Why do breasts hurt during lactation? This question often worries young mothers. Therefore, it is worth understanding this topic in detail.
Breastfeeding is a joyful, harmless and at the same time responsible process that helps the newborn get all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Breast milk creates a close bond (a sense of closeness and security) between mother and baby. However, such a wonderful period in a woman's life can be overshadowed by the fact that the chest hurts during lactation. Moreover, this problem occurs both in young mothers and in more experienced ones. There are many reasons for this. Ignoring pain and discomfort in this case is undesirable. If a problem occurs, see a doctor immediately.
After childbirth, many women are forced to face very strong discomfort when the chest hurts during lactation and the temperature rises above 37.5˚. The reason lies in lactostasis. In the mammary glands, the milk ducts are clogged, as a result, milk stagnation occurs. At the initial stage, the problem can be completely corrected if the provoking factors are eliminated, the feeding of the baby is adjusted so that the milk comes in the required amount.
The most important thing is to eliminate the pathology in a timely manner in order to avoid aggravating the situation and developing into an even more complex disease - mastitis, which is fraught with severe pain and purulent course. A woman with infection of the breast glands may end up in a hospital in a hospital bed, and the baby will be left without another portion of mother's milk.
What are the reasons?
The situation when the chest hurts during lactation and temperature can be caused by the following factors:
- cold glands, hypothermia;
- lack of sleep;
- overwork;
- excessive density (fat content) of milk;
- incorrect use of the sucking technique by a baby if he was originally accustomed to the nipple;
- wrong position when applying or uncomfortable position during sleep (on one side or on the stomach);
- abnormal features of the thoracic anatomy;
- stagnation of milk due to non-compliance with hygiene recommendations for the care of breasts and nipples;
- development of a viral infection in the human body;
- presence of cracks on the nipples;
- anemia, lack of hemoglobin in the blood;
- decrease in the properties of the immune system.
It is worth noting that while in the hospital, a woman can contact the medical staff for help and get information about the correct attachment of the baby to the breast. This applies to young mothers who are primiparous, since their lactation is not regulated, milk is produced in excessive quantities and arrives.
If the breast hurts during lactation, the reasons must be established immediately.
It is necessary to regulate the process of feeding, and also to maintain the same time intervals. The most correct position is the one in which the child captures the areola at the same time as the nipple completely, while the mouth should be wide open and the lower lip turned down.
It often happens that the breast hurts during lactation due to the rush of milk.
Flashes of milk
Not all young mothers are aware of such a hormone as oxytocin, which is responsible for reflexes during labor and lactation. At first, a woman may even complain that her chest hurts during feeding, there are discomfort in the lower abdomen or in the nipple area. Oxytocin increases blood flow, which affects the intensive production of milk even when a woman is just thinking about the baby or the upcoming breastfeeding.
A situation in which the chest hurts during lactation often appears just because of an excessive amount of milk: the baby is full, the rest has to be expressed. In this case, it is very important to learn the correct technique for applying the baby to the breast, adhere to a certain schedule and observe the daily routine. Milk in such a situation will be produced without surpluses in the required quantity.
Nipple injury
At the very beginning, when the baby is not yet able to attach to the breast on her own, the woman herself has to interrupt feeding by pulling out or pulling out the nipple. But such careless actions can lead not only to burning and pain during feeding, but also to injuries (bruises, abrasions, cracks, wounds), which, in turn, act as causative agents of inflammatory and infectious diseases.
Excessive sterility does not lead to anything good either. Too clean women often make a mistake when they wash away with soap both possible dirt and dust, and the necessary beneficial microflora. The mother is deprived of a protective film that has moisturizing and bactericidal properties, while the baby does not fully develop immunity to external stimuli. That is why a woman’s breasts can hurt during feedings, the skin dries up and is injured, cracks and wounds appear on the nipples.
Often the cause of complications is the wrong underwear, which strongly compresses or rubs the mammary glands. During the lactation period, you will have to abandon the sexy bra that lifts your breasts for the sake of your he alth. Especially for nursing mothers, special underwear has been created that is no less beautiful.
Let's look at some more reasons why breasts hurt during lactation?
Thrush
Such a pathology as thrush occurs due to Candida fungi, which appear as cracks in dry, swollen nipples andwhite plaque. Feeding and expressing milk at the same time causes very severe chest pain in a woman. This is due to inflammation of the milk ducts. The disease can be managed on its own only in the initial stages, but breastfeeding in such a situation must be stopped.
Fungal infection is contagious, it is instantly transmitted to the baby. If an infection has occurred on the tongue and lips of the child, you can also see a white coating. The woman should start applying ointments, and the baby should be given oral disinfection solutions.
If a young mother does not want to deprive her baby of breast milk, you should immediately consult a doctor, and he will suggest a safe and quick method of therapy, select and prescribe the right drugs. Self-medication can cause complications, because if the thrush caught a woman by surprise, the wrong actions have already been taken.
So, a woman has breast pain during lactation, what to do in such a situation?
Causes of lactostasis and their elimination
Some causes of lactostasis will be listed below. They can be eliminated without bringing the process to a deplorable state.
- Physiological characteristics of the structure of the mammary glands. Milk production triggers the production of oxytocin and results in discomfort and tingling when breasts fill with milk. After 2-3 weeks, the symptoms will pass, lactation will become habitual.
- Nipples are not designed. It is necessary to determine the most comfortable position for the baby when feeding, so that there is no undue pressure on the breast.
- Too many arrivalsmilk. Pumping should begin from the first weeks of feeding, the process should gradually return to normal.
- Stagnation in the glands of the chest. Their cells begin to produce milk production. Overflow should not be allowed to occur, sucked with a breast pump as needed.
