The key to proper natural feeding is the frequent feeding of the baby, as well as the nursing mother drinking plenty of fluids. But unpleasant incidents in the form of lactostasis or decreased milk production are not always excluded. Often breast massage during breastfeeding helps a woman to improve breastfeeding. How to do it correctly or in what cases needs to be clarified.
About the benefits of breast massage during lactation
Massage has been used as a healing tool by people since ancient times. Its healing effect on the human body is also confirmed by modern research in the field of medicine.
Breast massage during breastfeeding for a woman, if done correctly, can be a good help in eliminating problems associated with lactation.
Breast massage during lactation is a good way to prevent and treat breast diseases, an effective method of increasing the amount of breast milk
Massage technique is used in the following cases:
- with stagnation of breast milk (lactostasis);
- as a means of preventing mastitis and mastopathy;
- in order to increase lactation by improving blood circulation in the mammary glands;
- before pumping for better milk flow.
Massage prepares the breasts for feeding, stimulates milk production and improves its outflow. This happens due to improved blood circulation in the mammary gland. Blood vessels dilate, blood circulates freely through the tissues of the body, supplying them with the necessary substances. Massaging the hardened areas of the breast, where milk accumulates and stagnates, softens the breast tissue, which, in turn, helps remove stagnant milk.
How to increase lactation?
If you plan to breastfeed your baby for up to a year or more, regular (2, 3 times) night feeding should be done, which will allow the mother’s body to produce a sufficient amount of the hormone necessary for lactation. And so that lack of sleep does not unsettle the mother with this feeding regimen, she should try to sleep when the baby sleeps.
Increasing the frequency of fluid intake will also help a nursing mother stimulate her breast milk production. It is better to drink hot and have a variety of drinks (milk, teas, fruit drinks, etc.).
Special mention needs to be made about teas. There are now many teas and infusions on sale, the purpose of which is to increase lactation. It is believed that such properties are due to the presence of lactogenic plants (anise, fennel, lemon balm) in their composition. Let’s not lie: it has not yet been reliably proven that it is the composition of these teas and infusions that determines their positive effect on lactation; it is possible that the effect occurs in some women simply due to drinking large amounts of hot liquid.
After taking a hot bath or shower, a mother who usually experiences a lack of milk for feeding may feel congestion for several hours, caused by accelerated blood flow in her body and the activation of the lactation process. Due to the short-term effect of this method, it is necessary to use it in combination with other measures.
These methods of increasing lactation are based on natural processes in the mother’s body and are associated with maintaining a favorable hormonal level in her (due to frequent contact with the child), accelerating blood circulation, and increasing the volume of fluid, which is the basis for breast milk.
There are, of course, traditional methods for increasing lactation.
Traditional methods for increasing lactation.
- Infusion of herb seeds: take 2 parts dill seed, 2 parts anise seed, 3 parts fennel seeds, 3 parts fenugreek seeds - mix. 1 tbsp. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over a spoonful of the mixture and leave for 2-3 hours. Take 2-3 times a day, 0.5 cups.
- Include 2-3 carrots boiled in milk in your diet every day.
- Include green onions in your daily diet.
- Herbal tea: from lemon balm and nettle (in equal parts). 1 tbsp. pour 400 ml of boiling water over a spoonful of the mixture. Leave in a thermos for 3 hours. Drink herbal tea 2 times a day, 0.5 cups.
- Melissa tea: brew 5 g of lemon balm with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for an hour. Drink during the day.
- Infusion of herbal seeds: one part anise seeds, one part fennel seeds, three parts galega herb. Pour 1 teaspoon of the mixture into 1 glass of boiling water and leave. Take 2-3 times a day, 0.5 glass.
- Nettle infusion: 1 tbsp. Pour a spoonful of nettle leaves into a thermos, pour 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 1-2 hours, strain. Take 3 times a day, 1 tbsp. spoon before eating.
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of cumin seeds, 1 glass of sour cream - mix and put on fire for 3 minutes. Take the entire amount at once.
- Decoction of parsley seeds: pour 1 cup of boiling water, 15 g of parsley seeds into a saucepan, boil for 15 minutes. Strain. Take ¼ cup 4-5 times a day.
- Dill seed infusion: 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of dill seeds into 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 2 hours, strain. Take 5 – 6 times a day, 30 ml.
- Dilute freshly squeezed juice from nettle leaves with boiled water (1:2), place on the stove and bring to a boil. Take 3 times a day, 1-2 teaspoons with meals.
- Milk with walnut kernels: mince 100 g of walnut kernels, add 1 tbsp. spoon of sugar, pour in 0.5 liters of boiling milk, leave for 2 hours, wrapped in a warm towel. Take 1/3 cup before feeding your baby.
- Milk with grated carrots: grate the carrots. 3 tbsp. Place spoons of grated carrots in a glass and pour milk. Drink everything at once. Drink 2 times a day.
- Milk with dill: 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of dill into 1 glass of hot milk, strain. Take 0.5 cups 1 hour before feeding the baby.
