Breast pain 3 days after birth. Why do breasts hurt after childbirth?

Many young mothers experience breast pain during lactation after childbirth. Moreover discomfort can occur both in the 1st week and six months after the birth of the child. The nature of the pain can also be completely different: aching or tingling, constant or occurring from time to time. In any case, you cannot put up with them, because most often they are alarming messengers of undesirable processes that are fraught dangerous consequences for women's health. First you need to understand what causes them.

Medicine gives several explanations why the chest hurts after childbirth: provoking factors can be caused by external and internal conditions the course of lactation. The main causes of pain in the mammary glands include:

lactostasis - stagnation of milk;
mastitis is an inflammatory process;
skin stretching;
cracked nipples.

All these phenomena can cause severe chest pain after childbirth, and in order to get rid of it, you need to understand why and how this or that disease developed. This will help make the correct diagnosis and quickly receive treatment.

If you understand what caused the chest pain that you felt shortly after giving birth, you can eliminate the provoking factor or consult a doctor in a timely manner and get rid of the discomfort.

insufficient emptying of the mammary glands due to improper attachment of the baby;
tight bra;
additional feeding of the child from a bottle;
sleeping on your stomach;
hypothermia;
narrow channels;
hyperlactation;
bruises, injuries;
dehydration.

Fact! According to medical research, in 25% of cases, stagnation of milk in the mammary glands occurs due to various experiences, stress, overwork and lack of sleep of the young mother.

with stagnation of milk, cracks, microbes enter the gland and cause its inflammation;
the main pathogens are staphylococci, streptococci;
their sources are a child’s mouth, dirty underwear, poor hygiene;
if lactation suddenly stops (for example, 2 years have passed after the birth of the child, and you decide to stop breastfeeding), the glands cannot empty themselves of the ever-increasing milk, sometimes even pumping does not help.

due to a strong increase in the volume of the mammary glands.

The child grasps the nipple incorrectly, causing the delicate and sensitive skin in this area to crack.

Analyze the feeding habits of your baby: if your breasts hurt after childbirth, the reasons in most cases are related to lactation. The sooner you can eliminate them, the faster you will get rid of discomfort.

If chest pain appears immediately after childbirth or after some time, listen to your own body. The symptoms will tell you what is going on with him.

chest pain and temperature up to 38°C;
engorgement of the mammary glands;
redness of the nipples;
the pain is tingling in nature;
there is a feeling of heaviness in the mammary glands;
formation of compactions.

You need to know this! During lactation, you cannot measure the temperature in the axillary region: during milk flow, it is elevated here even normally. It is better to place the thermometer in the elbow bend.

temperature over 38°C;
severe compaction (engorgement) of the gland;
the skin acquires purple shades;
the chest is stone and hurts unbearably;
further the gland increases, the skin becomes hot to the touch;
feeding becomes unbearably painful;
the pain is bursting in nature;
droplets of pus can be seen in the milk;
restricting or stopping feeding increases pain.

the mammary glands are not filled with milk;
no temperature;
the pain is aching, constant.

If chest pain that begins after childbirth is localized directly in the nipple, upon careful examination you may notice that it is cracked. If you understand that you cannot cope with the situation on your own, do not put off visiting a doctor.

For chest pain that occurs after childbirth, you should consult any of these doctors:

Diagnostics includes the following steps:

interviewing the patient, studying clinical data;
examination and palpation of the breast to identify lumps and cracks;
a blood test showing the presence of an inflammatory process;
Ultrasound of the breast;
sowing breast milk to identify microorganisms in it.

Establishing a correct diagnosis determines further tactics for treating chest pain after childbirth and determines a favorable prognosis.

Only a doctor can prescribe treatment and tell you in detail what to do if your breasts hurt after childbirth: what medications can be taken and what conservative treatment at home is possible in each specific case.

iodine mesh on the site of pain;
ointments: Traumeel, Vishnevsky, Malavit;
compresses with magnesia;
oxytocin injections relieve pain and heaviness;
antibiotics, if there is a threat of mastitis development: erythromycin (if taken, lactation may continue);
physiotherapeutic treatment.

