Breast Care And Personal Hygiene For Nursing Mothers

Dean Rouseberg Author: Dean Rouseberg Time for reading: ~3 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022
Breast Care And Personal Hygiene For Nursing Mothers

In this article, learn more about Breast Care And Personal Hygiene For Nursing Mothers. What can you do to take good care of your breasts while breastfeeding?.

Breastfeeding is one of the most beautiful experiences for many mothers. It helps strengthen the emotional and physical bond between you and your baby. But sometimes they can face a lot of difficulties and inconveniences. Breasts undergo changes during pregnancy and lactation that are the result of hormones being released in the body during these periods. Maintaining breast hygiene is important as they need to adapt to the new state of breastfeeding.

What can you do to take good care of your breasts while breastfeeding?

Maintain good hygiene

Wash your hands thoroughly before breastfeeding. Keep breasts and nipples clean by washing them with warm water. Bathing daily with clean water is all you need to maintain good hygiene. Avoid using soap as it can cause dry, cracked and irritated skin. Also, you should know that washing with soap removes the natural oils produced by the Montgomery glands located in the dark area (areola) around the nipples. These oils help keep the nipples and areola clean and moisturized.

Wear a supportive bra

Choose a suitable bra that supports the breasts well, but is not too tight (a good option are specially designed bras for nursing mothers). Cotton fabrics are an excellent choice as they allow the skin to breathe. Try wearing clothes that allow air to circulate - cotton is again the perfect fabric.

 

Make sure the baby is breastfeeding properly

Proper breastfeeding and breastfeeding every 2-3 hours can help prevent the development of painful breast problems, such as cracked nipples, clogged milk ducts and mastitis.

 

Change the breast pads often

If you have a spontaneous discharge of breast milk, you will need breast pads. For this purpose, there are specially designed pads that need to be replaced frequently. Breasts should be kept clean and dry to prevent inflammation, thrush or mastitis.

 

If you have inflamed nipples, talk to your doctor or breastfeeding consultant about using appropriate creams or hydrogel pads that help soothe your breasts. Discuss the products you will use with competent people, as many of them can harm the baby or irritate the inflamed skin even more.

Breast milk has healing properties! Therefore, moisten your nipples with breast milk. After you have finished feeding the baby, express a few drops of milk and rub them into the nipples and areola, and let them dry.

Remove the baby from your breast properly

When you have finished breastfeeding, do not pull the baby from your breast. Instead, place your little finger in the corner of his mouth to release the nipple of the breast smoothly and painlessly.

It is normal for your breasts to become larger, heavier and a little more sensitive when they start producing larger amounts of milk (between the second and sixth day). Once the initial bloating is relieved, usually in the first few weeks, your breasts will become softer, even when milk is plentiful. This is because its production is adjusted to the needs of your baby.

Overcrowded breasts feel swollen, heavy, and may also be red and throbbing. This leads to problems with breastfeeding and effective sucking by the baby, which is a prerequisite for nipple injury.

While breastfeeding and breasts are full, you may feel lumps. To remove them, it is necessary to breastfeed more often, massage the breasts and express. If you notice a lump that does not go away on its own within a few days, contact a doctor for a consultation.

Breast care when you want to stop breastfeeding

Your body will produce milk even if you decide to stop breastfeeding. It will take several weeks or months to stop its production completely (there are cases in which the production of milk in the form of leaking drops when pressing the nipple continues for years).

Here are some tips if you are in a situation where you want or need to stop breastfeeding:

  • wear a bra that supports the bust but is not tight;
  • use breast pads to avoid spontaneous leakage of breast milk;
  • put a cold compress on your chest to relieve swelling and discomfort (if any);
  • if your breasts are painfully full, squeeze by hand or with a pump, just enough to relieve the tension. Do not express too much or too often breast milk, as this will further stimulate its production.

You will find more information about stopping breastfeeding in the topic "Natural means of stopping breastfeeding".

 

 

More on the topic:
  • How to feed a breastfeeding woman
  • Diarrhea in breastfed babies
  • How to eliminate nighttime breastfeeding
  • Natural means of stopping breast milk

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