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Expressing breast milk. How to properly express breast milk with a breast pump

Many expectant mothers, preparing for the birth of their baby, draw up plans in advance, trying to take into account all the important little things that will help them in caring for their baby in the future. This list most often includes a breast pump - a special device for expressing breast milk.

Why a breast pump and not your hands, since you can express your breasts with your hands? Modern breast pumps will help you save a lot of time and save your energy.

The choice of these devices today is so wide (functionality differs from each other in the mechanism of their operation, price, properties, convenience, etc.) that a woman’s eyes simply run wild. In order not to be tormented by the question of which breast pump is the best, and which one to choose for comfortable expression of milk, you should know what types of these devices exist.

Types of breast pumps: which one to choose

(Photos are clickable)

Absolutely all breast pumps are divided into two types according to the principle of their operation: manual, that is, mechanical, and electric.

Manual breast pumps are not as expensive as their electric counterparts. They can be divided into:

Pump-action

The simplest of existing devices. Consists of a breast attachment and a rubber pump (or bulb). When expressing milk with such a device, a woman needs to frequently squeeze the pump to create a certain vacuum around the nipple and cause a flow of milk. Milk flows with every pressure on the breast.

Plus models– low price. The price of pump breast pumps starts from 90 rubles for the simplest models.
Cons– due to the constant mechanical squeezing of the pump, the hand quickly gets tired, when frequent use probability arises. The milk doesn't flow well.

Pump breast pumps are available without a bottle and with an attached bottle.

Breast pump in the form of a syringe

The device consists of two cylinders, where the inner one is applied directly to the nipple itself, and the outer one moves forward or backward. This option is the most common and popular: it is easy to clean, simple to use, and small in size.

Piston (cylindrical)

This type of breast pump consists of a silicone nipple nipple with a special lever attached to it and a bottle included. To express, just press the lever, pressing the nozzle tightly against your chest.

Pros:

thanks to silicone nozzles, expressing with a piston breast pump resembles natural breastfeeding, which helps improve lactation;
quick pumping. In 10 minutes it is expressed to 150-200 ml. (When expressing manually, this takes up to 40 minutes);
silent operation;
the ability to sterilize all parts of the breast pump;
relatively low price and a huge selection of different models.

Cons:

fragility of parts. If used very frequently, the breast pump lever may break.
When pumping, a woman’s hand quickly gets tired.

Electric breast pumps

Besides mechanical models, to facilitate the pumping process, there are also electric ones. Using any model of electric breast pump will not be difficult for a nursing mother.

The principle of operation of the device is not to manually create a vacuum around the nipple, but using a special motor. A woman just needs to press a button and the device will start working on its own!

Pros:

Note to moms!

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the ability to remember the pumping mode;
There are models with two-phase mode. At first, the device operates in a fast and gentle mode, gradually moving to slow and deep expression. This mode allows you to maximally express the accumulated breast milk;
There are models that allow you to pump from both breasts at the same time;
easy to disassemble, parts can be washed and sterilized;
An electric breast pump is suitable for constant use, as it does not injure the nipple and does not contribute to fatigue.

Despite the undoubted advantages of electric models, they also have certain disadvantages. They are treated very high cost and noise during use. This type of breast pump can hardly be used next to a sleeping baby.

Electronic

This is a microprocessor-controlled breast pump that fully controls milk flow and pumping rhythm. Operates from a power outlet or battery. They are correspondingly expensive.

An example of expressing two breasts with an electronic breast pump

Video: choosing a breast pump

Having decided on the choice of a breast pump, a woman is faced with questions about how to properly prepare for pumping and how to express breast milk as efficiently as possible.

Rules for expressing with a breast pump

During the feeding period, most mothers have to deal with a situation such as pumping. To protect yourself from unnecessary risks, every mother must know how to properly express her breasts using a breast pump so as not to harm herself.

Expressing your breasts with a breast pump is absolutely not a shameful process, you don’t need to be afraid or embarrassed!

