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Mammary gland care

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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Body hygiene – it plays an important role in the prevention of many diseases. The same applies to the breast. Care of the mammary glands is relevant in everyday life, but it is especially important during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and the postoperative period, when the breasts require special attention and care. After all, not only the health of the woman and child, but sometimes their lives depend on its quality performance! And these are not just big words – this is reality.

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Breast Care During Pregnancy

After conception has occurred, the body begins to rapidly rebuild itself to a new status. At the same time, the hormonal background is unbalanced, and the body's defenses are weakened. It is during this period that the likelihood of invasion by viruses and pathogenic microflora increases. And this is inflammation, the formation of abscesses and pustules is possible. Therefore, care of the mammary glands during pregnancy, as well as the entire body, occupies one of the leading places in a woman's hygiene.

Hygiene of the mammary glands during this period has its own characteristics.

During this crucial period, the body of the expectant mother becomes especially vulnerable, the risk of developing allergic reactions increases. Therefore, you should review your cosmetics that you have used up to now. Remove those that contain perfume fragrances. It would not be superfluous to analyze their composition, choosing less allergenic ones. The best choice is baby soap and baby hygiene products. But you should only trust proven companies.

Having received confirmation of their pregnancy, many women begin to take excessive care of themselves, so as not to catch any infection. Up to treating nipples with alcohol or alcohol solutions. Antiseptic measures are, of course, good, but at the same time, there is a serious overdrying of the skin, which, if adequate measures are not taken, inevitably leads to the formation of small cracks. And this is precisely the gateway to the entry of various pathogenic ENT into the body. A similar situation can develop with frequent use of low-quality soap.

To prevent such a development of events, the cleaning cosmetic product (in this case, soap) must have a neutral alkalinity - pH, which corresponds to a figure of approximately 5.5 units.

During pregnancy, the intensity of blood flow increases, and metabolic processes accelerate. All this also applies to the pregnant woman's breasts, which leads to an increase in temperature. The increase in temperature, in turn, stimulates increased work of the sweat glands. In light of this, you should take a shower. And it is advisable to do this at least twice a day. If we are talking about a hot summer, then it is advisable to carry out such procedures more often.

You should not wash your breasts with soap, except during showers, more in between, as the body secretes a special "fat" that lubricates the skin and protects it. Otherwise, you can get dry skin with the ensuing consequences.

At the same time, pregnant women's underwear should be made only from natural materials. This will help avoid an allergic reaction to the material.

It is also worth paying attention to the deodorants that a woman usually uses. During this period, long-acting antiperspirants should be removed. Due to their prolongation, they contain talc, which blocks sweat ducts, which in turn can provoke the development of hidradenitis, a purulent inflammation of the apocrine sweat glands.

If discharge appears from the milk ducts (this may be colostrum), do not tear off the dried crust. This can injure the nipple and open the way for infection. In this case, during water procedures, it is necessary to gently remove the dried substance with a soapy washcloth, after allowing it to soften.

To prevent the appearance of stretch marks, expectant mothers can be advised to purchase a special cream for pregnant and nursing women at the pharmacy. It is applied to the chest after completing water procedures and rubbed in with gentle movements, massaging slightly.

The bra also plays an important role. It should be chosen according to the size of the changed breasts and support them well. The material should be only natural. Starting from about 30-32 weeks, it is advisable to switch to wearing special underwear.

At this time, the volume of glandular tissue of the mammary gland increases, which leads to an increase in its size, and, consequently, the size of the breast itself increases and its shape changes. The bra that a woman wore before pregnancy will now be small and wearing it not only causes discomfort, but can also be dangerous. Therefore, it is better to buy a special bra in a pharmacy, your size, and with the inscription - "underwear for nursing mothers".

By the time of birth, the woman's breast and mammary gland must be ready for lactation. To do this, it must be prepared. To make it easier for the newborn to suck out milk, the nipple must have a convex shape, then it will be easier for the baby to grasp it.

