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Lactose the lactating mother: symptoms and treatment

Lactose is the delay of milk in the excretory ducts of the breast women, breast-feeding. Clogged can be one or several ducts. Most often this condition occurs in women who first breastfed. Develops lactose mainly 10 days after birth.

Although, each woman's breast has its anatomical peculiarities, its internal structure is identical to all of the fair half of mankind. Within the breast is the glandular tissue, which is divided into shares. There are about 15-20. Each of these major lobes divided into smaller lobules, which pass into the ducts leading to the nipple. When in any of the ducts there is an obstacle to the normal output of milk, it triggers the development of the lactose. It develops due to the fact that the mammary gland could not the cavity be emptied.

To trigger the development of lactose can improper technique of feeding a child, violation of the feeding regime, poor pumping milk. Favour the stagnation of milk stress, and hypothermia chest. Equally important is the quality of bra that is a nursing mother. If the breast is constantly iriatai and tightened, the blockage of the breast can not be avoided.

By itself, the lactose is not dangerous neither for women nor for the baby. However, if it is not time to get rid of, it can lead to serious complications.

To start treatment you need as quickly as possible. The lack of adequate therapy for 3-4 days, will lead to the fact that women will develop mastitis. Its purulent form requires surgical intervention. The fact that the long-term presence of milk in the breast, it begin to start the process of fermentation. This leads to the accumulation of serous exudate and the development of purulent inflammation. In such conditions very quickly bacteria start to breed. Increasing their numbers, the inflammatory process will be strengthened to capture all the new areas of healthy tissue. After a short time to join fester.

Lactose is not terrible to those women who carefully monitor the standing of their own breast feed the baby correctly, efficiently and promptly empty the mammary gland.

The content of the article:


Causes of lactose

Lactose develops because of violations of the outflow of milk through the milk glands.

Most often this is caused by failure to observe feeding and poor pumping breast milk:

  • Child too quickly weaned. The fact is that not every baby in the short term is able to satisfy the needs of the organism. Feeding time should be selected in an individual order. If a woman takes a baby from the breast too early, it will lead to insufficient emptying of the breast, because there is too much milk. In the end, develops lactose.
  • During the feeding process not to put pressure on the chest hand.
  • If a woman is too rarely puts the baby to the breast, it can cause in the breast will accumulate too much milk. Wrong belief some moms about what is needed to wait until baby is very hungry. Baby will drink as much milk as needed to his body: nothing more and nothing less. Unfinished surplus will remain in the milk ducts, leading to stagnation.
  • If a woman adopts during the process of feeding the wrong position or incorrectly holding a baby, it can lead to lactose.
  • Too active pumping milk will help to ensure that it will be produced in large volumes, which the child will not be able to use.
  • To provoke lactose maybe too early cessation of breastfeeding.
  • No less dangerous complete cessation of breastfeeding.

Of course, this is not all the reasons why you may develop lactose.

Other factors that trigger its occurrence include:

  • Features of the anatomical structure of the milk ducts (the passages too narrow, flat nipples);
  • Wrong underwear: tight bra or not wearing;
  • Night's rest in the wrong position, namely, sleeping on the stomach;
  • Frequent stress.

How to understand that you have lactose, but not mastitis?

Knowledge of the symptoms of lactose allows to distinguish it from mastitis.

Among the signs of stagnation of milk, there are:

  • Breast augmentation in size, its asymmetrical shape.
  • The appearance of seals in the breast.
  • Violation of density of the breast, the appearance in it of tubercles.
  • Feeling of fullness of the breast from the inside, her tenderness.
  • Violation of the flow of milk from the breast: it may splash, stand out drops, or absent altogether.

After a few days lactose can go in mastitis (in the absence of high quality treatment). This condition is extremely dangerous and requires immediate treatment to the doctor.

The difference in the symptoms of lactostasis and mastitis:

Stagnant processes

Mastitis

The skin on the breast

Its color is not changed

Red

The local temperature

In the normal range

High (chest is hot to the touch)

Body temperature

Normal or slightly elevated. Always stabiliziruemost after emptying of the breast.

High

Overall health

No change

Broken: the weakness, lethargy, fatigue, headaches, muscle pain

The status of the lymph nodes

Without any changes

Increased in size

Find out more: Mastitis in lactating mother what to do? The first signs


The risk factors of lactose

There are risk factors that can provoke lactose.

Among them:

  • The child in the maternity hospital gave the milk mixture. Drinking milk from a bottle is much easier than from the mother's breast, especially in the first days after birth, the sucking apparatus of crumbs not strong enough. For these reasons, it is not necessary to hope that the baby immediately after birth will be able to empty a boob.
  • Alreadysince the 3-4 day the woman has the colostrum is replaced by milk. It comes in large volumes and the baby is not able to drain completely.
  • Approximately 10 days from the beginning of lactation, the milk becomes more fatty, which increases the risks of stagnation in the ducts of the breast.
  • The tortuosity of the milk moves and their narrowness is a risk factor in the development of the lactose.
  • Pressure on the breast with a finger during feeding or too tight bra can trigger the development of lactose.