The main reasons that force you to express:

You have a lot of milk, so in order to avoid it hardening in your breasts, you must get rid of the excess;
Your breast milk is not quite enough to feed your baby, so you need to pump to stimulate lactation;
You need to visit important event, where it will be impossible to provide the child with access to the breast or the baby remains at home without you with grandma, dad and they need to feed the baby;
The child refuses to take the breast, but drinks milk from a baby bottle.

There can be a lot of options...

Preparing to pump

Before expressing milk with a breast pump, read the following recommendations:

Wash your hands with soap and wash your breasts with warm water.
If possible, drink a glass of warm water or tea to improve milk flow.
Please read all instructions included with your breast pump carefully.
If you are using a breast pump for the first time, be sure to boil it and let it dry. Then collect all the parts and prepare a sterilized container to collect the milk.
Before starting the process, select a funnel the right size, the nipple itself should not be adjacent to the wall of the suction device, otherwise pumping will be slow and painful. The nipple should move back and forth without obstruction, so you need to leave room for it to move.
At big breasts or large nipples, it is recommended to choose a funnel with the largest diameter.
To help your breasts adhere better to the breast shield, moisten the skin with a damp towel.
Find a place that is most convenient and suitable for such a procedure.
Start pumping at the speed that is most comfortable for you, even if it is the strongest. The main thing is not to forget to constantly stimulate the flow of milk.
The breasts can be stimulated with light circular movements before and during the procedure.

Preparation is complete, you can start pumping

If you feel the slightest difficulty while pumping, do not forget that pumping is an artificial process, an imitation of feeding. Reach positive result possible through the production of a pumping hormone called oxytocin. To do this, it will be enough to take a warm bath, drink (preferably with milk), put a warm towel on your chest, or just look at a photo of your baby. Already during pumping, the hormone prolactin will begin to work, and it determines how much milk you can express.

Video: expressing milk

Desktop instructions for nursing mothers

Expressing with a breast pump takes 10-15 minutes for each breast. If you express faster, don't stop - continue for a few more minutes.

To make the process easier, it is better to bend forward a little, but not too much. This position will allow the lobules to pass milk more easily and it will be much easier for the mother to collect it.
While supporting and slightly lifting your breast with one hand, apply and press the breast pump nozzle firmly against the nipple with the other. The nipple should be in the middle of the nozzle. In turn, the funnel must fit tightly to the nipple, otherwise the necessary vacuum will not be created and the pumping process will be difficult.

(Photo clickable)

The nipple should be in the center, the funnel should fit tightly and tightly to the breast

Press the plunger (if the breast pump is manual)

When using a mechanical device, start pressing the lever or pump; to express with an electric breast pump, just press the button. There is no need to squeeze the breast so as not to injure the nipple. If pain still occurs, check whether the breast pump funnel is positioned correctly and whether the nipple is located exactly in the middle. If you experience severe discomfort, you should stop pumping and start the process again after a while.
You should pump until the breasts soften and the lumps can no longer be felt. Before finishing the process, massage your breasts again. armpit to the center, driving the remaining milk from the side lobules. At this point, pumping is completed; you can use the milk immediately or freeze it.

How to use a breast pump (video no. 2)

Why is it impossible to express with a breast pump?

So, how to choose a breast pump and how best to express a woman already knows, and What should you do when you can’t express a single drop of milk with a breast pump? Expressing, although an imitation, is still a natural process and if there is no milk in your breast, then no breast pump will be able to express it. Having studied the pumping technique and the rules for handling such a device, we can conclude that you will not be able to express milk if:

The seal between the nipple and the funnel is broken. If air gets in, the breast pump will not work properly.
Milk stagnation ( I also call it lactostasis -). If your breasts feel very firm to the touch, there are painful areas, then it will be difficult to express milk quickly. In this case, a long breast massage will help ( See article

Until the middle of the last century, there was an opinion that expressing milk not only does not cause any harm, but is also beneficial. Now the opinion of lactation consultants has changed radically. Why can't you express breast milk? Let's try to understand this difficult issue.

