Common Breastfeeding Problems and How to Overcome Them
Apr 19, 2022
Breastfeeding is one of the best presents you can give to your baby. But you must know that the beginnings of breastfeeding are hard. There are many problems related to breastfeeding that end in an early cessation of breastfeeding. That is why it is of great importance and need to be informed about what can happen during the nursing stage.
Mastitis
Mastitis is a disease in the breast that develops with inflammation and fever. It will also be accompanied by general malaise, pain and hardened areas in the chest. To reduce the risk of infectious mastitis, it is especially important to wash your hands thoroughly before handling the nipples and pay particular attention to any symptoms of redness, redness, pain, fever or obstruction.
It is also essential to often change the position of breastfeeding and not interrupt breastfeeding, because although it may cause discomfort in the affected breast.
Pain or cracks in the nipples
The most common causes of nipple pain are the poor positioning of the baby at the breast or poor sucking on the part of the baby. To end the problem, try different positions to breastfeed until you find the one in which you both feel just as comfortable.
If you apply warm cloths over the breast before feeding the baby, you will also facilitate the milk outlet and the sore area of the chest will not suffer so much from the baby’s sucking job. If you have doubts, you can always use a midwife to advise you.
Obstruction of breast milk
If the milk cannot come out correctly, it can lead to chest congestion, and there may be nodes and redness. A possible cause is that the baby does not breastfeed almost from a breast or that it does not empty it completely. Another cause could be due to the use of a too tight fastener. Measures that can be equally effective are trying to put more time in the chest where there are problems for the baby to try to stimulate it.
It is also advisable to try to stimulate milk flow with compresses or hot water. And if none of these measures is sufficient, a gentle massage of the breasts can be beneficial.
Bad posture
It is another problem shared by a higher number of nursing mothers. Stiffness, back, neck or abdominal pain due to an uncomfortable or forced stance during breastfeeding. The proper position to breastfeed the baby is achieved by sitting up straight and without bending the neck.