Teach you how to beautify your breasts after childbirth and avoid breast problems

In addition to being happy about the healthy birth of their babies, mothers after childbirth will also face a lot of psychological and physical pressures. Among them, the five common breast problems mentioned here are one of them. So how can you make your breasts more beautiful after childbirth? Chinese medicine practitioners tell you how to do it!

1. Cracked nipples

Most of the cracked nipples are caused by the baby biting them during breastfeeding. It can also be caused by incorrect sucking method or teething. In addition, the breast pump force setting is too strong, which may also cause cracked nipples. If the nipples are cracked more seriously, there may even be slight bleeding, and the mother may also feel pain.

Suggested treatment:

Dr. Lin Qiaomei suggests that you may consider using Ziyun ointment, which contains Chinese herbal ingredients. You can apply an appropriate amount on the nipples. If the baby accidentally eats a little bit, there will be no safety issues (but it is still recommended to gently wipe off the previously applied Ziyun ointment before the baby drinks milk). In addition to Ziyun ointment, mutton fat ointment also helps protect the skin and is a very common care method.

However, Dr. Lin Qiaomei also reminded that Ziyun ointment is different from the lithospermum ointment circulated on the Internet, so mothers should not confuse them. Ziyun ointment is mainly composed of natural, mild Chinese medicinal materials, while lithospermum ointment contains some cooler medicinal materials and is not suitable for use at this time.

If mothers are unsure about using Ziyun ointment or sheep fat ointment, they can also use the most natural way to care for nipples: before breastfeeding, squeeze a little milk to lubricate the nipples to prevent them from being too dry. It is recommended to apply a little milk before breastfeeding as a preventive measure before the nipples crack. If the nipples crack because the baby bites the nipples when teething, you should also gently but firmly tell the baby "no".

2. Breast swelling

Dr. Lin Qiaomei explained that if too much milk accumulates, it will cause breast swelling, and it must be squeezed out or breastfed as soon as possible to avoid "stone milk" (swollen and hard breasts). However, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, a bad mood, liver depression and qi stagnation affect the circulation of qi and blood, and milk is easily blocked, which then produces stone milk. In addition, some dried milk stagnates at the outlet of the mammary gland, blocks the mammary gland, or the underwear is too tight, which are all common causes of breast swelling.

Suggested treatment:

* After the baby finishes drinking milk, wipe off the remaining milk on the nipple to prevent the dried milk from blocking the mammary gland secretion.

* Breastfeed or express milk frequently enough, at least once every 4 hours.

* Don't wear tight underwear, as it will cause blood circulation problems. If there are pressure marks on your chest after taking off your underwear, it usually means that the underwear is too tight.

* You can apply hot compress (apply hot compress for about 10 minutes) and massage the breasts. While the baby is sucking milk, massage the hard part from the periphery of the breast to the center.

＊ Traditional Chinese medicines that can improve stone milk include Rhizoma Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae, Radix Bupleuri, Radix Cyperi, Luffa Loofah, etc. However, it is recommended to consult a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to prescribe the right medicine for your condition.

3. Mastitis

If milk stagnates for too long and bacteria infect the breasts, mastitis may occur, which may cause fever.

Suggested treatment:

Because of the inflammatory reaction, ice compress is necessary in the acute phase; however, hot compress is required for stone milk. The role of hot compress is to promote blood circulation; the role of ice compress is to relieve redness, swelling, heat and pain. The two have different purposes. For mastitis, you can consider taking Chinese medicine that clears heat and detoxifies, such as dandelion, honeysuckle, scutellaria, red peony root, trichosanthes, bupleurum, etc., and take antibiotics according to the doctor's advice.

4. Breast rash and itching

Most of the time it is caused by breast sweat or infrequent replacement of breast pads. There will be milk residue on the breast pads, and if the environment is hot and humid, it will easily cause rashes.

Suggested treatment:

Dr. Lin Qiaomei pointed out that if you often get rashes on your chest, you may need to be more careful in choosing the material of your underwear and change your breast pads frequently. If you sweat a lot, it is recommended that you change your underwear directly.

Zihuang ointment is also a common Chinese medicine for external use, which helps to clear heat and relieve itching. However, because it tastes bitter, it must be wiped off before breastfeeding the baby. Another example is aloe vera gel, which can also help to clear heat and relieve itching. If the external application method still does not improve, it is recommended to ask a Chinese medicine practitioner to prescribe appropriate Chinese medicine for internal use, such as Xiaofengsan.

5. Sagging breasts

Moms who want beautiful breasts are all concerned about sagging breasts. There are two main causes of sagging breasts:

(1) From the beginning of pregnancy, breasts become larger and milk becomes abundant. The enlarged breasts will stretch the skin tissue. If milk production stops quickly after delivery, coupled with the effect of gravity, the breasts can easily sag. In severe cases, they may even gradually shrink and develop wrinkles.