Breastfeeding Basics

Until now, some doctors argue that milk should be expressed after the mother has fed the baby. In their opinion, this avoids stagnation and the milk does not go to waste. But it’s worth remembering that mothers used to feed their newborns precisely by the hour, which negatively affected breast stimulation and reduced its production in general. Pumping helped stimulate its additional production by the mother's body.

If the child is not limited, he will not breastfeed less than 6 times a day. The baby sucks it not only because of acute hunger.

Sucking is a response to any discomfort that arises, for example, he wants to sleep. The baby suckles at the breast and milk does not accumulate, but is constantly replenished in the breast.

If the mother feeds the child after 6-8 hours, the body “understands” that such a volume is not required and reduces production.

If the mother feeds the child not according to the clock, but according to the baby’s demand, then the number of attachments to the mammary gland can reach 12 times. The baby grows faster, and milk production is stimulated without pumping.

Why shouldn't you pump?

If milk is removed from the breast, the body perceives this as a signal that it needs to produce even more. Why is this dangerous?

hyperlactation occurs
breast inflammation begins
stagnation is possible.
The baby may have digestive problems.

But there are a number of reasons why it is necessary to express breast milk:

The child cannot suck milk on his own due to prematurity, developmental defects, and other factors.
Severe fullness of the mammary gland. It becomes full and the baby cannot suckle.
The baby is sick or refuses to breastfeed.
Milk production is too low and additional stimulation is necessary.
The mother cannot feed the baby due to her absence from home
The breasts swell and congestion begins.
Mother doesn't plan to finish breast-feeding, but temporarily cannot do this for some reason.

To pump or not to pump?

This question is ambiguous and each mother decides it for herself, if necessary, in consultation with doctors.

Modern doctors believe that there is no strict need to express milk, with the exception of a number of the above reasons. They believe that such a regular process can negatively affect a woman’s health.

A woman should make a decision about the need for such a procedure, based on how much the baby eats, how much colostrum is present, how the feeding schedule is structured, and whether the mother and baby have any pathologies or illnesses.

Pumping can happen, but it should be thought through. It must be done in the first days in the maternity hospital, when the mammary gland is just filling with milk. For the first time, it is better to do this under the supervision of a doctor. Additional recommendations can be obtained from a pediatrician who will weigh the baby and understand whether he is getting enough food and whether he is eating enough.

Unfortunately, many women ignore doctors' recommendations to feed their baby breast milk for at least several months. In their opinion, it spoils appearance breasts, creates a lack of time and unnecessary problems. You should not deprive your child of immunity, which is formed when absorbing breast milk, for the sake of your beauty. A breastfed baby will be healthier than his bottle-fed peers.

When?

Alas, many young mothers meet grandmothers who remember their own youth and insist that after each feeding they need to express their breasts “until last straw" The most frightening arguments are presented, from the disappearance of milk to mastitis. Indeed, 30-40 years ago there were such recommendations! There was a good reason for them: after all, at that time it was proposed to give the baby a breast six times a day, changing each time, that is, the child was applied to one breast only three times a day... Of course, with such rare stimulation of the breast, both mastitis (in the beginning) and the “disappearance” of milk (later) became quite real threat, from which constant pumping could really save. But if we feed the baby on demand, then there is no need to pump after each feeding!

However, sometimes it is really necessary to express milk. All similar cases can be divided into two broad categories:

either the mother has too much milk, and it is necessary to get rid of its excess;
or the mother needs to express milk in order to stimulate lactation and supplement the baby's feeding.

It is clear that in the first situation you should not be too zealous - after all, pumping in itself leads to an increase in milk production! Therefore, if the breast becomes engorged, lumps appear in it, which the child is not able to cope with, then the milk must be expressed - but only until the breast becomes soft. There is no need to try to express milk “to the last drop”, because in this case more and more milk will arrive, and coping with excess milk sometimes turns out to be more difficult for a mother than with a lack... If the problem of reducing the amount of milk is acute, try to express everything every time less. You can turn to lactation consultants for help, who will be able to give some more advice suitable for your personal situation; the coordinates of the consultants can be found.

