Blockage of the milk duct is very common in those who breastfeed the baby. Moms who have faced such a delicate problem know how painful it is. How to cope with lactostasis, as well as what are its causes and first symptoms, we will describe further.
Breast-feeding
During the nine months of pregnancy, the body prepares for the natural feeding of the baby. Each of the breasts consists of 15-20 lobes. They produce milk. Through the ducts, it is delivered to the child’s mouth. Over time, the mother’s body adapts to the baby’s desire and ability to suckle and produces as much milk as is necessary for him. That is, not a drop more or less. However, at first difficulties with its quantity arise. Women feel their breasts bursting because a lot of milk has come. The kid does not have time to eat everything. However, over time, this process is getting better. Many note that the tide occurs at the very moment when you need to feed the baby.
Thus, breastfeeding is a rather complex process in nature. But, unfortunately, not at all it goes well.
Symptoms of Lactostasis
Everything goes as it should, the body adjusts itself to the baby’s appetite, and, it would seem, everything is working out. But suddenly, a woman feels pain from either side of her chest. Touching, finds the ball and is very scared. This is the blockage of the milk ducts. That is how in most cases women find in themselves the so-called lactostasis. This process is easily explained: one of the milk ducts becomes clogged. Now milk cannot pass through it, it accumulates and forms a ball that is very sore.
Due to inexperience, young mothers do not take any measures, which leads to a more advanced form of lactostasis. The following symptoms appear:
- Swelling of the chest.
- Redness of the skin. First, in the place where the stagnation occurred, then around it.
- Temperature due to inflammation.
- Pain sensations intensify every hour in the place where the blockage of the milk duct formed.
- The white dot (treatment is not so complicated if started on time) on the nipple indicates that the milk has stagnated.
These are the most common signs indicating lactostasis. Others may appear, depending on the personality of each woman. When a ball is first detected in the chest or soreness, immediate action is required.
Blockage of the duct of the breast: causes
Experts recommend monitoring lactostasis on their own. The easiest method is daily probing each breast for lumps. But besides this, you need to know about the reasons that can lead to it:
- Incorrect mouth gag of a baby's nipple. Because of this, it turns out that the baby does not suck milk from all shares, but only from those that he was able to capture. It is necessary to apply the child correctly: his lips should tightly capture the halo of the nipple.
- Feeding according to a fictitious regimen, and not at the request of the child. We cannot order our bodies to excrete a certain amount of milk by the hour. It is nature to supply the baby with milk at his request. Due to non-compliance with this rule, a lot of problems can arise. Firstly, we will offer the baby to eat when he is sleeping and does not think about food (after all, the time has come!). Or we will listen to the cry of a hungry child, but we will not let you eat ahead of time. Secondly, with such feeding, blockage of the milk duct occurs.
- Uncomfortable or incorrect feeding position selected.
- The chest was injured or an accidental bruise occurred. The same point can be attributed to the mother’s sleep on her stomach, when the ducts are pinched, but the woman does not feel, because she sleeps soundly.
- Hypothermia. In winter, you must dress warmly and protect your chest.
- Wearing small or uncomfortable underwear. A bra can squeeze ducts. This is especially true for girls with large breasts.
- Stressful conditions. They affect the hormonal system of a young mother, as a result of which milk production becomes chaotic: large tides give way to rare ones.
First aid
It often happens that a woman blocks a duct in her breast only by night, when the baby is already sleeping and free time appears. As practice shows, the first symptom is pain. After that, the girls feel for a ball, which is impossible to touch.
The first step is to decipher the stagnation of milk. If the baby is sleeping, you can try to do it with your hands. It is necessary through the pain to knead the ball in the direction from it to the nipple. However, the best assistant in this matter will be the child. Only with physiologically correct capture will he be able to resolve the blockage. And most importantly - do not panic! As soon as the stagnation is eliminated, the pain will clear as if by hand. However, if more serious symptoms appear, a doctor should be consulted.
