Pain in the chest when feeding

Pain in the chest during feeding is a common problem for young and inexperienced mothers. The reasons can be very different - from the uncomfortable position during feeding, which needs to be changed, to various diseases of the breast. It is important to determine why there is pain in the chest when feeding, so that mom and baby can feel comfortable. Read more about this.

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Inconvenient position in breastfeeding

Very often mothers by inexperience take the wrong position when feeding the baby, so they experience chest pains. To avoid this, it is necessary during the feeding to try different poses - their own and the child. Here are some tips for the convenience of poses when feeding

• Make sure that your back has good support in the form of a backrest of an armchair or chair, or a headboard. This can relieve chest pain when feeding
• The head of the child must lie firmly on the maternal arm
• The tummy of the baby should be in front of the abdomen of the mother. His face and knees should be pointed to the breast of his mother.
• The fingers of the mother, which support the breast during feeding, should not prevent the baby from sucking.
• The baby's mouth during feeding should be widely opened - it should grasp the breast well.
• The child must grasp the whole nipple and most of the areola with the mouth.

Difficulty in milk yield

Young mothers often have difficulty in milk yield. Then the child tries to suck the milk with effort, which aggravates the pain in the chest during feeding. When the flow of milk from the breasts is difficult, a young mother can feel pain or tingling in the chest, as well as the heaviness in her. Do not worry - your body should get used to the fact that the child sucks his chest. You just need to express the milk strictly by the clock or use a breast pump. This is a good remedy for chest pain when feeding.

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Too much milk flow

It's very good when the young mother has a lot of milk. But it can cause pain in the chest when feeding. Breast from a large amount of milk swells, and then the baby is very difficult to feed. To avoid this problem, it is important to do several useful things.

• Express milk strictly by the clock
• Do not drink a lot of warm or hot liquids during the day
• Do not eat yeast food - this increases the flow of milk (avoid white bread, beer)
• During feeding, you can express a portion of the milk, then give some milk to the baby. If the milk is too much, and the child is naughty, throwing a chest, or choking, put a rag or jar next to it and express some milk to it until the trickle becomes thin, comfortable for sucking the baby.
• Try not to press your fingers on the chest during feeding, because this can increase the flow of milk and lead to pain while feeding.

Flat or small nipples

The shape of the chest is also important in breastfeeding. If the mother has flat or too small nipples, the baby may be uncomfortable to suck, and it increases the pressure on the chest. There is pain in the chest when you are breastfeeding.

It is necessary that the doctor or nurse in the maternity hospital show how to extend the nipples with fingers before feeding (they have the property of increasing). This is called stimulation of the nipples. Nipples need to be sent to the child's mouth at the right angle - then he can grab them completely and not cause discomfort and pain in the mother. If the child is full, energetic and active, he will easily pull out your nipple without help from your side. At nipples of small size it is possible to use a breast pump - it will help them to pull out. A good method for getting rid of chest pain while feeding.

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Too large breasts and large nipples

The other extreme, which concerns the shape of the breast, is too large nipples and breast size. Because of this physiological feature, the mother may suffer even more than because of a small breast. Big breasts are filled with milk, heavy and can be very painful when feeding. All kinds of mastitis and bleeding from the nipples occur more often in women with large breasts or large nipples.

Follow these tips and feeding will not become a torture for you because of chest pain.

• Make sure that your posture when feeding is comfortable and your back has a good support. If the baby is not holding the breast properly (too much), it will hurt the mother. She will suffer from nagrubaniya and inflammation of the nipples, mastitis. Therefore, when feeding, make sure that you are comfortable sitting.
• Mom with a large breast is sometimes easier to lie during feeding than to sit.
• Roll-rolled towel can be put under the elbow, so that the child was not hard to keep while breastfeeding.
• Do not massage your breasts too much before and during feeding, because this increases the flow of milk. There is pain in the chest when feeding.
• Maintain the feeding of the chest with your hands, but make sure that your fingers do not touch the areola - this can prevent the baby from sucking, and it will increase pressure on the chest. Chest should be supported from below, and very carefully.
• When using the suction, make sure that it is connected as required. Also make sure that you have picked up the breast pump of the desired shape and size.

