While expecting a baby, expectant mothers storm Children's Worlds, learn to breathe correctly and read “horror stories” about childbirth. But few people suspect what problems are lurking after the birth of the baby. One of them is pain when feeding. Strong enough to jeopardize breastfeeding.
Nipple pain
On the second or third day after your baby is born, you may experience severe pain when feeding. The tender, unprepared skin of the nipples of the breast is so strongly exposed to the instinctive sucking of the baby that the mother literally has "sparks from her eyes." To avoid this trouble, it is recommended to prepare the nipples during pregnancy. To do this, it is necessary to temper the chest with air baths and rubbing the frozen broth of oak bark with a cube. It is also good to massage your nipples after a shower with a terry towel, and wear linen pads in your bra.
One of the most common causes of soreness in the nipples during feeding is improper latching of the breast by the baby. The baby should grasp the nipple as deeply as possible, always completely together with the areola. At the same time, his lips are turned inside out, his tongue is turned up and when sucking is visible in the corner of his mouth. The child must be pressed tightly to the chest and make sure that he does not suck in air. It is also necessary to wean the baby from the breast correctly: in no case should it be delayed! It is necessary to press on the chest or to run your finger into the corner of the baby's mouth to allow air to enter, and only then remove the nipple.
If, nevertheless, the pain does not go away, all that remains is to endure. Gritting my teeth. You will have to wait 1-2 months for the nipples to coarse and get used to their new role. During this period, it is necessary to carefully monitor hygiene in order to avoid another trouble - cracks. For the first few weeks, be sure to lubricate the nipples with Bepanten, an emollient healing ointment that does not require rinsing, after each feeding. It is enough to wash your breasts once a day, at night. You can also squeeze out a few drops of milk and moisten the nipple before feeding. Sometimes, if cracks do appear, silicone nipple covers can save you.
Lactostasis
Another trouble awaiting you is lactostasis. This is the formation of stagnant milk in the milk lobule. A lump forms in the chest. The body temperature rises sharply to 39 degrees. Lactostasis is dangerous because it can develop into mastitis - a neglected lactostasis with infection and purulent induration that is surgically removed.
To avoid this, it is necessary to feel the breast after each feeding. If a seal is found, apply the baby to the sore breast in different positions so that his chin is on different sides of the nipple. Then try to express the remnants of the seals, kneading the chest in a circular motion from the periphery to the center. To make it easier to do this, you can apply a hot towel to your breast - this will expand the ducts and the milk clots will be easier to remove.
Thrush
Another cause of nipple pain can be thrush, a disease caused by Candida. Often, thrush runs in parallel in the baby's mouth and mom's nipples. At the same time, the nipples become bright pink, bake, and when feeding are painful. The child has a white coating on the tongue, palate and internal mucous membranes. Thrush is a common and insidious disease that can lead to a baby's refusal to breastfeed. To prescribe treatment, be sure to contact your pediatrician and gynecologist.
