What should I do if there is a lump in the breast milk plug? Should I apply hot or cold compress to the breast milk plug?

Breastfeeding is also a technical job. New mothers will always encounter various problems when they first breastfeed, such as milk blockage or sudden milk overflow. So what should they do when they encounter these situations? Let's learn together~

Use cold compresses when you are plugging milk, and hot compresses when you are chasing milk

"Apply cold compress when pumping milk, and apply hot compress when increasing milk production." I think this is something everyone knows. If you are a new mother and don't know when to use cold compress and when to use hot compress, you can take a screenshot and save it on your phone.

But I am curious: isn’t it said that you don’t need to apply hot compresses to breastfeeding?

Why do some mothers say that when they use a shower head to wash their backs or take a hot bath, the milk will come out immediately? But the information I read said that cold compresses should be used? ! Later I asked the nurse, it turns out that it depends on where you insert the milk plug. If it is inserted in the front, you can feel a lump on the surface. If the local breast is full but not red, swollen, hot, or painful, you can apply warm compress for 3-5 minutes before feeding, but remember not to just apply warm compress without removing the milk~ (It's the same as fat turning into oily water when heated)

The breastfeeding book also mentioned that if there are lumps, you can take a hot shower or soak your breasts in water before expressing milk. After feeding, you must avoid the nipples when applying cold compresses to the breasts to let the breasts relax. I wonder if there are mothers like me who often feel back pain when milk is blocked. This is actually because the mammary glands extend from the breasts to the armpits and back.

So sometimes when the stuffing is done, lumps the size of ping-pong balls will appear in the armpits, and you may even start to feel sore in the back. That’s why Japanese confinement centers have a trick that helps mothers with hot compresses and massages of their shoulders and neck.

However, if the lump of milk is in a deeper layer and you cannot feel the lump no matter how hard you touch it, and the local breast is full, red, swollen, hot and painful, do not apply hot compresses all the time at this time. This will make the situation worse and worse. You must continue breastfeeding. If you cannot breastfeed, try to express milk and rest more. What if there is only milk blockage in one place and the pain is still there after the rest have been emptied?

At this time, take a few more high-dose lecithin pills, adjust the posture so that the baby's chin is facing the area with the lump to suck, and gently shake the breast when hand-expressing milk, which can help the lump move slowly. Milking may not be clean, so you can let your husband suck it again. Some people are opposed to hot compress before breastfeeding, fearing that it will stimulate excessive lactation and cause supply to exceed demand. I think it depends on each individual's needs.

If you are a mom who has already balanced the supply and demand, but like me you have to go back to work and need to store more milk, I think it's okay to apply hot compress before expressing milk. Or if you really don't have enough milk and have more milk after applying hot compress, why not? However, if you have enough milk and there is no special purpose, there is no need to apply hot compress before breastfeeding to stimulate breast secretion.

Why do people recommend cold compresses when inserting milk?

Why do people advocate cold compresses for breastfeeding and say hot compresses are wrong? I think it may be because mothers usually cannot easily judge when to apply hot compresses:

Wrong heat compress 1: Applying it for too long

The correct way to apply hot compress is to apply it for 2-3 minutes before feeding, and the temperature should not feel hot to the skin. If the hot compress is applied for a long time, it will aggravate tissue edema and make it more difficult to discharge milk.

Wrong hot compress 2: Apply without draining

The purpose of compressing is to help the milk come out, but it cannot discharge milk. It is okay to apply hot compress before breastfeeding. Hot compress can relax and stimulate prolactin to promote milk production. At this time, the correct latch of the baby and gentle massage of the mother's breast can make the milk discharge faster. If the baby cannot cooperate with sucking, then it is also possible to cooperate with the correct breast pump or hand expression. But if you "only apply but not discharge", the milk blockage and hard lumps cannot be fundamentally relieved!

Three steps of hot and cold compress

Let me summarize! When a mother has milk blockage, cold and hot compresses should be combined in three steps:

Step 1: You can apply a warm towel on your breasts for 2-3 minutes.

Step 2: Start breastfeeding immediately. The baby needs to latch on correctly and deeply enough to ensure effective sucking. If the baby does not cooperate with sucking, you can use hand expression or a breast pump to express milk.

Step 3. After the milk is discharged, you can apply a cold compress for 10 minutes with a towel wetted with room temperature water, or other cold compress methods. If there is no relief after 2 or 3 hours, continue the cold compress until the milk blockage symptoms are relieved.

If you don't know these directions and apply the heat randomly, it may cause the opposite effect. So don't apply heat lightly! Don't apply heat lightly! Don't apply heat lightly!

The above is my personal opinion.