10 tips on how to avoid lactose

To avoid stagnation following tips will help:

  • The newborn should be put to breast often, choosing to feeding the correct posture.
  • A few minutes later after feeding you need to pump a half-full baby's milk.
  • If the milk comes too much, you can give the baby 2 feedings in a row on the same breast. This will allow you to adjust its production.
  • The breast during feeding needs to be maintained, but to pinch it with your fingers or put pressure on it, is strictly prohibited.
  • Underwear should be not only qualitative, but also comfortable.
  • During sleep should lie on the side.
  • It is important to prevent breast injury.
  • Before each the process of breast feeding should be washed with warm water.
  • The chest should always be dry and clean. If the milk is leaking, you should use special inserts.
  • Cracks in the nipple is a entrance gate for infection. So they need efficiently and promptly treated.

It is important to remember that sufficient rest and sleep is a prerequisite for the preservation of health not only mother but also the child. Stressful situations contribute to the fact that increased vascular tone and milk comes with certain difficulties.

Children as they pull the milk from those milk lobules, which are located in front of his nostrils. Therefore it is necessary to alternate postures during feeding so that the baby's nose was always in a different position relative to the chest.

The best posture for feeding:

  • Baby is on the pillow, which lies on the knees of the woman. Head crumbs should be kept in such a way that the hand is the ball.
  • Lying on the bed head to toe.

For women are very important competentmental attitude that will facilitate the lives of themselves and little man. It needs to spend more time in the fresh air, eat healthy food, Hiking with a baby. If a woman notices the first signs of lactose, they must be timely to stop, not ignoring the problem.

Pump and dump is necessary in case when the baby does not fully empty the breast. To help prevent the development of stagnation of milk allow the following recommendations:

  • Mammary gland should not be cold but overheating it.
  • The bra should support the breast, without squeezing it.
  • If the nipple cracks, then they need to go.
  • During lactation the cleanliness of the breast need to monitor with special care.

If there is no full understanding on how to properly feed the child, you need to collect on this issue, the maximum amount of information. Will help advice from the informative articles posted on the Internet, expert advice on breastfeeding.


How to Express milk with the lactose?

At lactose milk you need to pump according to certain rules:

  • First you need to stimulate the production of the hormone oxytocin. To help in this regard may warm shower, back massage along the spine in the thoracic. It is important to calm down, take a comfortable position, drink some warm tea.
  • It is best to Express milk by hand, as this method is the most gentle. Of course, you can use a breast pump, but the presence of cracks created by the vacuum will lead to the fact that they will take time to heal.
  • The chest needs to be put on four fingers, placing the thumb and index finger on the edge of the halo and rhythmically press on the mammary gland. When the fingers have to go toward the chest that is inside of the breast.
  • The position of the fingers should be changed by swiping them around the halo. This will help to empty the breast completely.
  • Sometimes there is such situation: the breast is not completely empty, but the milk comes out. To help in this case, a light massage of the breast. You need to gently tap on the surface of the breast with fingertips to move the knuckles across the chest, from its base to the nipple. Need to massagethe entire surface of the breast.
  • If a woman is in a medical facility, it may undergo ultrasonic treatment. It also helps to improve the outflow of milk.
  • It is strictly forbidden to squeeze the breast tissue, compress it with your fingers. With such manipulation, there is a risk that the woman will crush the lobules filled with milk, which will aggravate the situation.
  • The process of pumping can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
  • After pumping milk, you can offer the breast to the child. Overall, the most effective method of pumping is breastfeeding a baby.

Is there a particular treatment of lactose?

Specific activities for the treatment of lactose exist. For getting rid of problems is necessary to normalize the outflow of breast milk. This can help in changing the feeding regime and frequent proper pumping.

The optimal mode of feeding when child put to the breast every 2 hours, but not less. First, you need to offer baby the breast, where it formed stagnant. Before feeding it is necessary to warm up, standing under a warm shower or applying a hot compress. To make a compress, moisten in warm water on a cloth and wrap her breast, leaving for 10 minutes. The heat will allow the milk ducts to grow and milk to be easier.

Breast massage is another technique for treatment of lactose. Good to do it before feeding, or before pumping.

From pumping to not refuse in any case, because this method is the treatment helping women on stagnation of milk. After pumping, the child needs to offer the breast and then put on her cool compress. This will reduce swelling and remove soreness.

It is important to remember that breast health needs quality care, no less than the one in which there was a stalemate. It also need to be emptied and well washed.

Too often, this milk is not recommended. Enough three times per day to get rid of excess milk. After stagnation will be docked, from pumping should be abandoned, as it provokes excessive production of milk.

