Blockage of the milk duct: causes, symptoms and treatment

Blockage of the milk duct is very common in those who feed the baby breast. Mom, who faced such a delicate problem, they know how much it hurts. How to cope with lactostasis, as well as what are its causes and the first symptoms, we will tell further.

Breast-feeding

During the nine months of pregnancy, the body is preparing for the natural feeding of the baby. Each of the breasts consists of 15-20 lobes. They produce milk. On the ducts it is delivered in the mouth to the baby. Over time, the mother's body adjusts to the desire and ability of the baby to suckle the breast and produces as much milk as is necessary only for him. That is, not a drop more or less. However, at first, difficulties with its quantity arise. Women feel, how the breast is bursting because milk has come very much. The kid does not have time to eat everything. However, with the passage of time this process is being established. Many people say that the tide occurs exactly at the moment when you need to feed your child.

Thus, breastfeeding is a rather complex process by nature. But, unfortunately, not all of them go well.

Symptoms of lactostasis

Everything goes on as usual, the body is adjusted to the appetite of the baby, and, it would seem, everything is fine. But suddenly a woman feels pain from either side of her chest. Touching, groping ball and very frightened. This is the obstruction of the milk ducts. This is how in most cases, women discover a so-called lactostasis. This process is easily explained: one of the milk ducts is clogged. Now through it milk can not pass, it accumulates and forms a ball, which is very painful.

Due to inexperience, young mothers do not take any measures, which leads to a more neglected form of lactostasis. The following symptoms appear:

• Puffiness of the chest.
• Redness of the skin. First, in the place where stagnation occurred, then around it.
• Temperature due to inflammation.
• Painful sensations increase with every hour in the place where the blockage of the milk duct was formed.
• White point (treatment is not so difficult, if started in time) on the nipple indicates that the milk is stagnant.

These are the most common signs indicating lactostasis. There may be others, depending on the individuality of each woman. When the ball is first detected in the chest or painful, immediate measures must be taken.

Blockage of the duct of the mammary gland: causes

Experts recommend to monitor lactostasis independently. The simplest method is daily probing each breast for seals. But besides this, you need to know about the reasons that can lead to it:

1. Incorrect mouth gripping baby teat. Because of this it turns out that the baby sucks milk not from all parts, but only from those that he was able to capture. It is necessary to put the child correctly: his lips should tightly grasp the halo of the nipple.
2. Feeding on an imaginary regime, and not at the child's will. We can not order our body to allocate a certain amount of milk by the hour. Nature is supposed to supply the baby with milk at his request. Due to non-compliance with this rule, a lot of problems can arise. First, we will offer the baby to eat when he sleeps and does not think about food (after all the time has come!). Or we will listen to the crying of the hungry child, but we will not give food before the time. Secondly, with such feeding, and there is a blockage of the milk duct.
3. An uncomfortable or incorrect position for feeding was chosen.
4. The chest was injured or there was an accidental bruise. The same point can be attributed to a mother's dream on her stomach, when the ducts are pinched, but the woman does not feel, because she is fast asleep.
5. Subcooling. In winter it is necessary to warmly dress and protect your chest.
6. Wearing small or uncomfortable underwear. The bra can squeeze the ducts. Especially this applies to girls with large breasts.
7. Stress states. They affect the hormonal system of the young mother, as a result of which the production of milk becomes chaotic: large tides are replaced by rare ones.

First aid

It often happens that the obstruction of the duct of the breast is detected by a woman only by night, when the child is already asleep and free time appears. As practice shows, the first symptom is pain. After that, the girls grope for themselves a ball, which can not be touched.

The first thing to do is to dissolve the stagnation of milk. If the baby is sleeping, you can try to do it with your hands. It is necessary through pain to mash the ball in the direction from it to the nipple. However, the best assistant in this matter will be a child. Only with physiologically correct seizure can it dissolve the blockage. And the main thing is not to panic! Once the stasis is eliminated, the pain will be removed by hand. However, if you have more serious symptoms, you need to consult a doctor.

