What to do if breast milk is hard and swollen

It is very common to have breast engorgement during lactation, and some even have lumps, which is actually caused by milk accumulation. This phenomenon can easily occur when a new mother's breasts secrete too much milk, which the baby cannot finish and is not excreted in time. But don't worry, there are some methods to improve it. So, what should I do if my breasts become hard? Let’s take a look below.

1. When you have milk blockage, do not continue to drink thick milk-inducing soups. You must eat a light diet and drink plenty of water to allow the body's water to disperse the lumps.

2. When you do breast-clearing by yourself, you don’t have to use the traditional supine or sitting position. Instead, you can sit down and slowly bend your upper body so that your breasts are facing the ground. Due to the effect of gravity, if the breast is unobstructed, we will see milk dripping out after a while. For breasts with blocked milk ducts, massaging in this state can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

3. Unblock the breasts: When there is milk duct blockage, sisters can massage with their hands. If you feel there are lumps inside, you can also try to apply olive oil on it and use your fingers to gently comb the blocked area from the chest to the nipple.

4. The best way to clear milk knots is to let the baby suck. Let your baby's chin point to the position of the lump on the breast to suck, because the chin has the greatest suction force when the baby sucks. For example, if the milk knot is on the outside of the mother's right breast, let the mother sit in front of the table, put pillows, small mattresses and other textiles that are comfortable for the baby and can adjust the height on the table, let the baby face the mother, lie on the right side, with the top of the head facing the mother's left breast, and suck the mother's right breast. At this time, the baby's chin will be facing the place where there is a milk knot on the outside of the mother's right breast.

5. If the mother can breastfeed herself, there is no need to express the milk and then feed it to the baby with a bottle. Breastfeeding mothers do not need to worry about how much ml their babies eat, they can just feed on demand. Babies and mothers are natural best partners, and the more they suck, the more milk they will produce.