One of the methods of preparation can be a special massage of the mammary gland. To do this, with clean (washed with soap) hands, grab the nipple and slightly pull it away from you. This exercise should be done two to three times a day for several minutes. During water procedures, it is advisable to lightly massage the nipples and the entire surface of the breast with a washcloth of medium hardness. This will allow you to have the necessary effect on the dermis and subcutaneous layers without injuring the nipple.

Air baths also have a positive effect on breast tone; it is enough to do them once a day for several minutes.

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Postpartum Breast Care

The baby is born and a new, difficult, but joyfully anxious, exciting period in life begins for the parents. For the first time, the baby is put to the mother's breast. During this period, the young mother should have a special attitude and hygiene towards her breast. Colostrum can begin to appear both immediately before the birth itself (which is normal) and immediately after obstetric assistance. If the mother undergoes a cesarean section, this process can slow down and the first drops of colostrum will appear only a day or two after the operation.

Care of the mammary glands in the postpartum period is mandatory and has some special features.

From the first minutes of lactation, the changes are almost imperceptible, because the volumes of colostrum are insignificant, but they are simply irreplaceable for the newborn in terms of their content - this is both nutrition and protection. Only after two or three days, the production of colostrum stops and mother's milk begins to be produced. It begins to arrive in the mammary glands quite actively, causing unpleasant sensations to the nursing mother: a feeling of distension, burning, pain. This fact is due to the fact that the baby may not completely suck the milk out of the breast, which leads to stagnation. Hardening, it forms painful seals that are easily palpated with fingers. This is lactostasis. Their formation leads to an increase in body temperature, which is not corrected with medication.

Therefore, in order to avoid negativity in this joyful period of life, you should listen to the advice of experts and properly care for your breasts.

Every day, as during pregnancy and everyday life, a woman should take a warm shower twice a day. The breast is washed with warm water before each feeding and blotted (not wiped) with a clean napkin.

After the newborn's meal is finished, the nipple should also be dried with a clean napkin or tampon. As already mentioned, during this period it is advisable to wear underwear made of natural material. Cotton is hypoallergenic, pleasant for the body, and with the correct selection of the model and size, it fully performs its supporting and protective functions. The bra must be changed daily, so the wardrobe of the mother in labor should have at least two "bras for nursing mothers".

If a woman has excessive milk production and it simply oozes out of the milk ducts, the nursing mother should reduce her fluid intake and change her bra more often. At the same time, after each feeding, it is necessary to express milk, trying to completely empty the mammary gland - this is a kind of prevention of lactostasis and mastitis.

Expression is carried out only with clean hands. To do this, one hand slightly lifts the breast, and the thumb and index finger of the second hand grasp the areola. Two fingers should gently press on the nipple. This procedure should take no more than a quarter of an hour. If a special medical device is used for expressing - a breast pump - its parts that come into contact with the nipple should be treated with boiling water before each use.

Such simple precautions will protect the mother and child from infection and further health problems.

Recently, the question of how much more beneficial breastfeeding is than artificial feeding has been increasingly raised, and not only for the newborn, the mother also receives her “health benefit”. With one small clarification – she must do everything correctly and not forget about caring for her mammary glands in the postpartum period.

If during the next examination dense formations are felt in the woman's breast, it is necessary to take urgent adequate measures. The fight against the formation of lactostasis zones consists of a special massage. Its essence comes down to performing soft, but elastic, circular movements with the hand, which begin at the base of the breast, gradually moving towards the nipple. The compacted areas are kneaded more thoroughly. In this situation, a breast pump can come to the rescue. It will allow you to extract the remaining milk from the mammary gland after each feeding.

Today, pharmacies offer women in labor a whole range of different models, they can be both mechanical (manual action) and automatic (electrically powered). Therefore, every woman can choose the most suitable one for herself. Today, the most popular and appreciated are breast pumps of such brands as Chicco, Canpol, Avent and Medela.