The second situation arises when the mother needs to leave milk for the child while she is leaving (for example, to work, to study, etc.); or transfer the milk to the children's ward of a maternity hospital or hospital; or increase milk production in this way (then the expressed milk is also given to the baby); or supplement feeding of a child who sucks sluggishly and is not gaining weight well. It is in these cases, on the contrary, that you should try to express as much milk as possible - even a little more beyond the moment when milk ceases to be released.

If your baby sucks well and gains weight, feeds on demand, and there are no lumps or discomfort in the chest - then you don’t need additional pumping!

When expressing milk, the same processes are launched in the body as when feeding a child, but weaker - after all, expressing is only an imitation of the natural feeding process. However, both during feeding and during pumping, the hormone oxytocin helps milk to be released, and in the process of breast stimulation, the hormone prolactin is produced, which determines the amount of milk. From here follow two important rules What a nursing mother needs to know about pumping:

To make milk leave the breast more readily, you need to help the oxytocin reflex.
Expressing itself stimulates further milk production.

In order for the oxytocin reflex to work - which means milk is released well - the mother can drink something hot about ten minutes before feeding. If there is no temperature, then you can warm up your chest - for example, put a towel soaked in warm water on it for about five minutes, or take a warm shower.

It is important to try to relax and think about the baby, how nice he is, how wonderful it is that he is fed with your milk. You can lightly massage, stroke your breasts, shake them a little, leaning forward so that the milk flows out more easily under the influence of gravity. Many mothers notice that it works great for them if their husband gives them a back massage. And after that, you can begin the pumping process itself.

The simplest and most accessible way of pumping for every mother is manual. The most popular pumping technique is: place thumb on the upper border of the areola (or approximately 2.5-3 cm from the nipple), and the index and ring fingers - opposite it, on the lower border, so that the fingers are in position 6 and 12 hands on the clock. Squeeze your chest slightly back towards chest, then roll them forward and, when the milk is squeezed out, relax your fingers. Do it all again. Move your fingers in a circle so that the milk comes out of all the lobes. Do not try to apply force to your breasts: breast tissue is very delicate and may suffer from strong pressure or friction. If the breasts are not damaged, there are no cracked nipples or engorgement, pumping should be painless! You can see the manual pumping technique in more detail in the animated picture.

If you have to express more than once as needed, but from time to time, many mothers prefer to use a breast pump. Interestingly, a study conducted in US clinics showed: best effect allows expressing with both hands and a breast pump, and not just one thing, and optimally - with preliminary gentle breast massage (Morton J. Et al, 2009 Nov., Combining hand techniques with electric pumping increases milk production in mothers of preterm infants)

Today in any pharmacy or children's goods store you can see a variety of different models breast pumps, right down to hands-free devices that leave the working mother’s hands free. How to choose the optimal model? First of all, you should not even consider the simplest breast pumps from glass tube with a rubber “bulb”: for most women they cannot express anything, and for some they also affect the breasts so painfully that bleeding cracks form on the nipples. One of the very essential requirements for a breast pump is the ability to adjust the pumping force so that milk can be expressed without causing pain. This is really important! If a woman experiences pain while pumping, the stress hormones produced block the oxytocin reflex, and milk production worsens (what is commonly called “the milk is gone from the nerves”). Painful pumping can create much more problems than to decide.

The second essential requirement for a breast pump is that it must be well sterilized. Some cheap models of breast pumps are immediately marked on the box like “not subject to boiling or sterilization.” There is no point in such a purchase; in fact, this is a disposable device: if the breast pump cannot be sterilized before use, then there is a risk of infection, because the remains of breast milk preserved in some bend of the structure will be a rich environment for the growth of bacteria.

Manual breast pumps are ideal for occasional, not too frequent pumping. Funnels can vary in hardness (and some mothers prefer simple hard plastic funnels, while others find soft plastic or silicone funnels with a massaging effect better) and in size - for large or very small nipples, it is better to choose one that exactly matches the diameter funnel, otherwise milk may be expressed poorly or painfully.

