingers of the hand should be placed under the gland. The thumb and index finger should be as close as possible to the edge of the nipple areola.
2. Start expressing with your thumb and index finger placed on the edge of the areola. At the same time, their position must constantly be changed during the process, which is necessary for the release of milk from the entire mammary gland.

   Movements when pumping should be rhythmic and slow.

   Pressure on the chest should be applied to the center of the chest, deep into the gland. This is done to provide primary pressure on the milky sinuses.

   If milk stops coming out of the nipple, but painful lumps remain, you need to massage the affected gland. The greatest attention should be paid to places where milk stagnation is most pronounced. It is necessary to pump there most intensively.

3. Massage the breast with both hands, moving from the periphery to the center of the nipple. The massage should be light, consisting of gentle tapping or squeezing of the seals. Then pumping needs to continue.
4. If possible, attach to the baby's breast.

How to get rid of milk stagnation

The following procedures will help you overcome lactostasis at home:

• Applying warm compresses. They trigger the oxytocin reflex, which helps milk flow better. To apply a compress, a napkin is moistened in warm water and placed on the painful area of ​​the gland. Keep it there until it cools.
• Traditional medicine. To combat lactostasis, apply compresses from cabbage leaves to the inflamed area (they are first beaten until the juice appears) or cakes of dough with honey. You can also use a baked onion (cut in half). Compresses made from camphor oil and soda-salt solution give good results. Ice packs can be used with caution, but care must be taken to avoid tissue frostbite. Alcohol compresses cannot be used during lactostasis, as they block oxytocin, which ultimately makes pumping difficult. Usually compresses are applied at night.
• Using the shower. The process of expressing becomes less painful, and the outflow of milk is more intense, if it occurs under a warm shower (you should be careful about hypothermia).
• Using a steam inhaler. Decantation of lactostasis occurs faster when using a steam inhaler.
• Breast massage. Before you start pumping, you should massage your breasts. You need to move in a circular motion from the base of the gland to the periphery of the nipple. The massage should be gentle; you should not actively knead your breasts, breaking up lumps. You should not use the services of a professional massage therapist, as he can injure the milk ducts, causing lactostasis in other lobes of the breast.
• Pumping. This procedure must be carried out in accordance with a number of the rules mentioned above.
• A breast pump can help you pump your breasts.
• Husband's help. There is an opinion among women that resolving lumps with the help of a husband can help cope with lactostasis. However, it is worth remembering that in the mouth of an adult there are many harmful bacteria that can penetrate into the chest and lead to infection of the gland and oral cavity of the baby.
• Before feeding the baby, you need to express 10-20 grams of milk from the breast, which will make the baby suck much more actively.
• Before breastfeeding, you should wash your breasts with hot water.
• Change your feeding position. When putting the baby to the breast, you need to position it so that the problem area is under the child’s lower jaw. This means that if a lump has formed in the upper lobe of the breast, the baby should lie with its feet facing the mother. To achieve this position, the baby must be placed on the bed, and the mother must lean towards him so that the breast is in the required position. Of course, feeding in this position is inconvenient, but it will help to quickly cope with lactostasis.
• Reduce fluid intake.
• Give the baby the breast more often, and it should be applied to both glands equally often.
• Try to avoid any stress.

Duration of treatment

Treatment of lactostasis, started in the early stages, gives results in about 24 hours. If time is lost, recovery may take 2-3 days.

You can stop straining after three days if there is noticeable progress. In this situation, it is enough to put the baby to the breast often.

The last of all symptoms to disappear is redness.

Prevention

It is necessary to start preventing lactostasis even before the baby is born. To do this, expectant mothers need to wash and rub their mammary glands. It is worth taking care of your nipples. A good result is achieved by sewing pieces of coarse linen fabric to the inside of the bra.

Nursing mothers should wash their breasts after each feeding and express the remaining milk with clean hands (or a breast pump).

You need to feed your baby on demand, and you need to make sure that he sucks the breast correctly. It should be noted that the baby sucks more milk from the part of the gland to which its chin is pressed. Therefore, it is necessary to change the baby’s position during feeding. You should not hold the breast itself, as this can lead to pinching of the blood flow. If it prevents the baby from eating, the gland should be held very carefully so as not to squeeze the ducts.