Helpful information! When dissolving lumps with ultrasound, the doctor should warn you that after this procedure not only will the pain disappear, but also milk production will significantly decrease, if not stop altogether.

antibacterial drugs;
antipyretics;
antibiotics, novocaine blockade.

anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs;
pain medications: naloxone, morphine, tramal, promedol, baralgin, analgin, caffetin, paracetamol;
ointments and creams for stretch marks: Sanosan, Oriflame, Vichy, Intenso Guam, Bella mama oil, Baby Teva Ltd, Anti-strech Mark.

wound healing ointments (Dexpanthenol, Korneregel, Bepanten, Panthenol, etc.);
liquid solutions of kalachoe or aloe;
ultrasound treatment.

Cold compresses with ice can relieve pain;
cabbage leaf wraps;
applying curd and honey cakes;
compresses made from potato starch diluted with water;
Lubricate the cracked nipples with drops of your own milk and let them dry.

It is necessary to constantly express milk;
put the baby to the sore breast more often;
drink as little liquid as possible;
wear a tight, comfortable bra, as for pregnant women (read how to choose the right one);
Take a hot shower 2-3 times a day, directing the stream directly to the site of pain: such a water massage can help resolve the seals;
do not give the child any complementary foods so that he empties the mammary glands completely;
do not make any hot or alcohol compresses;
Apply dry heat to your breasts before feeding.

Competent comprehensive treatment and combination of medications, folk remedies and conservative methods can quickly relieve a young mother from chest pain that usually occurs after childbirth. It is also a guarantee of a favorable prognosis.

The prognosis for any chest pain in the first weeks and months after childbirth is good only if you consult a doctor in a timely manner and complete the full course of treatment. After this, the woman usually continues to breastfeed the baby. In other cases, various complications are possible.

If the lump in the breast is not eliminated within 2 days, lactostasis turns into mastitis.

for purulent mastitis, surgical intervention is often performed: the cavity is opened and drained;
Once the pus is eliminated, lactation can continue.

the entry of microorganisms into the ducts of the mammary glands is fraught with bacterial contamination of milk;
Often, with unhealed cracks, an inflammatory process begins - mastitis;
Milk production decreases and its quality changes.

To ensure that the prognosis is always favorable, it is better to avoid chest pain after childbirth by taking a number of timely preventive measures.

Proper breast care after childbirth plays an important preventive role in preventing pain of any kind in this part of the body. Mothers in labor are strongly advised to pay close attention to their mammary glands every day:

attach the baby correctly;
after each feeding, be sure to express milk if there is tightness and pain in the breast using a breast pump or manually;
keep the mammary glands clean: after feeding, wash with hypoallergenic soap;
treat cracked nipples;
limit fluid intake, which will increase milk flow;
wear a bra made of natural material;
Do massage;
rub your chest with a hard terry towel;
after each feeding, check to see if there are any painful lumps left;
try to sleep on your back or side;
Protect yourself from hypothermia, bruises and injuries.

If you feel chest pain after childbirth, you should not turn a blind eye to it, mistakenly thinking that it will go away on its own and that this is a completely natural process. Be sure to try to understand and eliminate its cause, consult a specialist and undergo full course treatment.

Breast pain after childbirth is a common occurrence that almost every woman experiences. This symptom most often appears 3-4 days after birth, when the mammary glands begin to produce milk instead of colostrum. Scientifically, this phenomenon is called engorgement of the mammary glands.

As a rule, engorgement occurs due to stagnation of milk or when the mammary glands fill with milk and it is time to feed the baby. But if after childbirth your chest hurts a lot, fever appears and the temperature rises, this may indicate inflammation of the chest - mastitis. How to determine the cause of chest pain after childbirth - read today's article.