Obstruction of the ducts: treatment
Those women who force dad to resolve stagnation are not doing the right thing. Adults over time lose the ability to correctly capture the chest. Your baby's father can help you stretch your breasts and help your milk go out. But only a baby can dissolve milk. Experts recommend applying the baby to the chest with the chin towards the stagnation itself. And the more often you do this, the faster you will solve this problem. Try to give breasts at least once an hour. Perhaps the baby will not want to take breasts, because milk does not pass well. But as soon as he is hungry, he will surely “cure” his mother and eat.
In order for milk to leave better, take a warm bath or shower. The ducts will expand, which will provide more convenient pumping. You can replace this with a warm compress: soak the diaper with water and attach it to your chest for a couple of minutes, and then knead it. Just do it carefully, without sudden movements.
Remember that you do not need to drink any tablets with lactostasis. It will pass immediately after the necessary duct opens and the proportion is freed from milk.
What can not be done
Now we know how the obstruction of the milk duct is treated, what to do from the first minutes of its detection. However, not everyone follows the advice. Here is a list of what you should not do:
- Rub the chest with alcohol. This can cause even more serious inflammation.
- Strongly crush the mammary gland, which will certainly lead to injury.
- Wash the breast before each feeding, causing dry nipples, on which cracks form. During massage, you can bring infection into them.
- Additionally express. As you know, how much the baby eats milk, so much of it will arrive. With excess decantation, we deceive our body, and in response, it will begin to produce even more milk, which can only aggravate the situation.
- Rub the skin. It is necessary to gently massage the stasis itself, and not the entire chest.
Folk remedies
The blockage of the milk duct can be eliminated using traditional medicine. According to reviews, cabbage leaf helps. It is necessary to attach it to the chest. It is known for relieving swelling and inflammation. Before using, the sheet must be beaten off so that the juice goes, and then put in the bra.
Honey also copes well with such a problem as a blockage of the milk duct. Compress from it is applied for two to three hours to the inflamed place. The best effect is observed if you use it together with a cabbage leaf.
Eucalyptus helps relieve redness and reduce pain. Its leaves are boiled for 10-15 minutes, then cooled and insisted for a day. After that, the sore spot is lubricated.
Potato compress deserved good reviews. Just rub the raw potatoes and wrap in gauze, then attach to the chest.
Complications
Unfortunately, untimely measures taken to get rid of lactostasis can lead to serious problems. The most dangerous is the occurrence of mastitis. To the pain in one part of the chest is added high fever, a feeling of fullness and unbearable pain. Stagnation is very difficult to relate to, because it is simply not possible to touch the chest.
Overcooling can provoke complications. Try to protect your breasts and do not feed in the cold.
Mastitis is characterized by the release of pus along with milk. This is the most dangerous stage of its development. In no case do not give such a breast to a child. Purulent mastitis can provoke poisoning of the baby. Urgently see a doctor who can save you from this problem in a conservative way. Otherwise, you will have to lie under the surgeon’s knife.
The blockage of the milk ducts can turn into not only mastitis, but even an abscess. With this complication, surgery is unlikely to be avoided.
Prevention
In order to avoid any problems with breastfeeding, try to follow the simple recommendations of specialists:
- Regular feeding of the baby.
- Wearing comfortable clothing.
- Frequent application with the onset of lactostasis.
- Drinking enough water.
- Proper nutrition.
- Take measures to prevent clogging immediately upon detection.
- Seeing a doctor for complications of lactostasis.
These simple tips will help you avoid difficulties with the milk ducts and will allow you to enjoy feeding your baby.
Conclusion
Blockage of the milk duct is one of the most common ailments that young mothers face.
However, with experience, women learn to avoid lactostasis by taking measures in advance. Do not be scared and throw a hepatitis B at the first problems with it. As you know, any skill comes to us with experience. Therefore, once faced with a blockage, you will already know how to solve this problem in the future.