Breastfeeding has its own rules, and one of the most important is to feed on demand.
That is, if the baby wants to eat, the mother will give it.
If you do something extra, you can create new problems.
The day before yesterday, I went to the ward round and saw a mother sucking milk with a breast pump, I was a little puzzled and asked her: Haven't you always balanced supply and demand, and you are breast-feeding?
Bao Ma said: Xiaohongshu said that every time you feed it, you must use a breast pump to empty it, otherwise the amount of milk will be reduced.
No, no, no, you can give birth to as much as your baby eats, and such a balance between supply and demand is the most ideal state. There's really no need to be stimulated.
Otherwise, after the baby has eaten, he will use the breast pump to stimulate more, and the feedback to the body is that my milk is not enough, and I need to continue to be prolific, so that the milk will be more and more. If you don't remove the milk in time, you will have uncomfortable milk swelling later.
Sure enough, today, Bao's mother said that her breasts were so full and swollen.
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I checked my mother's breasts, and even not long after feeding, my breasts were still full.
There was a lot of milk, but it could not be removed in time, and the mother felt bloating pain. The skin of her entire breast was stretched out and swollen, slightly red, and the glandular tubes felt obviously full and swollen, but there was no induration, just a lot of milk.
Ask Bao Ma whether she wants to be a "big cow" mother or a mother who balances supply and demand.
Bao Ma said that she didn't want to have so much milk, just enough to eat.
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According to the mother's milk pain:
1. Slightly evacuated milk to relieve the discomfort of the moment.
2. Inform the mother to use a cold compress to relieve the feeling of chest fullness;
3. According to the baby's needs, feed on demand, in addition, no longer stimulate with a breast pump;
4. Between feedings, if you feel that your breasts are swollen and uncomfortable, use your fingers to express a little milk from the areola, and as long as you feel that it is acceptable, stop and no longer stimulate.
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The balance between supply and demand is the most comfortable stage when feeding.
The milk is enough for the baby to eat, and the mother's chest is not swollen.
The balance between supply and demand has been reached, but after each feeding, you have to continue to empty your breasts, which is to push yourself step by step to the situation of increasing milk and blocking milk.
(Picture from the Internet)
The brain is very clever and calculates how much milk should be produced to feed your baby based on the number of times your baby sucks and the time it takes to suck each time (effective sucking, falling asleep with the nipple in your mouth doesn't count).
If you empty your breasts after each feeding, isn't it telling your brain that you don't have enough milk?
Some mothers will ask, if the breasts are not emptied after each feeding, won't the amount of milk left in the breasts tell the brain to give birth less next time? The amount of milk produced by the brain has always been constantly corrected according to the feedback of demand. Equilibrium is reached when the milk production gradually approaches the baby's needs. Of course, this equilibrium is not accurate to a few milliliters, but within a range.
Let the milk be enough to eat, so that the chest does not swell.