The fight against lactostasis areas should be carried out also because ignoring them or improper care of the breast can lead to the development of an even more unpleasant disease such as mastitis. This is an acute form of an infectious and inflammatory process occurring in the area of the mammary gland. It can be provoked by stagnant phenomena that catalyze inflammation, and even microcracks in the nipple, through which an infection (it can even be staphylococcus) can invade inside.

To prevent cracks, a woman, with the consent of her attending physician, can use special hypoallergenic creams. Products from the following companies have proven themselves especially effective: Sanosan, Mama Comfort, Mustela and Avent. But nipples can also be treated with regular sea buckthorn oil. It will soften and enrich the skin of the nipple and areola, preventing them from drying out.

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Breast care during lactation

Many women have one fear during pregnancy: that after birth, the mammary glands will produce insufficient amounts of mother's milk (hypogalactia). It is worth reassuring expectant mothers. This disease is an exception rather than a rule and is quite rare. Much more often, women who have just given birth begin to experience a rapid accumulation of colostrum, and then milk itself. At the same time, if due to certain circumstances the fluid extraction is insufficient (the newborn was not put to the breast or his feeding did not "take" all the fluid produced by the glands), the woman in labor begins to feel discomfort in the chest area: distension, burning, milk begins to ooze spontaneously from the nipples.

The main thing in such a situation is not to self-medicate, prescribing drugs that reduce the level of lactation. In the event of a problem, self-expression will be correct, you can also take advantage of the help of technical progress and use a breast pump to solve this problem. But you should try to express all the milk that has accumulated in the breast. This step will protect a woman from many health problems in the future: the appearance of stagnation, the formation of lactostasis and then the development of mastitis.

To alleviate discomfort and solve the problem, it will be enough to express milk two or three times a day, until the baby starts sucking the breast. But even after that, it will not be superfluous to check the quality of the collected milk. That is, after each feeding, it is worth expressing milk. This should take a woman no more than a quarter of an hour.

At the peak of the problem, for this period of time the woman should reduce the amount of liquid consumed, sometimes even to half a liter - a liter per day. To relieve discomfort in the chest, doctors advise the woman in labor to apply a cool, damp towel or napkin to this area for about ten minutes.

Proper care of the mammary glands during lactation will protect a woman from many troubles.

During the feeding period, a woman's breasts change their shape and increase in size, so it is advisable to buy a bra of the appropriate size. Of course, ideally, this should be special underwear made for nursing mothers. It is comfortable both to wear and, having a special detachable valve, when feeding the baby. But if for some reason it is not possible to buy this model, you can get by with an ordinary bra. But it should be chosen in such a way that it does not cause discomfort, does not press or rub anywhere, but perfectly supports the breast filled with milk.

When buying a non-specialized bra, instead of pads you can use clean, ironed on both sides fabric made of natural material: cotton, linen. It should be changed as needed, but not less than once a day.

Rough fabric, with constant contact with the nipple, will somewhat reduce its sensitivity, which will eliminate a number of symptoms caused by increased sensitivity of the nipple.

It is advisable to give your breasts air baths once or twice a day. It will be enough to spend fifteen to twenty minutes of hardening with your breasts open at room temperature so that the skin becomes stronger and the mammary gland receives full hardening.

A woman should also know the rules of hygiene, it is advisable to get acquainted with its nuances before conception. A woman in labor should take care of herself in order to prevent the appearance of even microscopic cracks on the skin of the breast and especially the nipples. Their appearance causes a nursing mother many unpleasant and painful minutes. At the same time, through such damage, microbes and infection can penetrate into the body of a young mother, which are dangerous both for the woman herself and for the newborn. Infection of the child can accelerate if there are ulcers or cracks in the baby's mouth.

If a woman is giving birth to her first child, it would be a good idea to consult a specialist (or take prenatal classes for young mothers) to learn not only how to behave correctly during childbirth, but also to know the intricacies of feeding a newborn. After all, an incorrectly chosen feeding position can complicate the feeding process itself, as well as cause unpleasant painful sensations for the woman in labor.

