Breastfeeding is a very important moment in the life of mom and baby. It allows the baby to get a balanced composition of all nutrients. But in order for the volume of milk to fill the daily requirement of the crumbs, lactation must be stimulated and for this to regularly express the breast.
Breast expression is a prerequisite for normal lactation. It allows you to prevent a decrease in milk production and its stagnation, due to which inflammation of the ducts of the mammary gland - mastitis, can develop. This disease does not leave the mother any opportunity to continue breastfeeding and forces her to transfer the baby to artificial feeding. In some cases, mastitis poses a serious threat to the health of the woman herself. In the first days after birth, the baby eats much less milk than the mammary glands produce. And after feeding, most of it remains in the breast. Therefore, to prevent its stagnation and reduce lactation in the first months, you should often express the breast, and until reflex milk production begins (a certain amount that the baby will be able to eat). If milk production is insufficient, frequent breast pumping (after and between feedings) can help increase milk supply significantly. In this case, it is necessary to take into account other factors affecting lactation. This is good nutrition, the psycho-emotional and physical state of the mother, stay in the fresh air and adequate sleep. Often, from the first days of life, the baby refuses to breastfeed. But with good lactation, it is advisable to express the breast and feed the baby from a bottle. The same conditions must be observed if the baby has an intracranial brain injury at birth, in which case breastfeeding is contraindicated. And this is due to the high load during sucking. In order for milk production to occur equally in both breasts, it is necessary to alternate them when feeding the baby and also empty it equally after him. If, nevertheless, nodular seals appear in one of them (occur during milk stagnation), to prevent inflammation, it is necessary to express milk carefully and for a long time and at the same time make stroking movements with your palms from the armpits along the chest to the nipple.
