How to relieve breast pain after childbirth? How to relieve breast pain after childbirth?

Breastfeeding after childbirth is a process that mothers must go through. So, when breastfeeding, mothers experience breast pain. What can they do to relieve it? Here we will introduce to you how to relieve breast pain after childbirth. Please see the detailed introduction below.

Why do breasts swell and hurt after giving birth?

Breast engorgement & swelling

In the first few days after delivery, when the milk supply increases significantly, the breasts may become warm, swollen and swollen. However, the milk can still flow out smoothly, which is called milk engorgement.

If the baby is not allowed to suck more when the milk is swollen, the breasts may become swollen and hard, the milk ducts are compressed, the milk is not easy to flow out, the skin looks tight, and the nipples are relatively flat, which is the cause of breast swelling. At this time, the baby's sucking posture is not good, which often leads to nipple damage. Sometimes it is accompanied by redness of the skin and fever, but the fever usually subsides automatically within 24 hours. Mothers who have had intravenous drips before may have more severe swelling.

When does breast engorgement mainly occur?

Generally, it is 2-5 days after delivery (most commonly 3-4 days). It is also a signal of the arrival of the second stage of lactation. Pregnant mothers can produce colostrum around 20 weeks of pregnancy, which is the first stage of lactation; the milk supply begins to increase within 30-40 hours after delivery, which is the second stage of lactation; followed by the third stage of lactation.

How long does breast engorgement last?

The duration of physiological milk swelling varies from person to person, and the longest duration is no more than 12-48 hours. What kind of people have a long duration and what kind of people have a short duration? The duration is determined by the degree of refilling of the mother's breasts. The faster the refilling speed and the more severe the refilling, the longer the duration.

What to do if breast engorgement occurs?

1. Reducing swelling is more important: Apply cabbage or potato slices on the hard part, and change it every 20 minutes or so.

2. Help the milk to be discharged faster: Make sure the baby is in the correct sucking position and feed the baby frequently. The baby sucks once every 1-2.5 hours; if the breast is too hard, use the "reverse compression softening method" to soften a "landing area" for the baby to suck deeply, so that the baby can suck deeply and effectively empty the milk.

3. Promote fluid circulation, replenish water in time, and pay attention to rest.

4. Ask a professional lactation consultant to help you drain the accumulated milk.

Breastfeeding after childbirth

The purpose of initiating breastfeeding is to activate the mammary glands and keep the mammary ducts unobstructed, just like dredging a river. Once it is unobstructed, all ducts will be unobstructed and there will be no pain or swelling.

How to relieve breast pain after childbirth

Use a cotton bra

When you are breastfeeding after childbirth, it is best to use a cotton bra, which is good for the skin. When you are swollen and painful, your skin will stick to the bra, and the cotton bra will have less friction with the skin, thus reducing the damage to the skin.

Hot towel compress

When the mother's breasts are too painful, she should temporarily stop breastfeeding, squeeze out the milk and let the baby drink it. Then she can use a hot towel to relieve the pain. After the pain in the breasts disappears, she can breastfeed again.

Do a good job of disinfection

When breastfeeding, the baby will bite the mother's nipple unconsciously, which will leave wounds on the mother's breasts. So when there are wounds on the breasts, do not ignore them, because it is easy to cause inflammation, and disinfection and infection prevention should be done in time.

Tips for breastfeeding

In order to feed the baby smoothly, new mothers need to master several milk-opening techniques:

1. Suck as early as possible and feed frequently

The baby's sucking reflex is usually strongest within the first hour after birth. It is recommended to start breastfeeding within half an hour after birth, and no later than 6 hours. Even if there is no milk, the baby should be sucked to promote milk secretion.

2. Build confidence in breastfeeding

Many new mothers do not believe that they can feed their babies with their own breast milk alone. In fact, no matter what the shape or size of the breasts, sufficient milk can be produced. It is important to build confidence in breastfeeding.

3. Keep the milk ducts clear and empty them frequently to prevent milk engorgement

If the milk ducts of a new mother are not unobstructed when she starts breastfeeding, she can ask a professional lactation consultant to help unblock them.

4. Avoid nipple damage

The nipples of new mothers who have just started breastfeeding are pink and tender, which are easily broken by the baby. When feeding, the baby should hold the areola in his mouth and control the sucking time on one side. If the nipples are injured, broken, cracked or bleeding, you can squeeze out the milk or use a breast pump to suck it out, or wear a nipple protector to feed the baby (if the nipples are cracked, you can apply aloe vera gel after feeding).

New mothers who have just given birth should not drink supplements, soups, or postpartum meals immediately during the confinement period. It is best to wait until the milk ducts are unobstructed, and then slowly eat fish soup, pork rib soup, etc.

5. Rooming in with mother and baby, breastfeeding on demand

The mother and baby are in the same room, which ensures breastfeeding at any time. At the same time, the baby in the neonatal period will look at the mother's face from time to time while sucking the mother's milk and enjoy the skin-to-skin contact with the mother.

6. Keep a good mood

After giving birth, a woman will be very sensitive to many things and will experience a certain emotional gap. Some women will even experience postpartum depression, which can easily lead to excitement, emotional instability, etc. This requires patience and care from family members.

Whether breast milk is sufficient is closely related to the psychological factors and emotions of the new mother. Therefore, the mother should not be impatient or irritable under any circumstances, and face everything in life with a calm and happy attitude.

7. Get enough rest

The baby's digestive system is relatively fast, and it takes two to three hours to feed the baby. Therefore, the mother has to get up several times at night to feed the baby, and it is common for the mother to have trouble sleeping at night. However, lack of sleep will reduce the amount of milk. Therefore, breastfeeding mothers should take good time to rest. During the day, they can ask their husbands or family members to help take care of the baby, and take good time to rest. They also need to learn how to breastfeed at night without affecting their sleep.

8. Massage stimulation

Breast massage can stimulate breast milk secretion. Mothers should use a clean towel with warm water to wipe the nipple in a circular shape from the center to the areola. Apply hot compresses on both sides in turn for 15 minutes on each side. You can also use the following massage methods: circular massage: place both hands on the upper and lower sides of the breast and massage the entire breast in a circular direction; spiral massage: hold the breast with one hand and massage the nipple with the index and middle fingers of the other hand in a spiral shape; acupressure massage: place both hands on both sides of the breast and squeeze from the breast to the nipple. If you are worried that you can't do it well, you can find a reliable lactation consultant to help you open the milk and teach you how to massage. You can massage yourself in the future.

9. Feed from both breasts

If you only feed one side at a time, the breast will be less stimulated and the milk will naturally be less. Let the baby suck on both breasts. Some babies have a small appetite and only need milk from one breast. In this case, you may want to use a breast pump to suck out the thinner milk in the front part so that the baby can get the thicker and more nutritious milk.