If you have to pump regularly, especially several times a day, you should think about using an electric breast pump, which significantly saves mother’s time and effort. The best electric breast pumps are clinical devices. You can’t buy them, they are expensive professional equipment, but major cities Usually there is a rental service for such breast pumps. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that only the breast pump motor is available for rental, and the pumping kit must be purchased separately! Transferring a simple breast pump from one woman to another is unsafe: the causative agents of some diseases that may be in breast milk die only with deep sterilization by autoclaving, and simple boiling may not save you from some kind of hepatitis.

As for household electric breast pumps, although they are not as convenient and effective as clinical ones, they can greatly help a mother who is tired of frequent manual expression. In addition to the requirements for the possibility of sterilization and simple adjustment of the pumping force, also pay attention that the motor of the electric breast pump does not come into contact with milk (if milk floods the motor, it will simply stop working), and, optimally, that the device can reproduce the rhythm in which the baby sucks . The closer the breast pump is to the baby's sucking, the better it will free the breast and stimulate lactation. The reference point should be exactly the similarity of a baby’s sucking!

Where?

The question is not as simple as it might seem. The first thing that comes to mind for most mothers is to use regular bottles for expressed milk. baby food. But not all of them are suitable for storing milk!

Bottles made of plastic called polycarbonate - and this is the material most often used to make bottles - unfortunately, are not safe for children. During heat treatment (during the sterilization process) and during active washing with a brush, they begin to release into their contents a substance called Bisphenol A. We have already written about it in detail, but in this article we will repeat briefly: this is a derivative of phenols that accumulates in the child’s body and with over time has toxic effects on the nervous and genitourinary system. In a number of countries around the world, the production and sale of polycarbonate bottles has been completely banned for safety reasons. children's health, but in Russia they are in no hurry to inform mothers about the dangers of such products. However, manufacturers who produce bottles made of neutral materials suitable for storing breast milk must label them with “Bisphenol A free” or “% BpA” labels.

The second safe and even more convenient storage option is special sterile bags for creating a breast milk bank. Breast milk bank bags do not need to be processed in any way (they are sterile and disposable), you can express milk directly into the bag, there is a place on it to sign the date of expression, it is very compact and takes up little space in the freezer.

Using glass bottles or jars is also a completely safe option for children's health. But the peculiarity of glass is such that the most valuable fatty fractions of milk stick to it and remain on the dishes themselves, so the baby does not receive enough useful substances from my mother's breast milk only due to the use of glassware. And when milk is frozen, glass often cracks.

What to do next?

The main way to store expressed milk is by refrigerating or freezing it. Expressed milk stays fresh and healthy for much longer than formula, thanks to the high levels of antimicrobial and antibacterial factors in breast milk. Chilled breast milk, compared to fresh, loses its quality, but only slightly. Deep freezing allows you to store expressed milk for a very long time, although it loses some of its beneficial properties, but still remains many times richer in composition and value than any mixture.

Freshly expressed breast milk can be given to the baby for several hours without special precautions for preservation. A little trick: During storage, milk may separate into bulk and thick cream rising to the top. If you are sure that the baby will eat the entire portion, mix gently; and if he often does not eat the whole portion, then it is better, on the contrary, not to mix, so that the baby is guaranteed to receive the valuable fatty part of breast milk.

If you are going to use milk within the next week, then do not freeze it, but store it on the refrigerator shelf: all this time it remains fresh and does not lose many of its immune properties, which still happens to some extent when breast milk is frozen. If you decide to freeze milk, then before placing it in the freezer, cool it in the general chamber of the refrigerator. Be sure to mark your pumping date! After this, place the portion of milk in the freezer as deep as possible towards the far wall, where temperature fluctuations when opening the door are negligible.

When defrosting, a portion of milk is moved from the freezer first to the general compartment of the refrigerator, and then it is heated in a warm water bath or simply under running warm water from the tap. Milk is heated only to body temperature - approximately 36.6°C: more high temperatures destroy enzymes and reduce immune properties breast milk. The temperature of the milk is usually checked on the wrist - the drop should feel neither cold nor hot.

On the stove or in microwave oven Milk should not be heated: it is very easy to overheat, and in the microwave oven most of the valuable anti-infective factors will also be destroyed. In addition, a microwave oven creates so-called super-hot zones that can remain in the milk even after stirring: unfortunately, there have been cases when babies were burned by such milk.

