How to Properly Massage and Stimulate the Breasts After Childbirth?

How to massage the breasts after childbirth?

Possible breast problems after childbirth

Nursing mothers may face a number of problems related to their breasts. These include mechanical damage, lactostasis, mastitis, and others. As a rule, mechanical damage can be avoided by observing personal hygiene rules and properly positioning the baby at the breast. Issues related to milk stagnation are resolved through physical intervention. Since breast massage after childbirth is beneficial for the prevention and treatment of lactostasis (which, in turn, can cause a more serious disease – mastitis), it is important for every woman to know the proper technique.

How to properly knead the breasts after childbirth: preparing for feeding?

Doctors recommend starting every feeding by gently massaging your breasts. This will help you relax and stimulate milk flow. To understand how to correctly massage your breasts post-childbirth, you should first learn that all movements should be gentle and not cause any pain.

So, a warm-up before feeding will only take a few minutes. You need to do the following:

1. Make several circular motions with your palm over the entire breast area.
2. Stroke your breasts from the edges towards the center (nipple).
3. Grasp the nipple with your fingers and alternately press and pull it back. This will mimic a baby’s sucking.
4. Gently shake your breast to let the milk “drop” down, making room for new secretion.

Before massaging your breasts after childbirth, you may take a warm shower. This will help expand the ducts and reduce discomfort when feeding.

How to Properly Massage Breasts After Childbirth: Technique

Breast massage after childbirth is used for both prevention and treatment of lactostasis. The preventative method involves gently stroking the breast from the base to the nipple. It is recommended to do this as often as possible, especially before breastfeeding.

The therapeutic massage method is used for lactostasis. To understand how to properly massage the breast after childbirth, follow this instruction:

1. The massage begins with a warm-up: light strokes on the breasts.
2. Then continue the strokes but with more pressure. The pressure is reduced as the hand moves towards the nipple.
3. The nipples are massaged in any form, the important thing is not to cause yourself pain.
4. Leaning forward, you need to shake your breasts for a while.

Additionally, how to massage the breast postpartum in the fight against lactostasis, a woman can perform these to stimulate breast milk production.

It is important to remember that using therapeutic massage techniques without visible reasons is not advisable. When there are no problems with lactation, simply massaging the breast before feeding and following proper breastfeeding techniques is sufficient. Breastfeeding recommendations can be obtained from a lactation consultant through an online course.

Before starting any type of massage, it is essential to wash hands with soap. This is an important part of the procedure because mechanical damage and open gland ducts pose a high risk of infection.

Other recommendations for breast care for breastfeeding mothers

In addition to massaging your breasts postpartum, it’s important to perform other care procedures during breastfeeding. This will help prevent many potential issues and truly make motherhood joyful.

First and foremost, choosing the right underwear is crucial. If the bra is made from poor-quality material or does not fit properly and compresses the mammary glands, it will lead to subsequent problems. If the bra does not provide adequate support, there is a risk of developing breast ptosis.

Do not get overly enthusiastic about breast hygiene: washing the breasts with soap should only be done once a day. Otherwise, the protective lubricant is washed off the nipples, making them susceptible to infections. Additionally, using alcohol-based solutions as cleansing agents is unacceptable.

If you experience any nipple issues, many of them can be resolved by applying healing ointments and creams. These should be applied immediately after feeding, so that by the next feeding, the cream has already absorbed and the baby does not ingest any remnants with the milk.