A nursing woman should treat her breasts very carefully, avoiding any injury to them, since even a minor bruise can cause lactostasis. The bra should be of the appropriate size, since the wrong size model can also cause pinching of the ducts. For the same reason, it is better for a nursing mother to avoid sleeping on her stomach. And, of course, it should be remembered that any stressful experiences have an extremely negative impact on the condition of the mammary gland.

It is quite possible to cope with lactostasis at home. However, every nursing mother must remember that measures to eliminate this condition must be taken immediately (it is advisable to cope with it in the first 12 hours). Lactostasis itself cannot be cured, so the fight against it must begin immediately after the first signs appear. Otherwise, lactostasis can develop into such an unpleasant disease as mastitis. It is much more difficult to cure and, in addition, mastitis is dangerous due to its complications.

A typical situation: a mother feeds the baby, puts him to bed, goes to bed herself, and in the morning wakes up with chest pain and poor health. At first the thought arises that the breasts simply rested due to an uncomfortable position. When the thermometer shows an elevated temperature, there is no doubt: this is lactostasis.

Symptoms of lactostasis

– chest pain, especially when touched;
– “fossilization” of the breast; at the initial stage of lactostasis, stagnation is difficult to detect on your own; in advanced cases, the breast becomes heavy and swollen;
– prominent veins on the chest or redness of the painful area;
– increase in body temperature.

When preventing lactostasis, the breasts need to be protected from overheating and hypothermia, not missed (express milk if missed) and learn how to properly attach to the breast.

Lactostasis is primarily due to the fact that in 86% of cases it develops into mastitis. Body temperature sometimes rises to 40 degrees, and the inflammatory process inside the mammary gland may require surgical intervention.

Treatment of lactostasis

The main treatment for lactostasis is active pumping. It is necessary to strain out the formed lumps and empty the breasts so as not to provoke mastitis.

Apply a warm compress before pumping. Wet the diaper with warm, but not hot water and apply it to the sore area of ​​the chest. The heat will open the milk ducts, facilitating the flow of milk.

Massage your breasts, especially those areas that are painful to touch. You can't feel sorry for yourself. If you don't do this, it will only get worse.

Express the milk, actively kneading the seals. And then put it on your baby's chest. You won’t be able to express every last drop, but your baby will successfully suck out the rest. If possible, choose a position so that the child's chin rests on the sore spot.

You need to express every three hours. And definitely before feeding. If you express milk after feeding your baby, the brain will send a signal that the baby is not getting enough. Milk flow will increase. The result will be a vicious circle.

Also, when treating lactostasis, you need to monitor the amount of fluid you drink to reduce milk production. Together with soups, fruits and vegetables, the volume should not exceed one liter.

If after active pumping the condition does not improve the next day, you should consult a doctor.

Breastfeeding is a wonderful time in a woman's life. This is the period when she feels especially close to her newborn child. And in order to avoid the problems that may arise during breastfeeding, it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the mammary glands and follow certain rules.

Causes of lactostasis

Milk stagnation is a common problem that occurs in women after childbirth, especially in those who breastfeed for a long time. Lactostasis manifests itself in the form of swelling in the mammary glands and difficulty releasing milk.

Most often, pathology occurs if:

1. The ducts in the breast become clogged (due to cracks on the surface of the nipples).
2. A woman wears underwear that is inappropriate for nursing mothers.
3. Damage to the mammary gland has occurred.
4. The woman takes too long breaks between feedings.
5. She uses the same position or expresses milk only one way (not all areas of the mammary glands are emptied).
6. A woman sleeps on her side for a long time.
7. The baby has been introduced to complementary feeding and is consuming much less breast milk.
8. A woman is overworked and lacks sleep, which negatively affects the condition of the mammary glands.

If a young mother is faced with lactostasis, she, of course, would like, if possible, to eliminate the problem herself. After all, a nursing woman has little time for herself, and sometimes she does not have time to go to the clinic and undergo examination and treatment. The article will discuss how to strain milk stagnation at home, and what methods and means are available for this.

Signs of lactostasis

How does this pathology manifest itself? Lactostasis can be detected if a nursing mother has the following symptoms:

1. Pain in the mammary glands.
2. Induration and redness of some areas of the breast.
3. Headaches and muscle pain.
4. Stopping milk secretion.
5. Fever.
6. When you press on the chest, you may notice swelling in the form of lobules.