5 reasons why women have breast pain after childbirth

There are several reasons that explain chest pain after childbirth. To save your time and provide you with maximum useful information We will present you the most common ones:

1. The appearance of the oxytocin reflex

The fact is that the breastfeeding process is ensured by two hormones, oxytocin and prolactin. Prolactin is responsible for how much milk is produced in the mammary glands. Oxytocin, in turn, regulates the process of milk secretion. Thus, when a new mother hears or sees the newborn’s voice, her body begins to produce oxytocin, which can cause chest pain, tingling, and a rush of milk. This is the oxytocin reflex.

2. Excess milk

An excess of milk secretion can also provoke chest pain after childbirth. In such cases, it is best to start expressing milk. You can do this either independently or with the help of a breast pump.

3. Thrush or candidiasis is another common cause of severe breast pain after childbirth.

During breastfeeding there may be favorable conditions for the development of fungal infection. In this case, the woman develops thrush on her nipples. Symptoms of this disease are as follows: itching, cracks, peeling, swelling, the appearance of small blisters in the nipple area, pain during feeding and immediately after it. To prevent nipple thrush, wash your breasts warm water before and after feeding, change breast pads often, take air baths, and do not overcool the chest area.

4. Milk stasis can cause breast pain.

This symptom is familiar to every woman who has breastfed at least once. When milk stagnates, the breasts become heavy, hardening appears, all this is accompanied by severe pain. To relieve symptoms of milk stagnation in the breast, pump regularly and massage your breasts. The best way Frequent latching of the baby to the breast is considered to prevent congestion.

5. Mastitis

This cause of chest pain after childbirth can be very dangerous. During mastitis, inflammation of the mammary glands occurs, which may or may not be accompanied by infection. During illness there is severe pain, heat, redness and swelling of the breast. Most cases of mastitis occur in the second and third weeks after birth. However, diseases can overtake a nursing mother throughout the entire period of lactation, including in the second year of the child’s life. If mastitis is not treated promptly, it can lead to a breast abscess. In this case it may be necessary surgical intervention. If you have severe breast pain after childbirth and a high fever, be sure to consult a mammologist.

Every mother who breastfeeds her newborn baby has to experience chest pain after childbirth. To avoid this unpleasant symptom, put your baby to your breast frequently, express milk regularly, massage your breasts, and keep your breasts dry and warm.

Behind pregnancy and childbirth - ordeal for all systems and organs of a woman. Now the body is adjusting to a new process - breastfeeding. Obstetrician-gynecologist with 30 years of experience Tatyana Oboskalova answers questions that arise from women in labor.

The chest swells and hurts very much. How to reduce pain?
Do I need to use breast pumps? How often?
Cracks have formed on the nipples, and when feeding it hurts to the point of tears. What to do?

Needless to say, in most cases it is difficult for a young mother. A child is happiness, but reality makes its own adjustments to joyful experiences. Living according to the needs of a tiny creature is difficult. Especially when unpleasant pain wedges itself into the heap of worries.

In the first days after childbirth, the breasts may swell and hurt - this is due to the appearance of milk. If the breasts are hard and painful, this is usually due to the fact that the mammary gland has produced too much milk and stagnation has occurred. Such breast problems can occur both immediately after childbirth and during the first months of breastfeeding. The best medicine in this case will be the child himself, who will suck the breast better than any breast pump. The more often you put your baby to your breast, the less painful swelling will occur. Over time, the flow of milk begins to coincide with the baby's need to attach to the breast. But it also happens that the baby tries to suck the milk, but nothing works, he becomes restless and starts crying. In this case, you need to lightly massage your breasts and express the milk yourself - with your hands or using a breast pump. However, modern breastfeeding experts believe that the reason different problems with the mammary glands is the incorrect attachment of the child to the breast.

