Breast massage at feeding

Breast massage when feeding - in some cases this can be the only remedy that helps to reduce all the unpleasant consequences of breastfeeding. Very often the nursing mother meets with the problem of lactation due to milk stagnation or other causes, which brings painful sensations to the mother and does not bring the baby plenty. In this case, it is necessary to conduct treatment and it is better to start not with medical procedures using ointments, but to perform physical and physiotherapeutic procedures in order to avoid complications in the future.

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Indications and contraindications for breast massage during feeding

Breastfeeding is the process that every woman goes through and that brings a lot of emotions to both mom and baby. If the process of feeding the child is right, then he is good at adding weight, not being naughty, is well fed, and the process itself brings pleasure to the mother. But it is necessary to know several rules for successful breastfeeding.

First of all, the feeding of a newborn child, that is, in the first 28 days of his life, should be carried out at his will, without overnight breaks. The interval between feedings should not be more than three hours. Such interval well influences not only the child, but also the milk secretion. At night, the formation of milk in the mammary glands occurs under the influence of the pituitary hormones, and under the influence of night feeding, the production of the hormone oxytocin increases, which in turn affects the muscle fibers of the dairy and normal milk is released into the dairy. This process is normal, but there are cases when there is not enough milk and the baby is fed with the formula. At the same time the normal process of formation and allocation of milk does not occur and this contributes to the disruption of lactogenesis. Then there are different pathological conditions in the form of lactostasis or in case of infection, there is inflammation of the mammary gland - mastitis.

Still it is necessary to know about the right toilet of the breast. After each feeding, do not wash the breast or wipe dry with a towel. It is enough just a daily shower, which allows you to clean everything without any additional effort. Immediately after feeding, you need to wipe the nipple with a drop of milk and that's enough. Such elementary rules make it possible to avoid the formation of nipple cracks, through which microorganisms with the initiation of the inflammatory process can penetrate.

Therefore, it is necessary to clearly know about the indications that may be associated with breastfeeding.

Massage and physiotherapy - this is an excellent home way to care for breastfeeding mother. It helps to relax the muscles of the breast, increase the secretion of milk and increases the contraction of the muscle fibers of the milk duct, which in turn promotes better milk release. Therefore, the main indication for breast massage during feeding is lactostasis or milk stasis. This happens when there is a violation of the rules of feeding, with irregular feeding or with the leftover milk in the breast after feeding, which can stagnate. At the same time there is a feeling of bursting and tension in the mammary gland, soreness in feeding, the child does not eat up because of a violation of milk intake into the milk duct. If the process is limited only to local manifestations, then breast massage in this case is the main treatment that can be done at home. It resumes the normal outflow of milk and can help in the initial stages of the process without the use of ointments. It is important to adhere to the correct technique of massage and hygiene measures.

Contraindications for breast massage during feeding are obvious signs of inflammation in the chest - mastitis or abscess of the breast. In this massage can only worsen the situation by spreading a purulent focus. It is not difficult to separate mastitis and lactostasis. When mastitis occurs, local changes in the breast occur in the form of redness of the skin, burning sensations, the skin warm or hot to the touch, intense, severe pain syndrome. With infectious inflammation of the breast, there are common manifestations in the form of an intoxication syndrome with a rise in temperature. In this case, you can not breast massage. It is also necessary to exclude breastfeeding of the baby. Also breast massage can not be performed with other infectious processes or malignant processes.

Massage in conjunction with other physiotherapy procedures is an excellent tool for treating milk stagnation and helps to quickly resume normal breastfeeding.

Technique of breast massage during feeding

Breast massage when feeding is a very good treatment for lactostasis, if it is correctly performed. It is necessary to adhere to some rules for a successful procedure. For this, first of all, it is necessary to prepare. It is better to massage several times a day - morning, afternoon and evening after feeding the baby. Preparing for a massage is a hygienic procedure in the form of rubbing your chest with warm water. After this, it is necessary to express a few drops of milk and moisten them with the skin of the nipple and the breast itself. Now you can proceed directly to the massage.

See also: Vacuum massage of the breast

Many wonder how to do breast massage while feeding? First of all, it must be said that there is nothing complicated here and every woman can do it. The main techniques of breast massage are rubbing with gentle massaging movements. In this case, the movements should be in the radial direction from the periphery of the mammary gland to the nipple along the dairy courses. This principle allows to improve the outflow of milk through the milk ducts, and then contributes to its better isolation. It is necessary to walk through such massaging movements several times across the gland, and then dissolve the remains of milk.

The oil for breast massage during feeding is usually not used, as it can cause irritating effect on both the skin of the breast and the baby with the next feeding. You can use oil in case the skin of the nipple and breast is dry and prone to cracking. Then you can use a small amount of natural but not cosmetic oil, for example olive oil, and it is better to use a few drops before the massage to moisten the skin, and then a few drops after the massage. The use of cosmetic oils is not recommended, because they can have a harsh odor that is absorbed into the skin and may not like the baby when feeding.

This massage should be performed for several days - about five - then lactostasis will pass and the milk will normally return. It is also good to apply a warm water bottle after the massage, but not hot. Then the heat still relaxes the muscles of the dairy moves and this improves the effect of the massage. 

Another point that women often ask is whether breast massage will help, if it is so hard that it feels like it's a stake? The answer is unambiguous - yes, if you follow all the rules and regularly and carefully massage.

The consequences of an improper massage are its inefficiency, which may require additional treatment. If it is rare or wrong to carry out a massage, then it's clear that this will not bring any effect.

Complications that can occur when the massage technique is violated, and when used for a long time, is ineffective is infection with the development of the inflammatory process. If you spend a long time massaging and other physiotherapeutic procedures, and this is ineffective and the swelling of the breast is increasing or there are symptoms of local inflammation and intoxication syndrome, then it is necessary to stop the massage and all other methods of treatment and contact the doctor. After all, in this case, complications can develop in the form of mastitis or the formation of an abscess of the breast. These are very dangerous complications that need to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible. As for other complications, due to prolonged lactostasis, galactocele can form. It is a cyst, formed by an enlarged dairy duct inside which the epithelium is lined and milk is contained. Such cysts significantly violate the process of further feeding and can be suppressed. All this can contribute to loss of lactation, and the child is deprived of the most important food product, which contains many useful substances.

Breast massage during feeding is a very convenient and simple method for correcting lactostasis in nursing mothers. This is a very common pathology that disrupts the normal nutrition of the child and brings discomfort to a woman, so you need to prevent and treat lactostasis. The correct massage technique and its regularity provides a quick recovery of breastfeeding, so you need to adhere to not only the regime, but also the technique of feeding. A good effect is the integrated use of massage and physiotherapy procedures in the form of warm warming.