Blockage of milk ducts: treatment

Those women who make the pope dissolve stagnation, do not go quite right. Adults lose control of their breasts in time. The child's father can help you stretch your breasts and help the milk come out. But only the baby can dissolve milk. Specialists recommend applying the baby to the chest with a chin in the direction of stagnation. And the more often you do this, the faster you solve this problem. Try to give the breast at least once an hour. Perhaps the baby will not want to take the breast, because the milk does not pass well. But as soon as he gets hungry, he will necessarily "cure" his mother and eat.

In order for the milk to leave better, take a warm bath or a shower. The ducts will expand, which will provide more convenient pumping. You can replace it with a warm compress: moisten the diaper with water and put it on a couple of minutes to the chest, and then knead it. Only do it carefully, without sudden movements.

Remember that you do not need to take any tablets with lactosterase. It will pass right after the necessary duct is opened and the share will be freed from milk.

What can not be done

Now we know how the blockage of the milk duct is treated, what to do from the first minutes of its detection. However, not all follow the advice. Here is a list of what you should not do:

• Razirat chest alcohol. This can cause an even more serious inflammation.
• Strongly crinkle the mammary gland, which will certainly lead to her injury.
• Wash your chest before each feeding, causing dry nipples, on which cracks form. When you massage, you can infect them.
• Additionally, decant. As is known, how many babies eat milk, so much it will come. With excess decantation, we deceive our body, and in response, it will begin to produce even more milk, which can only exacerbate the situation.
• Rub the skin. It is necessary to gently massage the stagnation itself, and not the entire breast.

Folk remedies

The blockage of the milk duct can be eliminated with the help of traditional medicine. According to the reviews, a cabbage leaf helps a lot. It is necessary to attach it to the chest. It is known for removing puffiness and inflammation. Before you use, the sheet must be discarded so that the juice goes, and then put it in the bra.

Honey, too, copes well with such a problem, as a blockage of the milk duct. Compress from it is applied for two to three hours to the inflamed place. The best effect is observed if you use it together with a cabbage leaf.

Eucalyptus helps to relieve redness and reduce pain. Its leaves are boiled for 10-15 minutes, then cooled and insisted for 24 hours. After that, the sore spot is lubricated.

The potato compress deserved good reviews. Simply grate the raw potatoes and wrap them in gauze, then attach to the chest.

Complications

Unfortunately, in time not taken measures to get rid of lactostasis can lead to serious problems. The most dangerous is the occurrence of mastitis. To the pain in one part of the chest is added high fever, a feeling of raspiraniya and unbearable pain. Stagnation is very difficult to dissolve, since it is simply impossible to touch the breast.

Provoke complications of hypothermia. Try to protect your chest and do not feed it in the cold.

Mastitis is characterized by the release of pus along with milk. This is the most dangerous stage of its development. In no case do not give such a breast to a child. Purulent mastitis can provoke the poisoning of the baby. Urgently see a doctor who can save you from this problem in a conservative way. Otherwise, you have to lie under the surgeon's knife.

The blockage of the milk ducts can turn not only mastitis, but even an abscess. In this complication of surgery is unlikely to be avoided.

Prevention

In order to avoid any problems with breastfeeding, try to follow the simple recommendations of specialists:

• Regular feeding of the child.
• Wearing comfortable clothes.
• Frequent application with lactostasis.
• Drinking enough water.
• Proper nutrition.
• Take measures to prevent blockage immediately upon detection.
• Address to the doctor for complications of lactostasis.

These simple tips will help to avoid difficulties with the milk ducts and allow you to enjoy feeding the baby.

Conclusion

Blockage of the milk duct is one of the most common ailments faced by young mothers.

However, with experience, women learn to avoid lactostasis by taking action in advance. Do not be scared and throw GW at the first problems with it. As you know, any skill comes to us with experience. Therefore, once you encounter a blockage, you will already know how to solve this problem in the future.