As a woman, whether young or old, it’s important that you fully understand your body in order to better go through each stage of your life, so that you know how to react when something goes wrong; so the breast is this time Part of exploration. Breast massage is a good way to better understand the breast, especially to take care of the breast.
Breast massage during pregnancy and breastfeeding
1. Prenatal breast massage
One of the first common signs in early pregnancy is breast enlargement, sometimes accompanied by increased tenderness. Then there is enlargement and pigmentation of the areola*.
How to take care of your breasts during pregnancy:
Here are some tips:
In order to maintain good support, choose a comfortable bra that fits your new size. You will definitely choose the back size and extra cup depth size, sometimes even more!
Maintain a good posture by keeping your back straight and doing stretching exercises to strengthen the back muscles. Swimming or yoga are good exercises during pregnancy.
Get in the habit of massaging your breasts during or after the shower, and apply nourishing oil to your breasts to prevent stretch marks and ensure good blood circulation. This will reduce any heaviness caused by your new situation. If your nipples are particularly flat or inverted, regular massage of the areola can stimulate the nerve endings and help them become more prominent, although this is not necessary for successful breastfeeding.
If your baby arrives late, or you are told to induce labor without real medical reasons, repeated massages to stimulate your breasts, light pinching of your nipple, and artificial colostrum expression** can be naturally induced Physiological work.
In any case, if you are separated from your baby soon after delivery (premature birth, special medical problems), if your baby is unable to suck the first one, it is very useful for you to have practiced all these postures during pregnancy for a few days or if it is in The performance on the breast is not good enough. In these cases, active manual milking is indeed crucial. For this reason, breast massage related to the application of heat is very beneficial.
2. Immediately after delivery, massage the breasts during breastfeeding
If you are already familiar with breast massage during pregnancy, why not continue to massage after childbirth? It turns out that massaging her breasts can improve blood circulation, thereby promoting faster and less painful milk flow while minimizing congestion. When it comes to what to do, let your intuition guide you.
If you end up with edematous pathological congestion, this is usually due to infusions during delivery, delayed breastfeeding, separation of mother and child or particularly sleeping babies, and tiredness that are not effective on the breasts. There are specific breast massage positions that are known in advance. These measures not only allow you to minimize the pain associated with this condition and prevent the situation from getting worse, but also can predict breast rejection or extreme infant agitation.
Here's how to proceed: First, apply two fingers (for example, index finger and middle finger) to the edge of the areola, apply constant pressure for 30 seconds or even a minute to return the fluid accumulated in the areola to the tissue, and then stroke lightly in an upward circular motion. Massage gently into the armpits. With the relief of breast tension, you can continue to manually extract milk, the purpose is to reduce breast congestion and promote milk flow, while continuing to exercise. The palm is pressed in a rotating motion. Tapping your fingertips or rolling the knuckles around the breast can also help soften the breast.
To perform manual milking, there are many ways to massage the breast, you can use two fingers, even all the fingers of one hand, or even both hands... It's up to you, see which method is most helpful for you! In any case, this should not be painful, and it is better for you or your partner rather than a stranger to do it. The following are the main principles of breast massage: For example, place your thumb on the side 2 or 3 cm behind the areola and other fingers on the other side to form a C or U at the end, and then gently press toward the areola. For the ribs, put your fingers deep in the breast to compress, do not move your fingers on the skin, and finally open it gently and repeat rhythmically. At first, nothing will happen, then a drop of water will turn into a bead, and then after the milk rises, there will be another even small jet. In terms of duration, there is no need to spend a lot of time, 5-10 minutes per side is enough
If breast inflammation and poor drainage cause one or more milk ducts to be blocked, massage in a circular motion with fingertips (usually the thumb is stronger than other fingers). Sticking to hard areas along the milk path may help reduce inflammation and hot compresses and frequent feedings. Combine.
Regular breast massage throughout the breastfeeding period also has a beneficial effect on milk composition. Studies have shown that women who regularly massage their breasts have more uniform milk and more even distribution of fat.
3. Breast massage when using a breast pump
In order to optimize the frequency of breastfeeding, pediatrician and lactation consultant Jane Morton developed a method that was originally suitable for mothers who need to start breastfeeding at the time of premature or premature delivery, but in fact it is useful for all mothers who need a breast pump. It combines both hands with a Electric Breast Pump.
Here are the different steps of using a breast pump to massage your breasts:
Use a hot towel or use a Lactation Massager to massage the breasts for a few minutes.
Massage the breasts in circular motions with both hands to stimulate the mammary glands and at the same time stimulate the nipples, triggering the milk-ejection reflex.
Unless you don’t like it, it’s best to use an electric breast pump for double suction.
Stop pulling when the flow rate slows down and only a few drops are dripped.
Massage the breasts again, and then use the breast pump in single pumping mode by slightly different positions of the nipples or manual pumping.
Squeeze the breasts as if you want to draw the last drop, alternating from breast to breast until you feel "completely drained."
Through practice, you will develop your skills based on your feelings and the amount of milk collected to improve efficiency.
Don’t hesitate to tell us about your personal experiences on our social networks and share tips to keep your breasts comfortable throughout the breastfeeding period and when using a breast pump. .
Take care of yourself, breast massage should be part of your health plan!