Frozen milk often has a somewhat soapy odor and sometimes changes color. This is completely normal, this is how some people behave when frozen fatty acids breast milk. Most children do not react to changes in smell. Often mothers worry whether the milk has spoiled during storage? This is very easy to understand: spoiled milk has a distinct smell of sour milk.

Of course, when a mother anticipates being away from home in advance, it makes sense to start building a breast milk bank in advance, replenishing her freezer with one serving per day. And if the mother does not have such an intention, literally two or three servings will come in handy just in case of emergency, from the unexpected need to go on business without the baby to adding it to the first complementary foods. Have a good feeding, not burdened by constant pumping!

“If you want to breastfeed, don’t be lazy and express milk after every feeding!” - For many decades, doctors professed this doctrine, believing that it was prerequisite good lactation and breast health in the future. The confidence in the need to express breast milk was so great that mothers spent all their time doing it from one feeding to the next, complicating their lives.

Do I need to express milk?

The myth about the total benefits of diligently expressing breast milk is based on the observation that if you “take away” every last drop of milk from your breast, more of it will come. But this rule has other characteristics. Firstly, it only works with one-time use: if after morning feeding the mother expresses her breasts to the last drop, then the next day more milk will actually accumulate. If the woman does not repeat the procedure, the volume will gradually return to normal on its own. The second circumstance: when the baby suckles on his own, the amount of milk produced and consumed is approximately the same. By expressing valuable fluid, a woman upsets the natural balance between the baby’s needs and the amount of milk produced. They always express more than the baby would eat, so by the next feeding too much milk will come, the breasts will become full, but the baby will still not eat more than he needs. If you do not express the remains, there is a risk of lactostasis. Mom gets to work, and in response to her efforts, more milk will come again than needed.

A vicious circle of expressing breast milk will form, which cannot be broken painlessly. Milk that is not demanded by the baby is a signal for the pituitary gland to reduce the production of hormones responsible for breastfeeding. The answer will be to reduce the amount of “baby food”. Noticing that there is less milk, the mother takes action: she spends even more time pumping, stretches out the breaks between feedings to “accumulate milk”, introduces supplementary feeding...

As a result, the baby suckles even less, and the mammary gland is deprived of the natural stimulation it needs. The normal feeding scenario is disrupted, and the baby gradually becomes artificial... The conclusion is obvious: continuous pumping is fraught with complications, and it is better not to start it. It leads to stagnation of unclaimed milk, which threatens the health of the mammary glands and interferes with normal lactation.

When should you express breast milk?

But you shouldn’t completely exclude expressing breast milk from the life of a young mother. Normal cycle Breastfeeding lasts at least 1 year. During this period, a nursing mother will more than once find herself in circumstances where pumping is indispensable. Three situations are repeated more often than others, and each involves its own pumping tactics.

Story one. First arrival of milk.

Usually milk appears in the breast on the third day after birth. And it’s not always possible to guess how many will come. Sometimes the proceeds are so large that most of them remain unclaimed by the newborn and complicate the life of his mother, who has not yet recovered from childbirth. A woman’s breasts increase in size, become heavy, and if pressure is applied to the glands, pain is felt, they lose their usual softness and become rough. If measures are not taken in time, inflammation develops: the temperature rises, and health worsens.

What to do? When breast engorgement occurs, a compress of cabbage leaves. It gives a cooling effect by absorbing evaporation from the surface of the skin. Wash several large fresh leaves cabbage and cover the entire gland with them for about an hour. The next point of assistance should be gentle massage and pumping. One or two sessions will soften the breasts, helping to normalize milk production.

Since at the moment of rapid milk flow the breasts become very painful at the slightest touch, you need to prepare for pumping. Start by massaging the least affected areas, gradually expanding the affected area. Try to relax, take long exhalations - this will help bring the mammary gland out of the state of “shock”, then the elastic muscular tubes - the milk ducts - will begin to contract more actively, and the milk will flow on its own.