- Lemon with cumin: wash and finely chop 1 lemon, add 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons of cumin seeds, then pour in 1 liter of boiling water. Let everything boil for 10 minutes. Then strain. Take 0.5 cups 3 times a day.
Side effects and contraindications
The massage technique in each specific situation should be determined by a doctor: a mammologist or a gynecologist. This is especially true for nursing women, on whose health the well-being of the baby depends.
Before a course of massage, the doctor must exclude the presence of neoplasms in the mammary gland (tumors, lumps, nodes), which, with improper massage manipulations, can increase in size and change their quality.
Contraindications for massage by a nursing woman are as follows:
- chronic diseases and conditions of acute infection;
- oncological diseases;
- skin diseases;
- neoplasms in the mammary gland;
- bad feeling.
Rules and techniques for breast massage
A massage should always begin with hygienic treatment of the hands and chest. As an antiseptic, it is enough to use soap (preferably baby soap, without perfume). Treating the breast with soap should be done once a day, since excessive use dries out the delicate skin. In other cases, wash the breasts with warm running water and wipe dry with a soft towel or napkins.
It is recommended to use natural vegetable oils (sunflower, olive) during massage, but before feeding they must be washed off from the surface of the breast. When applying oil to the skin, make sure that it does not get on the nipple area or the nipple itself.
When performing certain massage movements, a woman should not cause herself pain. Any discomfort in the chest area can cause subsequent damage to the skin (hematoma, swelling, stretch marks, cracks). This will only worsen the problem with lactation.
Video: breast massage technique
Massage to increase lactation
Lactation as a physiological process is not established immediately. Every mother must work hard to ensure that milk arrives in the quantity necessary for the growth and development of the child. An effective method for improving lactation is massage before and after breastfeeding.
The massage begins from the upper chest area. First massage one area of the mammary gland for some time (6 - 7 seconds), then move on to the nearby area. The massage is carried out in a circular motion clockwise. Next, all manipulations are performed in a spiral, towards the isola.
Breast massage is done in a spiral, towards the center of the mammary gland (towards the nipple area)
The next steps are stroking the breasts from top to bottom, stimulating the flow of milk to the center of the breast.
Afterwards, manipulations are carried out with the nipple, simulating the process of expressing milk. In this case, the isola region is grasped with the index finger and thumb. Massaging this area promotes the release of the hormone oxytocin. It causes the cells around the alveoli and ducts of the mammary gland to contract, causing milk to be released from the breast.
The most effective and most natural biological stimulator of lactation is nipple irritation during sucking.
E.O. Komarovsky
https://interview.komarovskiy.net/doktor-komarovskij-5-otvetov-na-voprosy-o-gv.html
A contraindication for massage of the peripapillary area is the presence of cracks in the nipples.
Massage of the peripapillary area of the chest is carried out towards the center
Then massage experts recommend shaking the mammary glands slightly so that the milk accumulated in them drops, or stroking the glands from top to bottom.
It is very effective to finish the massage in the shower: direct a diffused stream of warm water in a circular motion, alternately to one or the other breast. Warm water, as well as massage manipulations, will improve blood circulation in the chest, enhancing the body's metabolic processes.
Warm water combined with proper massage movements will promote the flow of breast milk.
After water procedures, wear comfortable, non-tightening underwear made from natural materials and avoid hypothermia.
Massage before feeding
It is advisable to start each breastfeeding with a breast massage. This procedure will allow the mother to tune in to feeding, relax and, most importantly, improve the secretion of milk from the glands.
Effortless movements relax the pectoral muscles and activate the mammary glands to produce milk. At the same time, milk does not stagnate due to excessive accumulation, the baby becomes satiated faster and without much effort. .
The movements should be circular and originate from the nipple and armpit, around the central area of the chest. Stroking movements from the middle of the chest to the outside are also effective. You should massage your breasts daily before feeding for 3 to 5 minutes.
Massage actions will strengthen the chest muscles, which means they will protect against excessive stretching and sagging. In the future, this will also allow you to avoid additional stretch marks that do not aesthetically decorate the breasts.
Breast massage before expressing milk
Before expressing, a short breast massage is an effective way to increase the intensity of milk flow.
Hand actions during this type of massage should be rubbing. Using gentle pressure, move in a circular motion from the armpit to the nipple. Next, clasping your breasts with both hands (one from above, the other from below), carefully simultaneously make several movements of each hand forward, in the direction from the center of the chest to the nipple.
By performing rubbing movements with your hands, a nursing mother warms up her breasts, improving the circulation of milk through the ducts
Video: breast massage before pumping
If a nursing mother does everything correctly, then the massage does not cause pain, and the milk is easier to express.
Massage for milk stagnation
In the first time after childbirth, when lactation is just getting better, many nursing women face a problem such as milk stagnation (lactostasis). Its primary manifestation is a feeling of breast engorgement. The cause of this disease is an increase in internal pressure and an increase in the intensity of blood flow in it. The milk ducts become compressed and milk cannot flow out. Lactostasis also provokes regular incomplete emptying of milk from the breast.
