Excess breast milk can accumulate in the breasts, especially when the baby can not suck everything and the woman also does not remove the milk that remains, resulting in a situation of engorgement, popularly known as bare breasts.
Usually signs of stoned milk are developing pain in breastfeeding, swollen breasts and redness in the skin of the breasts. Check out all the symptoms of breast engorgement.
To relieve pain, and avoid the development of complication such as mastitis, one of the ways to remove excess milk is to perform a massage on the breasts just minutes before the baby sucks. In addition, this massage can also be done to remove excess milk and facilitate its exit at the time of the feeding. To do it correctly you should:
1. Apply heat to the breast
The heat helps to dilate the breast ducts, relieving pain and facilitating milk circulation, so it should be applied before the massage to allow the massage to be less painful and increase the chances that the milk will come out of the breast.
A good option is to apply a warm water bag directly over the breast, but you can also apply heat during the bath by passing the shower with warm water over the breast. The heat should be kept for at least 5 minutes and without burning the skin.
2. Stimulate the lymph nodes
The axillary lymph nodes have a very important role in removing fluids from the breast region and so if properly stimulated they can help decrease the swollen, aching chest feeling.
To stimulate these ganglia, a slight massage should be done in the armpit region, with circular motions, 5 to 10 times in a row. In some cases, small nodules can be felt in this region, but they are not cause for concern because they only indicate that the glands are inflamed with excess fluids. In such cases, the massage should be lighter so as not to cause pain.
3. Massage the areola
After stimulating the lymph nodes, a massage should be initiated in the sinuses, to release the milk accumulated in the ducts and mammary glands. To do this, one should start by massaging the region near the areola, using small and light circular movements. These movements can become stronger if they are not bothering and spreading throughout the breast.
4. Massage around the areola
After massaging the areola and increasing the movements to the rest of the breast, it is important to continue the massage to try to empty all the ducts. To do this, you should massage the area around the areola, supporting the breast in one hand and with the other, doing a massage from top to bottom, applying slight pressure.
This massage can be retreated 4 to 5 times, or until the breast appears less swollen and sore.
5. Remove excess milk from the breast
After doing the massage you should try to remove excess milk. A good way is to apply pressure with your thumb and forefinger around the areola until a few drops of milk starts to come out. This movement can be repeated until the breast appears more malleable and less swollen. After feeling that the excess milk has left and the breast is more malleable, one should put the baby to suckle.
Repeat this massage every day whenever the breasts are very full, because when they are so the baby will have a harder time to suckle the breast correctly and, therefore, he may not be able to suckle and start crying because of hunger and not being able to take the mother's milk.