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Raynaud's syndrome

Manifestations of Raynaud's syndrome can be paling and cramping of the extremities. In particular, blanching and dysfunction of the nipples. Now this is a common problem of breastfeeding, which affects up to 20% of all women of childbearing age.

Reynaud's syndrome is not caused by breastfeeding, but by spasms of arteries that supply blood to the nipples, causing a narrowing of the blood flow, numbness, burning and chest pain. The skin in the area of loss of blood supply becomes blue, and then changes color to reddish. Raynaud's syndrome usually happens due to the change of very hot or cold water or air temperatures, and also when a woman experiences emotional stress. What to do with this disease? How to reduce chest pain?

• Try to be less nervous - it reduces the likelihood of the manifestation of Raynaud's syndrome
• Avoid temperature changes
• Avoid taking alcoholic beverages - this aggravates the course of the disease
• Eliminate caffeine from the diet - it can increase the risk of Raynaud's syndrome
• Beta-blockers and oral contraceptives can enhance chest pain in Raynaud's syndrome - avoid taking them, use other contraceptives
• Carry out aerobic and cardio exercises - they can alleviate chest pain and symptoms of the disease
• Take vitamin B6. It will be enough 150-200 mg once a day for four days, then 25 mg / day once a day to alleviate chest pain that arises from Raynaud's syndrome
• Drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration, which can lead to lower blood levels in the blood vessels and chest pain while feeding

Breast abscess

Abscess of the breast is a painful lump in the breast tissue. This is one of the most serious problems of breastfeeding, which occurs quite rarely in 6% of mothers suffering from mastitis.

Breast abscess can occur if you are concerned about breast infections (mastitis) for quite some time. The mother's body will try to get rid of the infection, forming a hard lump of tissue in the infected area of the breast, and a large amount of milk in the chest will only exacerbate this process. Bacteria feed on milk, so they will multiply, and the process, if not stopped by proper treatment, will become more and more aggravated. As a result, Mom's extremely painful, swollen breasts, she can be chilled, the temperature rises. These signs may resemble the flu. What to do?

• First of all, you need to carefully care for nipples, lubricating them with olive oil and thoroughly washing after each feeding and after it. This will prevent the cracking of the nipples, because of which an abscess occurs.
• Stop using corticosteroids, which can be the cause of the abscess.
• Quit smoking - adherence to tobacco can increase the risk of breast abscess.
• Massage the breast and express milk in time to avoid the occurrence of an abscess causing pain in the chest during feeding.
• With aggravation of the abscess, you need to see a doctor who will prescribe antibiotics for treatment.
• Do not go out dressed badly not to catch a cold. This will relieve the pain in the chest when feeding.

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Prevention of chest pain during feeding

To prevent pain in the chest during feeding, the mother must follow simple rules. This will help to avoid many problems for her and the child.

First of all, pay attention to the hygiene of the breast. Breasts can not often be washed with soap or gels, because they overdry the delicate nipple tissue, and it can develop cracks that cause pain when feeding. After washing the nipple must be thoroughly wiped, so as not to soften it more than laid. If the nipple is often wet, it will become more vulnerable to friction and abrasions.

You need to buy a special supporting bra for nursing moms. It should not be tight (now all bras that you were wearing before pregnancy, you are tight, they must necessarily be replaced by more suitable ones). The bra should be clean in order to avoid infections that can easily multiply in a moist environment (often milk oozes from the nipples).

When the child ate, you need to clean the nipple from his mouth smoothly. If you pull it sharply, the nipple can be damaged. Then the breast when feeding will hurt your fault. If the child does not let go of the nipple, gently press his nose with his fingertips and hold it for a few seconds. The child will open his mouth, and the nipple will immediately be free.

If you have a pain in the chest when feeding, in any case do not tolerate it. This will negatively affect your own health and the state of the child. Be sure to consult a doctor for examination. Perhaps, this pain is associated with serious diseases, during which it is necessary to stop in time.

Pain in the chest during feeding can arise for quite commonplace reasons e - simply because the mother has little information on how to properly feed the baby. Do not be shy to see a doctor in the hospital, a gynecologist at a polyclinic or a mammalologist, so that he will in practice show you how to properly breastfeed and take care of the mammary glands. This will save you from the difficulties with your health, which cause pain in the chest during feeding.