When feeding, experts advise slightly changing the position of the baby, this will make it possible to change the force of impact on different sectors of the nipple, this will allow more effective sucking of milk from different parts of the mammary gland, which is an excellent prevention of the development of lactostasis and subsequently mastitis.

A woman should also know that feeding should not be prolonged. The baby should feel that feeding is feeding and playing with the mother's breast for, say, an hour is unacceptable.

The main principles of care during this period have already been voiced earlier, but it will not be superfluous to remind them once again:

  • You should not get carried away with soap for sanitizing the breast and nipple. The same applies to alcohol tinctures.
  • Before feeding, the breast should be rinsed with warm water and dried with a soft towel.
  • After finishing feeding, express excess milk, blot the nipple with a napkin. After that, the nipple can be lubricated with breast milk - this is an excellent natural protection, containing a number of tannins and vitamins.
  • Massage, shower and air baths.
  • Comfortable clothes made from natural fabrics.
  • Do not allow the nipple and skin of the entire breast to dry out.
  • Sterility of materials that come into contact with the breast of a nursing mother.
  • If cracks do appear, do not despair, you should immediately take measures to heal them. Consult your doctor or pediatrician, he will prescribe the appropriate means that will allow you to solve the problem more effectively and in the shortest possible time.

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Caring for your breasts after pumping

There are a number of rules that must be followed so that the lactation period does not bring disappointment and complications. To protect herself, a woman should not allow fluid to stagnate in the mammary glands, regularly expressing, but this must be done correctly. At the same time, caring for the mammary glands after expressing is also of great importance.

The procedure itself is carried out only with sanitized hands. The technique of expression is quite simple, and mastering it does not pose any particular problems. The phalanges of the thumb and index finger should grasp the areola: the phalanx of the thumb on top, the index finger - below. With intense but soft movements, press, and at the same time move the fingers to the exit passage from the nipple. It is worth remembering that the tandem of fingers should not slide on the skin and press hard, it is necessary to press it lightly, "driving out" the milk from the milk ducts. If done correctly, the milk should flow in a stream.

Pressing should be done on the areola area, squeezing higher is not allowed, this can provoke its damage. The procedure itself should take no more than a quarter of an hour and be repeated after each feeding and until the gland is completely emptied.

In some cases, milk may leak from the nipple spontaneously. There are two possible reasons for this: large volumes of milk produced and pathology of the nerve fibers at the base of the nipple.

If a woman has the second option, she should know that the feeding procedure should take place in a quiet and calm environment. Any excitement or stress affects the woman's nervous system, transmitting a signal to the nerve endings, which affects the process of milk secretion during lactation.

Doctors recommend that women with this problem put sterile pads or a napkin in the nipple area of their bra. They should be changed as needed, but at least once a day.

After pumping, the nipple should be blotted with a soft, sterile towel. Some doctors recommend that nursing mothers, after completing the procedure, soak the nipple in breast milk. Since it is rich in vitamins and minerals, and when dried, it forms a kind of film, it serves for the breast as both protection and a healing material, nourishing the tissues and preventing the formation of cracks.

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Post-breast surgery care

Surgical treatment of the mammary gland can be divided into three groups:

  • Surgical intervention due to an inflammatory process. This mainly applies to the acute or chronic stage of mastitis. The treatment procedure itself mainly consists of opening the abscess and draining the wound to remove purulent formations from the inflamed area. In exceptional cases, excision of a segment or complete removal of the mammary gland is performed (gangrene is the death of tissue in this area).
  • Operations performed on neoplasms, both benign and malignant.
    • Tumor enucleation. It is performed only if the tumor is benign, since it does not involve excision of tissues adjacent to the tumor.
    • Sectoral resection is the excision of one or more segments.
    • Radical resection - tumorectomy with lymph node dissection, is performed at an early stage of a progressive cancerous tumor.
    • Mastectomy is the complete removal of the breast.
    • Lymphadenectomy – one or more nearby axillary lymph nodes are removed.
  • Breast plastic surgery:
    • Endoprosthetics – breast enlargement using silicone implants.
    • Breast reconstruction.
    • Reduction mammoplasty is, on the contrary, a reduction in breast size.
    • Mastopexy is a breast lift surgery.