After 7-10 minutes of massage, try placing a pinch of your fingers on the areola and rhythmically squeeze and unclench them several times. If a drop of milk comes out, start expressing - manually or with a breast pump; if not, continue the massage.

When expressing milk with your hands, place your palm with four fingers under your breast so that your index finger is on the areola from below, and your thumb is on top. When you squeeze all your fingers, the nipple should move forward. Now lift your breasts, press them against your chest and squeeze and unclench your fingers around the areola several times. If milk starts to flow, continue pumping until the flow ends. To ensure that the lobules of the gland are emptied evenly, move your fingers around the circumference of the areola.

Important details. Expressing with a breast pump has an important advantage: the resulting product is easier to preserve, because the milk goes directly into a sterile bottle or bag for freezing milk. When working with your hands, some valuable liquid splashes out. When trying to express milk for future use, do not get carried away. Pumping too excitedly will lead to even more milk tomorrow, and you will wake up with sore breasts again.

The second story. Stagnation of milk leads to lactostasis.

First, the mother discovers a small lump in the breast, which, when pressed, hurts, as many women say, like a bruise. With lactostasis, the milk ducts, which are supposed to push milk out, lose their elasticity and stop contracting. No more fluid is produced than usual, but it cannot escape. If you do not take action, redness will appear. If you continue to do nothing, mastitis will begin - inflammation of the mammary gland.

What to do? An excellent tool for the treatment of lactostasis - the same pumping is used. It should begin with a similar chest massage - it will soften the lump, restore blood flow in the stagnation zone and activate sluggish ducts. Painful sensations should be avoided: the response to pain will be even greater spasm of the ducts and worsened lactostasis. The entire gland should be massaged – not too much, but quite deeply. First, make several stroking movements along the gland from the periphery to the nipple, lift it, tap your fingers from below, from the side, approaching a particularly sore spot. To make your fingers glide better and not injure the delicate skin, apply nipple cream to them.

Important details. You should start pumping when you feel a rush of milk (usually heaviness, itching, or tingling appear in the chest) or you see that it has begun to drip. You can express by hand into a wide bowl, leaning over a low table: this puts the breasts in a position that stimulates outflow.

Story three. The child is not gaining weight

The baby is already a month old, he sucks normally, and nothing bothers his mother. But at the first visit to the doctor, it turns out that the baby has hardly gained any weight in a month. It turns out that he doesn’t have enough food and urgently needs additional feeding? The reason for the misunderstanding is that an inexperienced mother cannot always determine when her child is simply sucking on the breast like a pacifier, and when he is eating. She doesn’t notice that the baby just lies with the nipple in her mouth, smacking her lips, and doesn’t swallow anything. This behavior creates a sluggish milk order. If you put up with this tactic, then pretty soon the breast will empty, the baby will turn away from it, and lactation will stop almost immediately.

What to do? Milk is released in waves in response to the baby suckling at the breast. It is advisable not to allow long breaks between tides. If the baby falls asleep at the breast, shake him, lift him for a few seconds vertical position, offer one or the other breast. To activate the flow of milk, you will have to spend free time for stimulating massage and pumping. At first, you need to spend several hours a day on these procedures: 3-4 sessions of 30-45 minutes each will be required. After a few days you will notice an improvement and the duration can be shortened. During massage and pumping, you should be comfortable: sit comfortably, turn on calm music, tune in to pleasant thoughts about the baby. Breast massage - stroking, shaking, tapping - should be alternated with squeezing and unclenching the nipple for 1 minute. As soon as the gland becomes softer, express some milk and start feeding.

Important details. It's not your job to pump large quantity milk, save the main portion for the child. After all the effort, he would probably finally be able to eat lunch on his own.

If mom manages to collect milk by expressing it as needed, then sooner or later she will be able to create her own “milk bank” in the freezer. The product will definitely come in handy when you need to go away for a long time or take medication that is incompatible with breastfeeding.

It is worth preparing for the rapid arrival of milk. A day after the birth of the baby, you should limit your fluid intake - drink little by little and only still water. Soups, tea, compotes aggravate thirst. When milk production returns to normal, the restrictions can be lifted.