What should I do if my nipple is blocked and my milk is swollen?

For breastfeeding mothers, breastfeeding is a novel experience. For new mothers, there will always be various problems during breastfeeding, such as milk duct blockage, nipple fissures, white spots on nipples, etc., which occur repeatedly. So what should they do? How can they avoid this situation? What are some good ways to solve, relieve and prevent the problem? I will introduce them to you one by one in detail below, and I hope it will be helpful to all new mothers.

Let’s first talk about why small white spots appear on nipples?

There are three types of white spots on the nipples:

1. Nipple ulcer caused by nipple fissure. Generally, there is no congestion in the breast, but the mother will feel severe nipple pain.

2. Small white bubbles on the nipple. The nipple hole is sealed by a nearly transparent membrane. The milk cannot come out or cannot come out smoothly. There will be congestion in the breast. When the baby eats, the nipple and the nerves in the breast will feel pain.

3. A substance similar to fat particles formed by dehydrated milk. This situation is more common after milk stasis or mastitis, because the milk is swollen for a long time and the milk is dehydrated. When we are doing lactation unblocking, we can see small particles squeezed out of the nipple, sometimes it is a long cheese-like thing.

In summary, the white spots on the nipples are caused by the damage to the function of one or several mammary ducts. After the nipple is damaged, the nipple pores are blocked during the epidermal repair process, forming white spots, leading to milk blockage. Most of the time, the baby's feeding posture is incorrect, the nipple is dragged, the frenulum is too short, the teeth are growing, and the baby is used to sleeping with a nipple in his mouth.

Or the mother may be prone to recurrent attacks if she is tired, sleep deprived, drinks little water, is anxious, takes calcium supplements for a long time, eats greasy food, or uses a breast pump incorrectly. We all know that the connection between babies feeding from bottles and sucking from breasts is different. It seems that both are acceptable, but mothers' nipples and mammary glands are often harmed invisibly.

Solutions for different situations

1. Nipple ulcer

Generally, for ulcers in this situation, the lactation consultant will observe whether the baby's breastfeeding posture is correct, because nipple cracks are usually caused by improper breastfeeding. After correcting the breastfeeding posture, applying some special nipple skin care cream, and slowly wiping off the ulcerated part with a cotton swab, the small white spots will soon disappear.

2. Mastitis

Nipple inflammation is something that many breastfeeding mothers will encounter. It is also the most common condition in which white spots occur. It is usually closely related to the mother's anger or greasy diet. Women's nipples belong to the liver (the liver is responsible for the regulation of emotions, and anger hurts the liver). Excessive liver fire may lead to papillitis. At this time, the milk cannot flow out smoothly. I would advise mothers to let the baby suck as much as possible. If it really doesn't work, use a sterilized needle to puncture the blocked area to let the milk flow out. Then let the baby eat out the accumulated milk, and then apply a special nipple skin care cream. Wash it with warm water before each feeding, and apply it again after feeding, until it is completely healed. If you can't do it well yourself, you can also ask a doctor or a reliable lactation consultant for help.

3. Fat particles

This situation is generally easy to deal with, as long as it is discharged without blocking the milk duct.

suggestion:

1. Try to feed your baby with a bottle as little as possible, and be sure to use the correct breastfeeding posture when feeding;

2. Learn several breastfeeding postures to reduce breast damage caused by milk swelling and white spots;

3. Keep a happy mood and try to avoid getting angry;

4. Eat a balanced diet, including vegetables, fruits, and meat, and reduce the intake of greasy food.