It is clear that after any of these operations, the mammary gland requires special attention, especially in the immediate postoperative period.

Such care after breast surgery includes both physiological and psychological aspects. The help of a psychologist both "before" and "after" the surgery is invaluable. It can be either professional or provided by relatives and friends of the woman undergoing surgery.

After surgery, caring for the affected breast comes first in preventing complications and achieving rapid healing.

The consequences of surgical treatment of the mammary glands are swelling not only of the breast itself, but also of the shoulder and the upper half of the arm located on the affected side. Particular attention should be paid to the surgical wound.

To overcome problems with mobility, specially developed therapeutic exercises are prescribed, which should be gradually carried out from the first days after the problem is eliminated. At first, the patient does all the exercises under the supervision of an instructor with a medical education, and then independently at home.

To relieve swelling, the doctor prescribes special anti-edematous ointments and developed massages. To speed up the recovery process, it is necessary to activate blood flow and normalize lymph drainage.

The woman must also endure all measures to prevent infection of the surgical wound. During this period, the patient is under the supervision of doctors, and only they should do the dressings, changing the tampons covering the wound. But after discharge from the hospital (although the woman has to visit the doctor periodically), but care of the mammary gland is gradually entrusted only to her.

If necessary, she will have to change the bandage for some time (medical recommendations will be given on this matter), but the main postulate is the sterility of the wound and preventing the drying out of the skin, both the forming scar itself and the entire skin around it.

If necessary, elastic bandaging is possible. Until a certain moment, the surgical site cannot be wetted - this period is determined by the attending physician. Therefore, while taking a shower (you will have to sacrifice the bath for some time), the surgical site should be covered with a bandage - a gauze bandage, and on top - with cellophane or other waterproof material.

All precautions taken by a woman during this period should be aimed at preventing the development of an inflammatory process, infection and suppuration of the wound.

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Breast Prosthesis Care Products

If a woman has had her mammary gland removed and has subsequently been fitted with a prosthesis, she should know how to properly care for it, what care products for mammary gland prostheses the pharmaceutical industry can offer today.

It is quite easy to take care of such dentures. There are two main methods of treatment. The first method:

  • A cleaning agent specially designed for treating implants should be applied with a swab or sprayed onto the side of the prosthesis that comes into direct contact with the woman's body. For example, you can use Soft Cleanser or Amoena Soft Cleanser.
  • Then take a brush purchased specifically for this process and wet it in warm water.
  • You need to rub the denture with a brush for three to five minutes. This should be done thoroughly.
  • After this, rinse the artificial breast in a large amount of water, preferably running water.
  • Then place the prosthesis on a sterile surface and let it dry. To speed up this process, you can use a hair dryer. The temperature should be low (the air coming out should be warm or slightly hot).

The second method. It can be used to treat the implant and several times during the day. For example, if the temperature outside is high, the heat causes increased sweating, causing additional discomfort to the woman after the organ removal surgery.

  1. In a deep container, dilute a special detergent with warm water. The container should be no less than the diameter of the prosthesis, but you should not take a larger one - more detergent and water consumption, which is not economically advantageous. The water layer should be thin. 1.5 cm is enough.
  2. Place the implant in a container, flat side down. Leave the container overnight.
  3. After waking up, wipe the prosthesis with a special brush and rinse with plenty of clean water.

After reading this article, one can only draw one conclusion - breast care is necessary in any situation: in normal everyday life, during pregnancy or lactation, and especially in the postoperative period. Such careful attention to one's body will allow a person not only to obtain aesthetic comfort, but also to save themselves from many health problems.

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