All of the above signs indicate glands and the formation of a milk clot, which is not released, but remains inside the tissue, causing pain.

Under no circumstances should the disease be neglected, because this can lead to mastitis. This inflammatory process cannot be eliminated at home. You can get rid of mastitis only with the help of physical therapy. Sometimes it is so advanced that surgery is required to eliminate it.

Preventive measures

The article will talk about how to strain milk stagnation at home. But preventing diseases is much better and easier than treating them.

To avoid such a problem, you must first establish a clear feeding schedule for the child and normalize the woman’s diet. Spicy, fatty, sweet foods, pickles and baked goods should be excluded from the diet, as all these foods contribute to blockage of the breast ducts and stagnation of milk. It is necessary to properly care for your nipples and breast skin, and wear a comfortable bra.

Many women are very scared when they discover symptoms of lactostasis. “I can’t pump out stagnant milk, what should I do?” - they ask. Often older relatives (mothers, grandmothers) give the wrong advice. They recommend that breastfeeding women constantly express milk.

Previously, it was believed that if this was not done, mastitis would occur. But this is a mistaken opinion. Women who try to solve the problem of lactostasis themselves or with the help of dubious advice only make the situation worse.

Compliance with hygiene rules

If a nursing mother is faced with a pathology such as milk stagnation, she needs, first of all, to calm down and determine what measures need to be taken. One of the most important aspects is maintaining good breast hygiene. First of all, before and after feeding, be sure to wash your hands with soap. It is necessary to wash the mammary glands at least 2 times a day. It is better to use fragrance-free liquid soap for this. You need to dry your breasts with a napkin, not a towel, as rough fabric can increase pain. If cracks are observed in the nipple area, they must be treated with medicated oil or ointment.

In addition, the bra worn by a nursing woman should be as comfortable as possible, made from natural materials. Such underwear will not compress the tissue, causing lactostasis.

So, the first condition for successfully combating pathology is cleanliness. We will talk about how to strain stagnant milk with your hands a little later.

What measures need to be taken?

Lactostasis occurs for various reasons. But there are ways in which you can strain milk stagnation at home. And it does not matter for what reason this pathology appeared. Firstly, the baby needs to be fed as often as possible.

It will be better if the area of ​​edema that occurs due to stagnation of milk is located under the baby’s jaw. You need to make sure that the child wraps his mouth around both the nipple and the areola. During the feeding procedure, a woman should massage the mammary glands with her knuckles. This will improve milk flow. During breastfeeding, you need to include more fatty fish and vegetable oil in your diet. If it is not possible to strain milk stagnation, certain compresses help. This procedure will be discussed a little later. But the main way to get rid of lactostasis is pumping. This process requires care and compliance with some important rules.

Preparing to pump

If you feed the baby not according to a set schedule, but according to his desire, then additional emptying of the mammary glands is not required. But if a nursing woman already has lactostasis, it is necessary to remove the milk from the breast where it has accumulated as soon as possible.

How to properly strain milk stagnation? First of all, you need to prepare your breasts. Before expressing, it is important to warm up the tissues with a hot shower, as the heat helps to remove blockages in the glandular ducts. Then you need to get a massage. It must be remembered that with lactostasis, you can empty the mammary glands only with your hands, and in no case with a breast pump. Before pumping, many doctors advise using cabbage leaf lotions with a thin layer of honey. These compresses relieve pain and swelling, but they should be applied for no more than fifteen minutes.

Stagnation of breast milk: how to strain it using compresses

When used correctly, this method is useful, as the lotions warm up and relax the tissues. As a result, the ducts of the mammary glands are better emptied during pumping. A compress can be made from a napkin or diaper soaked in warm water, or a heating pad. If a woman has even a slight increase in temperature, lotions should not be done. It is better to wait until the fever subsides and only then start preparing to pump.

As a folk remedy to alleviate the symptoms of lactostasis, you can also use a cake made from flour and honey or a lotion made from low-fat cottage cheese. This will soften the skin, especially chapped skin, and it will be easier for the woman to express milk.

Breast massage

Before straining stagnant milk with your hands, you need to thoroughly knead your breasts.

