How to prevent acute mastitis while breastfeeding?

　　The benefits of breastfeeding are well known. However, many young mothers who choose to breastfeed today are helpless with problems such as "one side is bigger than the other" and the breasts are severely sagging and out of shape because they have not done enough "homework". And since this year, Hospital Admission due to incorrect breastfeeding methods acute mastitis Cases have increased by 10% to 20% compared to previous years.

　　Therefore, if you open the parent-child section of major online forums, you will see greedy young mothers and "expectant mothers" asking netizens about this issue.

　　There are various ways to "save the breasts" circulating on the Internet: some believe that it is best not to breastfeed for more than half a year, otherwise it will easily lead to breast sagging, and some suggest that frequent breast massage during pregnancy can reduce the degree of sagging after breastfeeding. Some suggest using artificial nipples to prevent the baby from stretching the breasts when sucking... Guangdong Province women and children Experts from the health center said that "saving the breasts" should start during the lactation period. Correct breastfeeding posture, prevention of acute mastitis, and massage and other methods can all help. Postpartum Breast recovery.

　　Reducing breastfeeding time may not prevent breast sagging

　　“The vast majority female After childbirth and breastfeeding, the shape of the breasts will change to varying degrees, which is irresistible. It can be said that this is also what mothers do for their babies healthy sacrifices made. ”Deputy Chief Physician Zhang Anqin, director of the Breast Disease Prevention and Treatment Center of Guangdong Maternal and Child Health Hospital, pointed out that the basic structure of the breast is the breast body and ligaments, which include the mammary glands composed of acini and glandular ducts and the interstitium composed of fatty structural tissue, which determines the size of the breast; and the ligaments are like the frame of a house, which determines whether the appearance of the breast is upright.

　　Zhang Anqin said that "the sagging of mother's breasts is caused by the baby's sucking" and "reducing the breastfeeding time to half a year can avoid serious sagging of the breasts" is not correct. “The first effect of childbirth and breastfeeding is to change the ratio of glands and fat. Women before breastfeeding have more glands. After breastfeeding, the glands degenerate and fat increases. Second, due to the large number of glands during breastfeeding, the breasts are "stretched" and the ligaments are like rubber bands, stretching or even exceeding the limit. By the time breastfeeding is over, the breasts will become looser and never return to their original length, making the breasts appear saggy. ”

　　He said that there is no necessary relationship between the degree of breast deformation and the length of breastfeeding, and there are also individual differences. There are often mothers who only feed their babies for a few days for some reason, but their breasts are still sagging and deformed. And some mothers have been breastfeeding for a year, and the degree of sagging is not serious. “It is advocated to wean the child after breastfeeding for half a year to one year, because the nutritional value of milk after one year is not as good as before," he said. It cannot be understood conversely that "feeding for half a year has little impact on breast deformation."

　　Use artificial nipples with caution to prevent breast distortion

　　Some netizens recommended that wearing an artificial nipple when breastfeeding can not only prevent the baby from sucking the nipple, but also indirectly slow down the rate of breast sagging. “This statement makes no sense. ”Zhang Anqin said that artificial nipples cannot replace natural nipples and are only suitable for emergency use of mothers with damaged nipples. Another important role is that they can help women with sunken nipples. However, it does not have the function of delaying breast deformation. “If used for a long time, it may cause the baby to become insensitive to the nipple. ”

　　It should be noted that incorrect breastfeeding may lead to nipple damage and acute mastitis, endangering breast health. He said that since the beginning of this year, acute mastitis caused by incorrect breastfeeding has increased by 10 to 20% compared with previous years, and on average, one patient is received every day. “Many mothers are worried that there is not enough milk for their children, and they are reluctant to express the leftover milk. As a result, when the milk dries, it turns into cheese-like shape, blocks the gland ducts, and causes mastitis. ”According to reports, a mother was so tired that she fell asleep after breastfeeding. When she woke up in the afternoon, she got mastitis. Her breasts became hard and the pain was unbearable.

　　The most common mistake is to only let the baby suck the nipple without inserting the areola into the baby's mouth. As a result, the baby cannot suck milk and the nipple is broken, leading to nipple inflammation. Some mothers report that because the nipple on the left side is longer, the baby always prefers to feed on the left side. As a result, the left side gradually produces more milk and the breast swells larger, while the right side appears smaller and looks uncoordinated. Zhang Anqin suggested that for breasts of different sizes, multi-stimulation correction methods should be adopted. Every time the baby is hungry, let him eat the smaller side first.

　　When massaging breasts during early and late pregnancy, avoid nipples

　　Massage is a cost-effective way to prevent breast sagging. Some netizens said that their breast care experience is, “As soon as the breasts are stretched, I let my husband massage them. When I was more than eight months pregnant, I was afraid that my nipples would be blocked and I would get inflammation of the breasts during breastfeeding, so I asked my husband to suck my nipples." However, Zhang Anqin pointed out that massaging as early as pregnancy will be counterproductive if the technique is improper. He said that you should not let your husband suck your nipples in the first and last three months of pregnancy, “because this is a sensitive part of a woman’s body, and stimulation will cause uterine contractions, which may induce miscarriage,” he said. premature birth。”

　　“Massage is most effective starting from the lactation period, because at this time the breasts change a lot and have strong plasticity. ” Nurse Zheng Qiuping from the Postpartum Extended Service Center of Guangdong Maternal and Child Health Hospital said that chest muscle testing should be done in time after delivery. exercise In addition to helping the breasts regain their shape, it can also be used for the recovery of acute mastitis, but the former requires long-term persistence, and the effect will not be obvious until at least weaning.

　　Zheng Qiuping said that before doing chest exercises, you can use a hot towel to apply heat to the breasts, and then apply non-irritating essential oil or massage lotion. The chest exercises she recommends are: four fingers together, thumbs apart, palms of fingers touching skin . First massage from the neck and shoulders to the armpits, then push downwards from the middle of the two breasts, with the breasts as the center, and then push outwards and upwards in a circular motion.

　　If you already suffer from acute mastitis, you can press the acupoints such as the nipple root and Zhongting point to

　　Push slowly in the direction of the nipple. It should be done once a day for 10 minutes and multiple times a day. Family members can help. In addition, massaging your breasts while taking a hot bath can get twice the result with half the effort.

　　Five Practical Tips to Protect Breasts

　　1. Do regular breast expansion exercises

　　You can do more breast expansion exercises during pregnancy and lactation, and you can improve your chest muscles by swimming after delivery.

　　2. Wear the right bra

　　From the beginning of breastfeeding, you must insist on wearing a bra. Otherwise, the breasts will sag significantly as their weight increases. Zhang Anqin suggested that the size should be suitable. Although the shaping function of the bra chosen during lactation is important, it must first be convenient for breastfeeding. The texture should be pure cotton, and bras without iron hoops should be chosen. Full-cup bras are generally not suitable for lactating women.

　　3. Correct breastfeeding posture

　　Insert the areola and nipple into your baby's mouth. When breastfeeding, the two breasts should be fed alternately.

　　4. Massage breasts with rose essential oil and olive oil

　　Massaging the breasts with essential oils can promote local blood circulation. It should be reminded that do not use massage creams containing hormones. Rose essential oil and olive oil are both good choices.

　　5. Eat more foods rich in isoflavones, as well as pig skin and beef tendon

　　You can eat more foods rich in vitamin E, such as papaya, which is said to contain "phytoestrogens", and beans and nuts containing isoflavones. Zhang Anqin said that ligaments are mainly composed of fibrous connective tissue and elastic collagen. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, eating pig skin, beef tendon, etc. rich in collagen can help restore the elasticity of ligaments.