What causes nipple swelling?

Nipple swelling mainly occurs during the breastfeeding stage, when milk secretion is vigorous. When the baby is overfed, we can squeeze out the milk to preserve it, because if the milk is not discharged from the breast, it will cause breast pain. In fact, when the milk is swollen, we should feed the baby more, massage the breasts appropriately, and use hot compresses to relieve the pain when the milk is swollen.

Causes of breast engorgement

Why does breast engorgement occur? The main reason is that mothers do not know how to breastfeed their babies. For example, some mothers have inverted nipples, which will inevitably affect the baby's milk sucking. The baby cannot suck milk, and the mother does not know what to do. In the end, the mother's breasts become engorged. Some mothers simply give up breastfeeding, which is a pity. In fact, as long as the mother uses the thumbs of both hands to press both sides of the nipples from various angles and pry them outwards to make the nipples protrude, the problem can be solved by doing this once or several times a day. In some cases, it is because the mother has too much milk and the baby cannot suck it all, while in other cases it is because the mother does not breastfeed in time.

Breast engorgement prevention

1. Start breastfeeding as soon as possible. The baby should be allowed to suck the mother's nipple within 15 minutes to 2 hours after birth. The baby should suck frequently, and each nipple should be sucked once every 2 to 3 hours.

2. Each time you feed, both breasts should be emptied, allowing the baby to finish sucking on one side before sucking on the other. If the milk supply from one breast can meet the baby's needs, the milk from the other breast should be expressed using a breast pump.

3. Take good care of your breasts to prevent stopping breastfeeding due to nipple cracking and pain. The care method is very simple. Just squeeze out a little milk and apply it evenly on the nipples after each feeding.

When the milk is swollen, you can do some hot compresses, breast massage, etc. If it is serious, you should see a doctor to prevent mastitis. It is not advisable to take milk-reducing drugs and foods, because the baby needs precious breast milk.