Excess breast milk can accumulate in the breasts, especially when the baby cannot breastfeed and the woman does not extract the remaining milk, causing a congestion situation, commonly known as stony breasts.
Usually, signs that you are developing milk with stones include pain during lactation, swollen breasts, and redness of the breast skin. Check all symptoms of breast congestion.
- To relieve pain and prevent the development of complications such as mastitis.
- One way to remove excess milk is to massage the breasts a few minutes before the baby’s breasts.
- In addition.
- This massage can also be performed to remove excess milk and facilitate its release at the time of feeding.
- To do it correctly.
- You need:.
Heat helps dilate the breast ducts, relieves pain and facilitates milk circulation, so it should be applied before massage to allow massage to be less painful and increase the chances of milk with stones coming out of the breast.
A good option is to apply a hot water bag directly to your chest, but you can also apply heat during the bath, passing the shower with hot water over your chest. The heat should be maintained for at least 5 minutes and without burning the skin.
Underarm lymph nodes play a very important role in removing fluids from the breast region, so if properly stimulated, they can help reduce the feeling of swelling and chest pain.
To stimulate these knots, a light massage should be performed in the underarm area, with circular movements, 5 to 10 times in a row. In some cases, it is possible to smell small nodules in this area, but they are not a cause for concern as they only indicate that the lymph nodes are inflamed by excess fluid. In such cases, the massage should be lighter so as not to cause pain.
After stimulating the lymph nodes, a breast massage should be initiated to release the milk accumulated in the ducts and mammary glands. To do this, you should start by massaging the area near the areola, with small and light circular movements. These movements can become stronger if they are not annoying and spread across the breast.
After massaging the areola and increasing movements for the rest of the breast, it is important to continue the massage to try to empty all the channels. To do this, massage the area around the areola, holding the chest with one hand and massaging from top to bottom with a slight pressure.
This massage can be repeated 4 to 5 times or until the chest is less swollen and painful.
After doing the massage, try to remove excess milk. A good way is to apply pressure with your thumb and forefinger around the areola until a few drops of milk begin to come out. This movement can be repeated until the chest looks more flexible and less swollen. After feeling that excess milk is gone and the chest is more malleable, the baby should be breastfed.
Repeat this massage every day as long as the breasts are very full, because when they are like this, the baby will have more difficulty biting the chest properly and therefore may not be able to breastfeed and will start crying because she is hungry and unable to. drink breast milk.