(2) Improper dieting can also easily cause sagging breasts. Some mothers adopt drastic dieting methods in order to lose weight quickly after giving birth, which can easily cause sagging breasts. As for breastfeeding, it will not cause sagging breasts, so breastfeeding mothers do not need to worry.

Suggested treatment:

＊ Do not reduce milk production too quickly after childbirth. From the perspective of "preventing breast sagging", it is not recommended to get a milk-reducing injection, as it will reduce milk production too quickly. You can use Chinese medicine to reduce milk production slowly, for example: fried malt (3 liang of fried malt is boiled into a strong tea for drinking, do not add too much water, the water should cover the Chinese medicine by about one thumb joint).

If roasted malt has been used but the effect is still not ideal, it is recommended to see a Chinese medicine doctor to differentiate the physical type, for example: Qi deficiency, blood stasis, liver depression and other different types, and take different Chinese medicines for different types.

* After your breasts grow larger during pregnancy, you may consider massaging your breasts with natural massage oil or lotion.

* It is recommended to feed the baby alternately from both breasts and distribute the breast milk evenly when breastfeeding.

* From the beginning of pregnancy, you should choose appropriate maternity bras that are not overly oppressive. Proper support can help prevent sagging breasts.

* When taking a shower, you can hold up one breast with one hand, and use the other hand to use the shower head to wash the breast from bottom to top (the water column should be directed to the bottom of the breast, where the root of the breast is located). Wash both breasts in turn, and wash for a total of about 5 minutes. You can do this every day. Don't underestimate this action, it is the simplest massage method, which helps prevent or improve breast sagging.

* If the breasts have already sagged, it is recommended to supplement with gelatin and protein to increase the elasticity and surface elasticity of the breasts. You can take more foods containing gelatin, such as black fungus, white fungus, and agarwood. The role of protein is to provide a nutrient source for building breast muscles. Fish, meat, and soy products (such as tofu) are all common sources of protein.

* If you already have sagging breasts or even breast shrinkage, remember not to go on a diet.

＊ You may consider taking Chinese medicine that replenishes Qi and blood, such as Astragalus, Codonopsis, and Chinese Angelica.

Why do everyone's breasts have different sizes?

From the perspective of Western medicine, it is generally related to genetic and nutritional factors; from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, factors such as qi and blood deficiency, liver depression and qi stagnation, qi stagnation and blood stasis will affect breast size.

6 ways to beautify your breasts in daily life

1. You can eat foods rich in gelatin and protein. If you are a vegetarian mother, you can eat foods such as yam and soybean, which can help increase estrogen. You can also eat walnuts and black sesame seeds to slightly increase your fat intake. These two ingredients can also help nourish the kidneys. In addition, foods such as black fungus, white fungus, agaric, grass jelly, sea bird's nest, and okra can all help replenish gelatin.

2. Eat less ice cream. Eating too much ice cream will affect the circulation of qi and blood. In addition to ice cream, it is also not recommended to eat too much white radish and melons, which have a cold nature.

3. Wear suitable underwear to improve support.

4. Don’t diet or stay up late. Dieting lacks nutritional sources; staying up late will damage the yin blood, which will then affect circulation and nutrition.

5. Try to avoid sleeping on your stomach. Sleeping on your stomach will put pressure on your chest and affect blood circulation. Sleeping on your stomach for a long time may also cause your chest to deform.

6. Swimming can expand the chest, promote blood circulation in the chest, and beautify the breasts. Breaststroke is the most ideal swimming method. However, it is recommended to wait until the wound is no longer painful and the uterus is restored at least 6 weeks after delivery before swimming.

Breast Beauty Diet

Dr. Lin Qiaomei explained that the purpose of this medicinal meal is to replenish qi and blood, promote nutrient absorption, and help lift the breasts and prevent sagging.

The ingredients are 8 qian of Astragalus, 5 qian of Angelica, 5 qian of Radix Ophiopogonis, 3 qian of Red Dates, 3 qian of Lycium barbarum, and other ingredients (other ingredients include: fresh yam, soybeans, spareribs, tendons, etc.). The amount of water is not limited, depending on the concentration of personal preference, as long as the water covers all the ingredients by at least one knuckle. The cooking time is about half an hour to one and a half hours, depending on the time it takes for each ingredient to be cooked until soft. If you have a cold, inflammation or infection, it is not recommended to eat this medicinal diet and you need to stop taking it. The frequency does not need to be too frequent, 1 or 2 times a week is enough.

Breast acupuncture points

There are many related acupoints, here are 2 acupoints for reference:

☆Tanzhong point: right between the two nipples. You can press the point alone or press the entire sternum from bottom to top.

☆ Breast root point: It is located at the lower edge of the breasts directly below the nipples, about 3 fingers away from the nipples. You can use the shower head to rinse back or press it with your hands when taking a shower.

Notes on massage: Massage for about 3 to 5 minutes each time, until you feel a slight soreness, numbness, and swelling in the acupoints. Do not use excessive force. You can massage 2 or 3 times a day. Anyone can massage these two acupoints without any adverse effects.