Let us remind you that the correct grip of the nipple is when the nipple touches the roof of the mouth. In this case, the breast should “look” with the nipple not into the baby’s mouth, but into the palate, which will allow the baby to grasp a much larger part of the breast from below than from above. The baby's mouth should be wide open, and the tongue should lie on the lower gum and protrude freely from the mouth. The areola of the nipple is almost completely in the baby's mouth, while the baby's chin touches his chest.

A special case - short bridle, which can cause painful latch on the nipple due to strong squeezing of the baby’s gums. In this case, it makes sense to consult with your pediatrician about the optimal approach to putting your baby to the breast.

Warming compresses, cabbage and burdock leaves do not need to be applied to the mammary glands. A warm compress will only increase the flow of milk, but cabbage and burdock will have no effect.

Discussion

Cabbage leaf only helped with congestion and pain. An ice pack is not needed. Just apply a towel soaked in cold water.

05/09/2018 00:41:43, light

Well, you don’t have to change your bra every day; there are special hygiene discs that are inserted into it. They need to be changed more often. And you don’t need to wear a bra all the time either.

Thanks for the advice. As I remember myself after giving birth, I wonder why I didn’t come across this article before.

At first I struggled with feeding for a very long time. My breasts hurt and cracks appeared. I even managed to get mastitis due to inexperience. A very useful article for young mothers.

Thanks to you, there are now fewer problems and pains with feeding))

My baby helped me cope with milk stagnation.

“It is advisable to change your bra every day, otherwise you can infect both yourself and the child.” If you consider how much such a bra costs, you can go broke, or wash it every day :)

After reading the article, some feeling remains - if you have lactostasis or a lot of milk, or cracked nipples, it’s your own fault... A young mother is already in a stressful situation. About nursing underwear - I agree, they are comfortable. But cabbage leaf really helps to cope with painful sensations and stagnation of milk. Even if the author of the article does not believe in this, you should not be so categorical.

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Many women are familiar with painful sensations in the chest. Chest pain is especially troubling. Before looking for an answer to the question of what to do, if your chest hurts, you need to find out the cause of the malaise. Could feeding itself be the cause? The female body begins to prepare for feeding literally from the moment of fertilization. Milk-producing cells emerge. The process occurs under the influence of the hormone prolactin. Pain during feeding (if there are no skin injuries or nipple discharge) is quite normal.

The first days after childbirth

If your chest hurts This means that the mother is feeding the baby incorrectly. This is why in the first days after birth it is so important to teach your baby to breastfeed. To do this, you need to feed him every time he whines, cries, moves his head from side to side, and generally shows dissatisfaction. The newborn should grasp not only the nipple, but also the areola. In the first days after childbirth, reddening of the nipples and tingling pain are allowed, which may be caused by overfilling with milk. Pain indicates that you need to properly teach your baby to latch on to the breast. Proper breastfeeding affects the satiety of the baby.

1. The breast becomes hard, engorged from the inside, burns - all these are signs that milk is “coming.” Try to feed your baby more often.

2. At each feeding you should alternate breasts.

3. Before, after and during feeding, mothers should consume more fluid.

What not to do

1. If your chest hurts, under no circumstances should you take any medications aimed at reducing milk production.

2. You cannot express your breasts until the last drop.

3. Warm the chest (with compresses).

4. Limit yourself to drinking for more than a day.

5. Make alcohol compresses.

6. Feed the baby with pacifiers, nipples, and bottles.

Period of lactation formation

Device female body transition to his new role as a nursing mother occurs approximately in the third month after birth. During the period of lactation, the baby learns to latch onto the breast correctly, and the breast, in turn, “learns” to produce more milk. It is now easier for mom to recognize when the baby is hungry. But even during this period difficulties may arise. During this period, new cells appear, under the influence of which the breast continues to grow. Milk may spontaneously drip from the nipples during feeding. If your chest hurts at the stage of lactation formation, the reason for this is the intervals between feedings of more than 4 hours.