- Chest hurts and high fever. A high probability of mastitis, if a purulent course, then you can no longer do without a treatment course with the use of antibiotics.
- Chest hurts during lactation, regardless of the incoming milk. In this case, the reason may lie in the disease of the lactiferous tubules and mammary glands, a consultation with a mammologist is required.
You need to understand that when feeding a woman should not experience any pain. In particular, there is no need to once again intensely massage the mammary glands in order to increase the flow of milk. Just this can cause unpleasant symptoms, up to the development of the process of inflammation. Breast milk should come gradually, increased hot flashes should alert the woman. Perhaps the reason is the excessive density of milk, that is, the mother should reconsider her diet.
Is it dangerous when breasts hurt and chills during lactation?
Danger of mastitis
In nursing mothers, lactostasis is a common occurrence in the first months after childbirth. It usually goes away when the regime is established, the woman adapts and chooses a comfortable position for breastfeeding. If during GV the chest began to hurt and the temperature rose above 37 degrees, do notpasses and lasts for several days, although milk is expressed regularly and the child is applied frequently, you should immediately contact your doctor. In this case, the cause may lie in mastitis - a lesion of the breast glands of an infectious nature, more serious than lactostasis. It will take a therapeutic anti-inflammatory course.
You need to know that with lactostasis, the temperature does not rise above 37-38˚. In order to notice the pathology in time and stop its progression, it is necessary to measure the temperature from time to time.
When the indicator exceeds 39, it is no longer possible to postpone your visit to a specialist. Perhaps there was an infection of the glands of the breast, which is typical for thrush or mastitis. Breast capture by a child, as a rule, delivers unbearable pain. Just mastitis can be caused by untreated lactostasis, in which the infection penetrates through microcracks. Perhaps the appearance of a purulent, infiltrative, serous form of pathology.
If a woman feels these symptoms, first of all, you need to find out the causes of chest pain during lactation. Treatment should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor so that the nursing mother and child are not harmed.
Symptoms to watch out for
When mastitis symptoms are similar to lactostasis:
- temperature 39 ˚С;
- mammary glands swell and thicken very much;
- there is an accumulation of infiltrate in the glands, lymph nodes increase under the armpits;
- pumping becomes difficultmilk.
The purulent form of mastitis is especially dangerous, in which the temperature suddenly rises to 41 degrees, the pain in the breast of a nursing mother intensifies, pus comes out of the nipples, and the skin around the areola becomes bluish. This indicates the accumulation of pus and stagnation of milk.
If a woman is sick, she will most likely need inpatient treatment and curtail lactation for a while. Strong therapy is carried out using antibacterial drugs. Only after the end of the treatment course, breastfeeding can be continued.
Experts recommend treatment at the initial stage, without weaning the baby from the breast. Fortunately, there are currently safe topical treatments for breasts with lactostasis.
It is forbidden to continue to feed the baby, if there is mastitis, you need to seek the advice of a pediatrician. You may need to temporarily switch to artificial feeding if your breasts are very sore during lactation.
What is the treatment?
It should be immediately noted that self-treatment is excluded, especially if infection of the breast glands is suspected, when it is simply forbidden to apply warm compresses, as they will enhance bacterial reproduction and lead to inflammation.
Mommies need to understand that home remedies like putting a cabbage leaf on the breasts won't be very effective. It will help only at the initial stage of lactostasis. Mastitis is treated exclusively with antibiotics andanti-inflammatory agents. The algorithm of therapeutic actions will be determined by one form or another of the disease.
It is well known that many drugs for women during lactation are prohibited, and the use of antibiotics is a last resort. Naturally, with a temperature and severe pain, you can drink a tablet of Ibuprofen, Paracetamol or No-shpy. Safe is "Bepanten" - a decongestant and anti-inflammatory cream that can be used to treat nipple cracks without harm to a child's he alth, even if it gets into his mouth.
Why the breast hurts during lactation in a nursing mother is interesting to many. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the recommendations of experts on this matter.
Recommendations
New mothers often face difficulties in breastfeeding. When unpleasant symptoms appear, the most important thing is to regulate the flow of breast milk in a timely manner and not start the process, learn how to apply the baby correctly so that he completely captures the nipple and areola with his mouth, while turning the lips outwards.
Experts recommend:
- to apply the baby more often when symptoms of lactostasis appear, so as not to lead to breast weight and milk stagnation;
- keep the correct feeding schedule, but at the same time do not refuse the baby on demand if the milk comes in excessive quantities;
- massage the chest if necessary, treat with ointments and gels on the recommendation of a doctor.
It is very important to debug natural lactation, in which milk comes in accordance with the requirementschild. If necessary, use a breast pump and remove the excess in a timely manner, decant after feeding until the feeling of heaviness disappears. It is allowed to massage the area of the nipples in a circular motion, preferably under a stream of warm water.
The lactation period is no less important time than pregnancy. It is necessary to avoid drafts, mechanical influence on the chest. It is important to express milk in a timely manner.
Why does the breast hurt during lactation in a nursing mother and what to do in this case, every woman should know.
Preventive measures
For preventive purposes, it is desirable for women:
- wash your chest with cool water every day;
- wipe the nipples with a coarse towel before the upcoming feeding;
- heal cracked nipples in time, preventing bacteria from entering the mammary glands;
- use comfortable bras (two sizes larger) that won't pinch your breasts;
- feed the baby for the first 2-3 months on demand;
- harden nipples.
Why the chest hurts during lactation, we figured it out. Every woman should remember that it is important to identify the problem in a timely manner and start treating it. This will allow you to maintain lactation and then you will not have to transfer the child to artificial feeding.
