10 main causes of lactostasis
Breastfeeding is an integral part of ideal motherhood, which allows you to establish contact with your baby from an early age and form healthy immunity. Nevertheless, this process, important in the life of mothers and children, can be clouded by lactostasis - milk retention in the mammary gland. What are the main causes of lactostasis? How to avoid problems with breastfeeding? Consider 10 prerequisites for milk stagnation in a nursing mother.
Scheduled feeding
The scheduled feeding system is outdated, but today you can still find new mothers who can withstand a 4 hour interval between breastfeeding. However, doctors believe it is harmful to both the baby and the mother. According to experts, the emptying of the gland less often than every 2 hours, in more than 40% of cases, leads to congestion in the chest. Feeding on demand will help prevent lactostasis and make the diet more comfortable for the baby. A flexible latching schedule will allow the gland to be emptied in a timely manner, preventing milk from stagnating and leading to inflammation.
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Improper attachment
Despite the variety of breastfeeding positions, young mothers often latch their baby to the breast in one way that is most convenient for them. Doing so means emptying only one lobe of the breast, while the rest will remain full. Alternating feeding positions will allow you to “get” milk from the most inaccessible areas, thereby avoiding stagnation.
Experts recommend changing the position every 1-2 feedings, paying special attention to the "armpit" position: feeding while sitting, placing the baby on the arm and providing him with support from the side (pillow). This position is also approved from the point of view of benefits for the baby - it ensures the outflow of milk from the axillary lobe of the breast, which is the richest in fats and enzymes that activate the baby's digestive processes.
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Expressions after feeding
Expressing "to the last drop" after the baby has left the breast is another prerequisite for the development of lactostasis. Topical when feeding according to the regimen, in the on-demand feeding system, pumping is not only unnecessary, but also dangerous. Additional stimulation of the gland with a flexible feeding schedule, when the outflow of milk is already quite frequent, will lead to the production of extra portions that the baby can no longer cope with. This can cause the first symptoms of lactostasis (soreness, hardening of breast tissue), and later, if the balance of milk production and absorption is not restored, mastitis.
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Unreasonable physical activity
Sports, stress and even intense homework are frequent prerequisites for lactostasis. Especially dangerous are monotonous movements with a load on the shoulder girdle (moving with a vacuum cleaner, hanging curtains), which provoke an overstrain of the breast tissue, and, consequently, a blockage of its ducts. Doctors recommend that young mothers give up any sports during the period of breastfeeding, learn to delegate heavy housework to their husband or other household members, and also prevent overwork.
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Wearing tight underwear
The first thing a young mother who practices breastfeeding should take care of is choosing a special bra. If the underwear is not intended for these purposes or does not correspond to the size of the breast, clamping of certain areas of the mammary gland can lead to their incomplete and improper emptying, which means stagnant processes. To prevent illness, experts advise choosing an elastic bra without underwire made from natural fabrics.
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Improper eating and drinking regimen
What a nursing mother eats and drinks determines not only the benefits of milk for the baby, but also the health of her mammary gland. If a woman eats foods high in refractory fats (animal fats, margarine), the milk becomes denser and more easily clots up the breast ducts. Nutritionists recommend that nursing mothers enrich their diet with unsaturated fatty acids (fish, vegetable oils), as well as dairy products, fruits and vegetables, excluding unnatural products from it.
The amount of milk excreted by the breast is influenced not only by food, but also by drinks: excess fluid (more than 3 liters per day), as well as hot drinks for dinner will serve as a stimulating factor for increased milk production at night, which, with less frequent feedings, will cause stagnation.
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Sleep on your stomach
Sleeping on the stomach is not harmless: according to reviews of many young mothers, it is this position that is the cause of stagnant processes in the chest during immature lactation, when the gland is poured especially strongly. During a night's rest, a woman does not control her body and may allow strong mechanical clamping of the thoracic ducts. Breastfeeding mothers are advised to give up sleeping on their stomach for at least 2-3 months after childbirth - then lactation will be established and the breasts will no longer be as full as before.
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Hypothermia
Experts believe that it is impossible to chill the chest, like any other separate part of the body (arm or leg): inflammation in the mammary gland occurs simultaneously with a cold, only in a more pronounced form. Cases of lactostasis and related unpleasant sensations during hypothermia are not uncommon, therefore, nursing mothers against a background of reduced immunity are advised to take their health seriously: not to be in a draft, dress for the weather, and also not to take a cold shower.
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Bruises and injuries to the chest
Accidental bruises (the child pushed with his leg) and injuries of various severity can lead to the formation of stagnant processes in the chest. Unfortunately, no one is insured against accidents, but a nursing mother should pay no less attention to her safety than during pregnancy, refusing to visit too crowded and traumatic places.
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End breastfeeding early
Premature refusal to breastfeed is now the norm rather than the exception. Many parents choose to substitute bottle feeding for breast milk. The reasons differ, but the transition should not be abrupt, otherwise the mammary gland will not be prepared for a sharp decrease in the volume of milk consumed and will continue to produce it. If a refusal occurs, experts do not recommend using "grandmother's" advice and bandaging the breast: this can cause even greater inflammation of the gland. It is better to stop lactation with medication or use folk methods by using a decoction of sage leaves until lactation decreases in a more natural way.
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Maria Kulkes Medical journalist About the author
Education: First Moscow State Medical University named after I. M. Sechenov, specialty "General Medicine".
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