Due to lactostasis (blockage of the milk duct), painful lumps may occur in the breasts. If you know the causes of lactostasis, the problem can be avoided. Causes:

1. squeezing (squeezing) the breast during feeding;

2. inaccurate pumping;

3. wearing tight bras;

4. improper attachment of the baby to the breast;

5. long intervals between feedings;

6. feeding according to a certain regimen;

7., in which muscle tension occurs between the shoulder blades due to the back getting tired;

8. baby sucking bottles, pacifiers, pacifiers.

How to help yourself with lactostasis:

1. First, you need to determine the cause of lactostasis and eliminate it.

2. Let the baby suckle on the sore breast more often than on the healthy one.

3. You need to feed your baby as often as possible.

4. Cold compresses from cottage cheese can be applied to the painful area, cabbage leaf. Absorbable ointments are also suitable.

5. Let the baby feed as long as possible, dissolving the lumps.

6. For compactions, an iodine mesh can help, which should be applied to the dense area.

If lactostasis does not go away after taking these measures, you should consult a doctor.

The mammary glands are the organ that, in the postpartum period, performs one of the important functions. It consists of lactation, which is necessary for the normal growth and development of a newborn baby. This process may be disrupted, which causes the appearance of pain. Therefore, it is important to understand why breasts hurt after childbirth.

Why do breasts hurt after childbirth?

If your chest hurts after childbirth, then it is necessary to find out the cause of this condition. These can be both variants of normal adaptation to a new functional state, and pathological processes that can lead to serious negative consequences for the woman's body. Therefore, it is very important to identify causative factors that can be eliminated and thereby alleviate the condition of the postpartum woman.

The main causes of chest pain after childbirth are as follows:

lactostasis - stagnation of milk in the mammary glands;
various types of mastitis - an inflammatory process that affects one or two mammary glands;
, which causes the appearance of constant aching pain in this area.

A thorough examination of the breast can reveal one or another causative factor. This will prevent various complications. For example, it may be possible to avoid surgery, since it will be possible to prevent the development of purulent mastitis, etc.

What to do for chest pain after childbirth

If you have chest pain after childbirth, it is very important to make the correct diagnosis, as it will determine further tactics for managing the patient.

If your chest hurts after childbirth and your temperature is elevated, you should think about mastitis. At the beginning it may be serous mastitis, which can easily turn into purulent, requiring surgical treatment. Treatment of this pathological condition consists of prescribing antibacterial and antipyretic drugs. It is also recommended to limit fluid intake (within reason, of course). In the presence of purulent mastitis, the purulent cavity is opened and drained. This will significantly improve the condition of the postpartum woman.
If there is a slight increase in body temperature, combined with engorgement of the mammary glands, then a diagnosis of lactostasis is made. The only treatment in this case is adequate pumping of the mammary glands. This will prevent a further increase in temperature, which may be associated with increased milk production.
If the chest is not engorged and there is no fever, then constant aching pain can be explained by stretching of the skin. It is associated with a significant increase in mammary glands in volume. There is no treatment as such. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be prescribed to make you feel better.

How to care for your breasts in the postpartum period

Breast care plays a primary role in preventing pain. To do this, be sure to express your breasts after feeding if they remain tight. You can use a breast pump or do it manually.
It is also very important to keep the mammary glands clean. To do this, it is advisable to wash them after feeding. It is recommended to use hypoallergenic soap for these purposes.
Another aspect of breast care concerns the condition of the nipples. There should be no cracks. If they are, then they need to be treated. This can be achieved using wound healing ointments. They must be washed off before feeding.

In conclusion, it should be noted that chest pain after childbirth should not be ignored, as it may be a symptom of a serious pathological process.

Therefore, it is necessary to consult a doctor promptly for medical care. This will allow us to identify the disease at an early stage and carry out its treatment, which will be highly effective.