After giving birth, many women experience lactostasis. It is characterized by a decrease in milk production during feeding. Often this leads to serious problems for the newborn and mother.
Knowing what to do with lactostasis, you can start treating the pathology as quickly as possible and get rid of it completely. Therapy is carried out by medication, as well as with the help of folk methods.
What is lactostasis
Lactostasis is a pathology, as a result of which something in the form of a plug appears in the duct of the mammary gland, which prevents the exit of milk. The disorder may occur in one or more lobes of the breast.
The milky lobules of the breast are very crowded, and a rather characteristic symptomatology occurs, namely: seals, tubercles, redness and soreness appear. If timely treatment is not carried out, then there is an increase in temperature, severe swelling of the chest. In addition, the pain is greatly increased. Toto prevent more serious complications, you need to know the causes and symptoms of the violation, as well as be aware of what to do with lactostasis.
Main reasons
It is important not only to know what to do with lactostasis, but also to understand exactly what causes can lead to such a problem. The disease cannot develop on its own. The wrong behavior of a young mother and her mistakes when feeding a baby can provoke the occurrence of pathology. Among the most common causes and errors, it is necessary to highlight such as:
- improperly organized feeding;
- rare baby feeding;
- wrongly chosen underwear;
- no pumping;
- breast crushing;
- stop breastfeeding;
- previously injured;
- fatigue, depression, mental problems;
- features of the structure of the chest;
- hypothermia.
Women who prefer to sleep on their stomachs are also at risk of developing lactostasis. Milk stasis also appears if she does not knead her breasts.
Symptoms of lactostasis
Treatment should be carried out immediately, after the very first signs of lactostasis appear. In addition, you need to learn how to correctly recognize the symptoms, since they are similar to mastitis, but there are still characteristic features. Clinical signs of lactostasis are:
- chest discomfort and soreness;
- pain and distension on palpation;
- presence of seals, redness;
- dilated veins and fever;
- malaise.
After identifying the signs of a problem, it is imperative to decide on the tactics of treatment. It is important to understand exactly what to do with lactostasis, since prolonged stagnation of milk provokes the appearance of mastitis.
How is it different from mastitis
Quite often, young mothers confuse lactostasis with mastitis and therefore carry out completely the wrong treatment. However, if you carefully examine the existing symptoms, then they can be easily distinguished.
First of all, with mastitis, a very strong inflammation develops, provoking an almost rapid growth of fibrous tissue, so it is impossible to eliminate breast swelling with ordinary compresses. If a woman has lactostasis, then a compress and subsequent pumping will bring significant relief.
That is why, if the breast is swollen, but the lymph nodes are not palpable, then this is lactostasis. While the most pronounced sign of mastitis is the inability to express milk.
Can I feed my baby
When lactostasis occurs, it is necessary to ensure maximum emptying of the mammary gland by frequently applying the baby to the breast. This is the most effective treatment for milk stasis. In addition, it is important to follow certain rules, namely:
- choose the right position for feeding;
- keep your chest warm;
- take a warm shower before breastfeeding;
- gently massagechest.
If it is difficult for a baby to suckle at the very beginning of feeding, then you need to express milk a little. The baby is applied to the breast with stagnation in the first place and very often. It is also important to establish an optimal feeding regimen.
If anomalies of the nipples are the cause of lactostasis, then it is recommended to use special pads during breastfeeding.
Features of straining
Answering the question of what to do with breast lactostasis and how to deal with this problem, we can say for sure that first of all you need to express milk. However, you need to know how to do it right. Manual pumping makes it possible to very gently get rid of the problem. Clogged ducts can be well stretched with your fingers, which helps to improve the condition. It is necessary to perform such procedures as often as possible in order to get rid of stagnant milk as quickly as possible and prevent complications. For straining, you need to place 4 fingers under the nipple, and the thumb on top. Then you need to sort through them, slightly pressing down on the chest. This allows you to massage and remove milk stagnation.
You can also express with a breast pump. However, everything must be done very carefully and strictly follow the instructions for using this device.
Providing treatment
What to do with lactostasis in lactating women is of interest to many who have encountered this problem. Treatment must be carried out in a timely manner, it must be comprehensive and includethemselves the use of medications and folk methods.
If there are pain and other symptoms without fever, then you can get rid of it yourself. If a nursing mother has a temperature during lactostasis, only a doctor should tell what to do, as this may be a sign of serious complications.
Drug therapy involves the use of drugs in tablet form, as well as in the form of ointments and creams. In addition, you can use folk remedies, massage and apply physiotherapy techniques.
Medicated treatment
The answer to the question of what to do with lactostasis in nursing mothers largely depends on the characteristics of the problem. Medicines have a very good result in treatment. Some of them can be used without stopping feeding. Quite often, ointments are used, in particular, such as "Traumeel". Despite the fact that the gel belongs to homeopathic remedies, its action is quite good and effective. It helps to get rid of pain, eliminate inflammation, thickening and normalize blood flow in the mammary gland. The gel should be applied at least 4 times a day to inflamed areas of the chest.