First of all, you should take the most comfortable position, preferably horizontal, and relax your whole body. 4 fingers of one hand should be placed under the mammary gland, with the thumb and index finger connected on the area of ​​skin next to the areola. The other palm should lie on the surface of the chest. It is necessary to apply light pressure on the mammary gland; movements are best made in the direction from the lateral to the central part. There is no need to press too hard. After some time, it is recommended to change the nature of the movements to stroking and tapping. Massage your breasts for no more than twenty minutes. If a woman previously did not know how to properly strain milk stagnation with her hands, and lactostasis has become advanced, she will feel an improvement no earlier than three days later.

Finding the right breastfeeding position

A common cause of lactostasis is incorrect or monotonous posture during breastfeeding.

The question of how to strain milk stagnation at home can be solved by selecting a suitable feeding position. Then the child will promote the outflow of milk and eliminate swelling and blockage of the gland duct.

First of all, it is necessary to understand in which areas of the tissue the swelling has occurred. If it has formed in the armpit area, you need to feed the baby in the under-arm position.

If the middle of the chest is swollen, the breastfeeding procedure should be performed while lying on your side. The swelling from below will quickly subside if you feed the baby while sitting him on your lap. If swelling occurs in the upper area of ​​the mammary gland, you need to breastfeed the baby by placing him on the bed and bending over him.

If milk stagnation is not accompanied by an increase in temperature, before the breastfeeding procedure you can apply a warm lotion or take a hot shower, massage and express. A cold compress can also help relieve pain and severe swelling.

Physiotherapy

If a woman follows all the necessary rules and still cannot express stagnant milk, what should she do in this situation? It is necessary to seek medical help. Physiotherapy prescribed by the doctor helps eliminate signs of lactostasis. Most often, therapy for this pathology is carried out using ultrasound and exposure to electromagnetic fields. In some cases, to relieve pain and fever due to milk stagnation, a specialist recommends medications (Drotaverine, Panadol), as well as ointment, cream or infusion, which can be purchased at any pharmacy. Of course, in each specific situation, the doctor can choose the right treatment and tell those women who do not know about this procedure how to strain milk stagnation at home.

What is absolutely forbidden to do?

So, the list of actions that are strictly prohibited during lactostasis includes:

1. This is extremely undesirable, since it is the baby who empties the mammary glands most effectively.
2. Warming up the breast tissue (if the woman does not plan to express lactostasis).
3. Treatment of the mammary glands with Vishnevsky ointment, camphor or ethyl alcohol.
4. Tightening the chest with bandages.
5. Ignoring pronounced symptoms and refusing to contact a gynecologist if there is a very high temperature or severe pain.
6. Using medications independently, without the supervision of a specialist. This can make the situation significantly worse.

It must be remembered that if the symptoms of milk stagnation do not go away within two to three days, you should contact the clinic to avoid complications such as purulent mastitis, which can only be treated with surgery or antibiotics.

Fortunately, in our time there are drugs that fight inflammation and are not a contraindication for breastfeeding. So if a woman is diagnosed with mastitis and prescribed antibiotics, she does not need to interrupt breastfeeding.

Almost all modern parents have heard about the benefits of breastfeeding. Breast milk is a unique product in composition, ideal for a newborn baby. For successful and long-term feeding of the baby, it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the mammary glands and prevent any problems from arising. Therefore, it is worth learning in advance how to express breast milk by hand during stagnation.

Immediately after childbirth, a sharp restructuring of the hormonal system of the young mother occurs. And all the body’s efforts are directed towards producing milk for the newborn. Full lactation is not established immediately. The body needs time to adjust to stable milk production. On the way to this, a young mother may face some difficulties.

As a rule, milk arrives after birth within 3-5 days. All this time, the baby actively stimulates the mother's breasts by sucking. And at a certain point, abundant milk production begins. The chest becomes full, and this is where some difficulties may arise.

As a result of the abundant flow of milk, individual lobes of the mammary glands can become very full. Not all babies are born strong enough to cope with such breasts. A situation arises that there is an abundance of milk, but the baby is not able to suck on the breast. Milk stagnation begins, which is fraught with more serious consequences. In this case, you cannot delay. Action should be taken immediately.

Signs of milk stagnation (lactostasis):

• mammary glands are swollen, hot and hard to the touch;
• painful lumps are felt;
• When massaged, the cones that appear do not break;
• as the condition worsens, the body temperature rises.