Some women begin to take various medicines to get rid of the lactose. It can be quite dangerous. For example,placed on the chest compresses with alcohol or camphor oil can cause chest becomes inflamed, and the milk will cease to move at all. In addition, camphor oil can get into the milk, and with it in the body of the baby that adversely affect his health.

If the woman on the nipples cracks, it is necessary to try to accelerate their healing using ointments. To help you find it can doctor. The imposition of drugs with anti-bacterial component in the absence of inflammatory responses is not appropriate.

When 2-3 days from the stagnation of milk can't get rid of on their own, you must consult a doctor.

Answers to popular questions

  • What is the main cause of the stagnation of milk? Can be called the main cause of lactose the wrong organization of breastfeeding. It contribute to the development of incorrect posture adopted by the female during feeding, poor capture of the nipple by the infant. No less dangerous low water intake nursing mother, thereby increasing the viscosity of milk. Risk factors are clogged milk ducts and long breaks in feeding.

  • How to distinguish lactose from mastitis? Engorgement and lactose respond to uncomfortable sensations in the chest, but hurt badly it will be only during mastitis. With the stagnation of a woman can cope on their own, without medical assistance, but only under the condition that it will function properly.

    Thus, the main differences that are inherent in the concepts:

    1. The engorgement of the breast is considered its overflow of milk. It is accompanied by a feeling of fullness of the breast from the inside. After feeding or pumping, as normal.

    2. At lactose milk out of the gland, or comes partly because there is a blockage of one or several slices. The breast becomes painful, and in the place where it formed stagnant, forms a tumor. There may be a slight redness of the breast skin.

    3. Called mastitis infection of the mammary gland by pathogenic bacteria. This condition is accompanied by a fever, severe pain. Without the help of a specialist to treat mastitisprohibited. Moreover, the therapy should be under the control of the surgeon. Lactose so after 3-4 days necessarily turn into mastitis, if it is not time to get rid of.

  • How to organize breast-feeding to prevent the development of lactose? Experts on breastfeeding is recommended to put the baby to breast on demand. This will allow you to empty it and without pumping. You can even feed the baby every 10 minutes. Express milk it will be necessary only in the case when the woman is away from home.

  • What position is optimal for feeding? Correct posture when lactose is considered that when the baby is chin to formed the tubercles of stagnation. This woman should not be stressed. Poses should always be alternated to keep the child on the hand, to meet Jack, to sit or lie. Regular change of posture to avoid stagnation.

  • Like a child needs to correctly capture your chest? When the chest is captured correctly, the mother will see the baby's tongue, his lips while turned inside out, and the areola of the breast is in the mouth. While making little sucking movements will appear to come from the throat, the baby's mouth is wide open, and the chin pressed against the breast.

  • What actions can lead to the development of the lactose? Sometimes medical staff in maternity hospitals gives her the wrong advice, for example, suggest to hold the breast near the nose of the child, pressing down on her fingers. In fact, such manipulation can gain to stagnation of milk.

  • What not to do in order to avoid stagnation? To minimize the risk of lactose, you need to fully relax. Should abandon feeding baby milk, also can not often drink it with water, decant the chest for no apparent reason, to do night break in feeding time.

  • How to relieve the symptoms of lactose? If a woman there is stagnation of milk, you need to try to put the baby to breast as often as possible. Sometimes you can just remove the white speck on the nipple, thereby eliminating an external blockage. To cope with the internal blockage of the duct can only regular breastfeeding or pumping milk using breast pump. Before you start to feed the child, you can take a warm shower, drink tea, make a light massage of the breast. Cracked nipples will heal faster if applied on them ointments with regenerating effect. However, to recommend them should the doctor.

    • Helpful whether rastarivanie and warming up your chest? Sometimesto face with stories about how midwives, gross movements of hands kneaded the woman's Breasts, and supposedly this eliminates lactose. In fact, any hard massage can cause breast women serious harm. In such a situation does not exclude the rupture of the duct or lobule, which will only worsen the condition. If you warm up the chest, it will trigger the flow of milk, and so will congestion.

    • Can husband suck breast? No, you cannot. Sucking breast by man leads to the development of oxytocin, and therefore, will not allow to reveal the ducts. In addition, in the mouth of an adult live millions of bacteria, including among them may be Staphylococcus aureus, which causes the development of mastitis.

    • What are the prohibitions under the lactose? During the lactose cannot be allowed that the woman was thirsty, is also prohibited to impose alcohol compresses, compresses with camphor oil. It is impossible to prevent Breasts were pinched, for example, bandages or bandages. This will lead to disruption of normal blood flow in the breast and cause complications.

    • Sometimes doctors give bad advice, so who to listen to? Usually, surgeons advise you to stop breastfeeding, pediatricians also insist on the transfer of the child to the artificial mixture. It is important to find a specialist who will fight for that child received breast milk, but not at the expense of the female breast.