Another popular and effective remedy is Malavit ointment. To get rid of the stagnation of milk, you need to dilute the product with water, apply on a cotton pad and apply to the inflamed area of \u200b\u200bthe chest. To get rid of painful manifestations and restorenormal milk flow, apply heparin ointment.
When taking pills, breastfeeding should be stopped, as the drugs may affect the newborn. Medicines should be prescribed only by the attending doctor, who will also tell you how to take them correctly and select the dosage. For pain relief, it is recommended to take only non-steroidal drugs.
Folk remedies
Many are interested in what to do with lactostasis in lactating women and what folk remedies are best used to quickly and effectively eliminate the existing problem. The most popular remedy for this disease is an alcohol compress. You need to apply it 2 times a day. Be sure to massage your chest a little before applying the compress.
Raw carrots have good absorbable and anti-inflammatory qualities. It must be applied to the sealing points. After about 2-3 days, you can notice that the breast will be completely emptied during feeding. To get the best possible result, carrots must first be finely grated, and then mixed with the internal fat of the animal.
When using a cabbage leaf for lactostasis, you need to make a compress correctly so that you can quickly get rid of the problem. To do this, you need to beat off a fresh leaf of cabbage a little so that it becomes a little wet to the touch, pour boiling water over it and only then apply it to your chest. If you use it cold, then there may be a vasospasm, which will provoke a deterioration in well-being.
A honey cake has a good result,to be applied to the chest. To prepare it, you need to take rye flour and warm it up a little in a dry frying pan. When it becomes warm, add honey to it and knead a tight dough. Prepare a rounded cake from it and attach it to the pre-massaged chest. Leave on for 25 minutes, then gently remove and rinse skin with warm water.
Camphor oil is considered the best way to eliminate lactostasis. The components that make up its composition are able to simultaneously eliminate all the existing signs of pathology. To do this, warm camphor oil to room temperature, moisten a cloth or gauze in it, apply a compress to the place of stagnation. Cover with cling film and leave for 2-4 hours. After this time, remove the compress and rinse the chest.
Massage, physiotherapy
Many young mothers make a big mistake and try to stretch their breasts very intensively, however, this is wrong and you can only hurt yourself. It is important to know exactly how to massage with lactostasis in order to achieve the desired result and improve the outflow of milk. Perform all movements as easy as possible. They should be rubbing, stroking, so that the chest muscles can relax normally.
When answering the question of how to massage the breasts with lactostasis, it should be noted that initially the entire breast is gently rubbed. After the skin becomes warm and reddens a little, it is necessary to determine the places of seals and exert a mechanical effect. It is necessary to rub the existing seals 1-2minutes. After the breast is well relaxed, express some of the milk and start feeding the baby.
What to do with lactostasis in nursing mothers, if the state of he alth deteriorates sharply? In this case, the doctor prescribes physiotherapeutic procedures. It can be ultrasound or magnetotherapy. It largely depends on how quickly the pathology progresses and what harm it has done to the milk ducts.
When to see a doctor
If with lactostasis the temperature is 38, what to do, only the attending doctor can tell, since in this case it is strictly forbidden to self-medicate, especially warming up without examining a doctor and prescribing the required method of therapy. Improper treatment can lead to various kinds of complications, namely:
- mastitis and abscess;
- complete cessation of lactation;
- deteriorating quality of breast milk.
The formation of an infectious-inflammatory process is especially dangerous, since literally in 5-7 days it leads to the formation of an abscess. With a complicated course of mastitis, an operation is required, namely, opening and draining the abscess, followed by the appointment of antibacterial agents.
That is why, if there is a temperature during lactostasis, what to do, only the doctor should determine. In addition, be sure to see a doctor if you have symptoms such as:
- increase in temperature to febrile levels;
- feeling worse;
- severe pain when pumping.
Also dangerousa sign is an increase in lymph nodes, and also if softening is felt in the area of stagnation.
What is forbidden
What can and cannot be done with lactostasis in a nursing mother is very important to know so as not to harm. It is important to eliminate the consumption of large amounts of water, but not to limit it completely. If a breastfeeding woman has congestion in her breasts, then drinking extra fluid can increase the amount of milk produced, but if you don’t drink fluid at all, then your well-being can only worsen.
In no case should you refuse to feed. It is very difficult to stop lactation on your own, but breastfeeding contributes to its normalization. When feeding in the normal mode, lactostasis will not occur.
Possible Complications
Despite the fact that lactostasis is a rather harmless disease, its treatment should be carried out as seriously as possible. Since such a problem can be the main reason for stopping breastfeeding, it is not worth delaying therapy.
Besides this, such a condition is quite dangerous because without the required treatment, it quickly affects large areas of the mammary glands and after a while the inflammation will affect a significant part of the breast. If at this stage the woman does not take appropriate measures, then chronic inflammation can lead to mastopathy or even malignant neoplasms.
Prophylaxis
It is possible to prevent the occurrence and recurrence of the disease,pumping after every feeding. You should breastfeed your baby no more than every 3 hours. Special attention should be paid to the choice of underwear. It should not be very hard and cramped. Sleep in breathable and loose clothing. It is important to avoid hypothermia and stress, as well as to consume enough fluids.