Milk stagnation often occurs as a result of blocked milk ducts. This is especially common at the very beginning of breastfeeding, while the mammary gland is not yet developed.

Consequences of milk stagnation

If timely measures are not taken when lactostasis occurs, mastitis will develop. This is an inflammatory disease, which is much more difficult to treat. Sometimes you even have to resort to surgery.

With prolonged stagnation of milk in the breast, painful changes begin, then suppuration and more serious consequences appear. If a nursing mother has a fever and the symptoms listed in the table, this is a reason to immediately consult a doctor.

Expressing milk

A new mother may need help already in the maternity hospital. It is advisable to prevent stagnation from occurring. It is necessary to track the moment of milk arrival and immediately begin to act. Expressing breast milk is not difficult. Every nursing mother can learn how to produce milk rivers.

But if lactostasis does occur, the following actions will help:

1. First you need to warm up your chest thoroughly. This will relieve tension on the blood vessels and dilate the milk ducts. It is most convenient to use a large towel. To warm it up, soak it in hot water and apply it to your chest, hold it for a while. Often at this stage you can already see streams of milk.
2. The warmed breast can be offered to the baby. After this manipulation, it will be much easier for him to suck the breast. Choose the baby's position so that his chin is opposite the painful area.
3. If the lump is still there after feeding, you need to express the milk yourself.
4. How to express milk. Take one breast in your palm, with your thumb on top of the areola. Use the remaining four fingers to hold your chest from below.
5. Then, using squeezing movements, express the milk from the area on the side of which there is a seal. Gradually, milk will flow through the ducts closer to the nipple, and it can be squeezed out.
6. When performing pumping movements, the fingers should not move along the isola. You only need to work on squeezing the areola towards the center of the chest, pressing inward while squeezing the nipple.
7. Then offer the breast again to the baby or express the milk completely.

Expressing during lactostasis is the only way to combat stagnation. This procedure should not be neglected and put off until later. It is necessary to familiarize yourself in advance with how to properly express stagnant milk during lactostasis.

The expressed milk can be collected in a suitable container and offered to the baby. Or store it in the refrigerator. But you should not give your baby a stale product.

Lactostasis at the end of breastfeeding

If a young mother decides to stop breastfeeding, she also runs the risk of milk stagnation. Since it is released in the same volume, and the child no longer receives it, an excess can easily occur.

Therefore, it is always better to complete feeding smoothly, as it should be, gradually canceling one feeding after another. This way you can avoid the risk of complications.

But sometimes you need to stop breastfeeding one day. The reasons may be different. In such a situation, attention to your well-being should be especially close. If you feel very full and your chest is literally bursting from the inside, you cannot endure it. You definitely need to express a little milk until you reach a comfortable state. At first, it is advisable to somewhat limit fluid intake. Also, do not take hot baths or visit the sauna. All this will help avoid active milk production and lactostasis.

Gradually, lactation will begin to decrease and eventually stop altogether. This process is not very fast, so you should be more attentive to yourself for a certain period of time.

Prevention of stagnation of breast milk

Despite the fact that at the beginning of breastfeeding no one is immune from stagnation, with established lactation it is quite possible to prevent lactostasis.

How to do it correctly:

1. For the first time after your milk comes in, you need to pump regularly. The baby is still too small and his nutritional needs are small. But over time, demands will grow very quickly, and regular pumping will stimulate the breasts to produce more milk.
2. As you get older, your need for milk will stabilize and further stimulation of your breasts will be unnecessary. In this case, pumping, on the contrary, can lead to too active milk production and cause stagnation.
3. Each time before feeding, it is advisable to perform a special breast massage. It will increase blood circulation and facilitate the flow of milk during sucking.
4. When attaching the baby, you need to carefully monitor the correct grip. The baby should not be allowed to put only the nipple in his mouth. The majority of the halo must also be captured. Both jaws will be turned outward. If the grip is incorrect, the breast does not completely empty; individual segments may remain untouched.
5. Change feeding positions often. Depending on the position of the baby, one part of the breast is emptied more than the other. For comfort, use a nursing pillow.

You can see how to express during lactostasis in numerous existing videos. And clearly see how to correctly perform the described movements. Having the information and necessary skills, you can provide yourself with the necessary help in a timely manner. After all, prevention is always easier than cure.