Lactostasis is a violation of the circulation of milk through the ducts of the mammary gland, accompanied by tissue compaction, visible redness, swelling and pain, and increased body temperature.
A mother’s main assistant in such a situation is her baby. You should put your baby to your breast as often as possible (especially those with lumps), and regularly express the remaining milk.
The correct position of the child and carefully selected position of the mother during breastfeeding is prevention and one of the ways to treat lactostasis.
Mammologists recommend using light movements to massage visible lumps in the breast. This will eliminate milk stagnation and prevent the occurrence of more serious diseases (for example, mastitis).
The task of a nursing woman during a massage is to help milk move through the ducts from the periphery to the center of the breast
If milk stagnation occurs, breast massage is carried out both before feeding (it will be easier for the baby to suckle on the breast after the mother has kneaded it first) and after (you rub the remaining lumps).
The massage technique to eliminate milk stagnation is as follows. Massage is performed on each of the areas of the mammary gland: upper - axillary (most at risk of stagnation of breast milk) - lower. The right hand is placed on the chest, the left hand is placed under the chest, slightly lifting it. Using circular stroking movements, knead the mammary gland, moving from the chest (periphery) to the nipple (center). The same slow, light pressure manipulations are performed on the other breast.
Important: intense, forceful massage is unacceptable. The emphasis should be on the duration of actions rather than on their strength.
By rubbing the mammary gland in this way, you warm up its structure, and after some time (2 - 3 massage movements) milk begins to be released from the breast.
Particular attention should be paid to lumps in the breast: they should be massaged a little longer. In this case, the woman may experience pain. In such a situation, the main thing is not to overdo it (act carefully and lightly) and not aggravate the lactostasis state.
Blockage of the milk ducts with untreated lactostasis (if milk stagnation is not eliminated, if the milk gland is insufficient) can provoke bacterial inflammation in the breast (mastitis)
The final massage manipulations that a woman with lactostasis can perform is vibration patting of the breasts with the front phalanges of the fingers. To help milk flow better, doctors recommend that nursing mothers lean slightly forward.
After the massage and the necessary hygiene procedures (we wash the breast and dry it), the baby is placed on the breast, ensuring its correct positioning. The baby's chin should point towards the swelling. It is acceptable for feeding to be longer in this case.
Massage for lactostasis
Breast massage to increase lactation, like any other manipulation on the body, requires careful preparation and adherence to certain recommendations. Every nursing mother should get to know them.
Some doctors claim that with the help of massage it is impossible to increase the amount of milk produced by the body. This is true, massage does not help increase secretion production, but with the help of such manipulations it will be possible to get rid of congestion that can interfere with normal feeding. Perhaps milk simply does not come out of the gland in the required quantity. In such cases, massage will be effective.
Peculiarities
Obligatory hygiene when performing a massage. For nursing mothers, it is extremely important to maintain cleanliness. Otherwise, you can get an infection both yourself and harm the child’s health. Wash your hands with soap before handling. But it is recommended to simply rinse your breasts with warm water, because... Soap can cause the skin to become very dry, resulting in cracks.
Read also…. How to choose a massage roller
The duration of manipulations should not last more than five minutes.
Breast massage to improve lactation should be done daily - no need to overdo it. There is no point in creating unnecessary impact on the mammary gland.
Pay attention to how you feel during the procedure. A massage should not cause pain, but rather bring pleasant sensations that help you relax. If you feel pain, first try reducing the intensity of the pressure; if this does not help, then stop the massage and consult your doctor.
When is the best time to have a massage?
In addition to its healing properties, the procedure is relaxing, so the massage should only be performed in a calm environment. Before manipulation, create conditions around yourself in which you will feel as comfortable as possible, without being distracted by external stimuli. It will be quite easy to do this - it takes very little time to massage, but the benefits will be enormous.
It is important to massage the breasts before feeding the baby, because... The final stage of the procedure involves the newborn. Thanks to the movements with which the baby sucks the breast, the remaining congestion can be softened and completely eliminated.
About the method of acupressure according to V.S. Ibragimova
Acupressure is one of the effective ways to establish and increase lactation. In her book “Acupressure,” Candidate of Medical Sciences, senior researcher V.S. Ibragimova talks about the basic principles of so-called acupressure, which promotes the formation of milk in nursing women. Its origins are ancient Eastern medicine.
This massage involves applying pressure with your fingertips to biologically active points directly connected to human organs, in particular the mammary glands. By influencing the “vital points”, you restore their impaired function: increase the flow of milk.
In describing the technique of such a massage, the traditional Chinese measure of length “tsun” is used.
Cun is determined by the distance between the ends of the folds of the extremely bent middle finger of a man on his left hand, and of a woman on his right.
V.S. Ibragimova
https://fantbooks.com/index.php?id1=4&category=ezoterika&author=ibragimov-vs&book=1983&page=3
Cun - an individual measure of length used in oriental medicine
At the same time, acupressure technique becomes even more effective when used simultaneously with drug therapy.
