How to prepare your breasts for lactation. You need to prepare for breastfeeding already during pregnancy. How to prepare your breasts for feeding

While the expectant mother is still pregnant, she rarely thinks about breastfeeding, especially if the baby is her first. Typically, she is more concerned about how breastfeeding may affect her breast health. And those who are expecting their second or third baby may be anxiously awaiting the start of feeding: will everything work out? Therefore, they often begin to prepare the breasts for feeding during pregnancy. But is it necessary to do this?

Some care is actually needed, because from the moment the umbilical cord is cut, the breast will become the main organ connecting mother and baby. But everything should be within reasonable limits. Lactation is not a disease, but a normal state of a woman! Moreover, this condition - like pregnancy - gives each of us a special reason to lead a healthy lifestyle. A normal, average woman just needs to act as if she is simply taking good care of her health. There are, of course, special cases, but before birth the opportunity to influence them is not too great. What may require our special care?

Breast shape and size

What not to do: become despondent at the thought that breastfeeding will ruin the shape of your breasts - and even more so, figure out how to end lactation early. The reality differs from accepted ideas: in fact, the shape of the breast does not change during feeding, but during pregnancy!

As the birth approaches, the breasts enlarge - glandular tissue develops in it, which, after the baby is born, will produce milk. Some of the adipose tissue is also replaced by glandular tissue. The peculiarities of breast tissue are such that adipose tissue holds its shape quite well, but glandular tissue does not hold its shape at all; nursing breasts become engorged only due to the fact that the glandular tissue contains milk.

The reverse process should also occur gradually - after, with a decrease in the child’s need for milk, the glandular tissue begins to be replaced by adipose tissue again. If feeding ends before this time, the breasts until the next feeding will remain in the same condition as they were at the end, that is, with a predominance of glandular tissue, which means, alas, saggy. And, oddly enough, thanks to this feature of the female body, after prolonged breastfeeding, breasts can retain their shape better than without breastfeeding!

In addition, heredity plays a very large role in whether breasts lose their shape after feeding or maintain them. How elastic the breast skin is also contributes.

What you can do, but not necessarily: if the expectant mother is not able to influence her heredity, and the duration of feeding depends primarily on her own mood, then you can do something in advance to increase the elasticity of the skin of the breast. A contrast shower has a positive effect on the elasticity of the skin of the breast; some mothers speak well of the use of special creams for pregnant women that preserve the elasticity of the bust. However, when using such creams, be careful: if you continue to use them after childbirth, there is a possibility that such cosmetics may repel the baby with their smell, or even cause irritation when in contact skin to skin.

Things to take care of: What's really important for maintaining the firmness and overall health of your breasts is good supportive underwear. For mothers with large breasts, it is better to start using a supportive bra in the last trimester of pregnancy, and then use it throughout the feeding period. If the breasts are small, then a support bra is especially important in the first weeks of feeding, when breasts of size A or B after the arrival of milk can very sharply increase in size to C or even D. The optimal one is seamless (since pressure from the seams can contribute to stagnation of milk), elastic (eg microfiber) and distributed support. It is quite possible to buy such a bra during pregnancy, because it changes its size along with the growing breasts and continues to support them well, despite large fluctuations in size.

You should also definitely think in advance about comfortable clothes for feeding in the maternity hospital and at home: either with special slits in the front, which can be ordered on many sites on the Internet by searching for “clothes for feeding,” or at least with buttons or a zipper. In practice, very often after giving birth, first-time mothers are surprised to discover that the clothes that they prepared for a comfortable stay in the maternity hospital are not at all adapted to enable them to easily and elegantly breastfeed their baby at any time and actually feed him first requirement.

Nipple shape

What not to do:"harden the nipples." Recommendations to rub your nipples with a terry towel, wear rags in your bra, “suck your breasts” or use any other similar methods are not justified. During pregnancy and after childbirth, the skin of the nipples and areola itself secretes a special protective lubricant, which should protect it from injury from the baby’s mouth - but if you rub the nipples with a towel, the lubricant will, of course, be erased, and the breasts will remain defenseless, which can lead to irritation skin earn.

The advice to “suck the breast” also does not give much results: a small child sucks the breast in a very special way, not the way his dad imagines. Effective sucking requires constant practice of just this kind of sucking: grown-up babies often forget how to suckle correctly after a week without breastfeeding, and mothers are often surprised that, for example, after a long break, feeding hurts at first. Yes, the child just forgot how to do it correctly! What can we say about his dad, who last practiced this a couple of decades ago - you can’t expect the desired effect on the chest from him.

In addition, there are a couple more difficult points: the microflora in the mouth of an adult is, to put it mildly, flawed and very different from the microflora in the mouth of a baby, with whom the mother’s breast is designed to interact. Caries in dad's mouth can cause problems with mom's nipples if future parents take the advice about the need to "absorb the breast" too seriously. What’s even worse, at the end of pregnancy, any manipulation of the nipple—whether “sucking” the breast or rubbing it with a towel—can trigger the release of the hormone oxytocin, which tone the uterus and can lead to premature contractions.

What you can do, but it is not necessary: Not everyone needs to use special creams to soften their nipples. Indeed, such creams help if a pregnant woman experiences increased nipple sensitivity in the last trimester, or if cracks occur in the first days of feeding. The main cause of cracks is improper attachment to the breast, which we will talk about in more detail later - provided that the attachment is correct, no additional means may be needed. If, nevertheless, the need for them arises, creams made from pure lanolin are best suited for this purpose - they have neither taste nor smell and do not need to be washed off.

Things to take care of: Be sure to pay attention to the shape of your nipples. If they are flat (flat nipples are those that do not protrude above the areola) or even inverted (representing a kind of dimple in the areola), this can make it somewhat difficult for the baby to latch onto the breast. To make sure exactly what shape your nipples have, you can try the effect of cold, for example, touching an ice cube: a regular nipple will become convex and stretch forward, a flat nipple will not change its shape, and a retracted nipple will, accordingly, be drawn into the areola. It is difficult for a baby to hold a breast in his mouth with an inverted or flat nipple, so be prepared to show patience and perseverance in the first days after birth.

As for various mechanical devices, their help is secondary, but can often be useful. So, just before feeding, you can stretch the nipples a little just with your fingers or with a breast pump. There are also special nipple shapers: shell-shaped, with a silicone cushion stimulating the areola, which are worn shortly before feeding, and they help the nipple rise. Sometimes it is recommended to use a syringe or syringe-like devices, but it is better not to do this: many mothers believe that this is less effective than the already mentioned means, and in the first days after childbirth it is usually also painful.

When offering breasts with flat or inverted nipples, at first you will need to properly support the baby's head and form a fold on the chest parallel to the mouth to make it easier to latch on to. It is best if a lactation consultant or an experienced midwife immediately helps you with the correct attachment of your baby.

Feeding in the underarm position also helps, and, most importantly, avoiding the use of artificial nipples and pacifiers. Usually, newborn babies have a very strong sucking reflex, and if the mother offers only the breast, the baby will make efforts to take and learn to suck the breast; If, in parallel with a breast that is not very convenient for sucking, the mother offers an artificial pacifier, quite often children choose an object that is more convenient for sucking... This situation can also be overcome, but the mother will need even more work.

The main thing to remember is that babies whose mother tries to latch on well always suck on almost any breast during the first two to three weeks of feeding, and the nipples then remain more prominent than before!

Let's get our heads ready!

The main advice to young mothers is that you need to prepare your head for feeding first. Find out in advance at least the most basic things about caring for your baby, about possible difficulties in breastfeeding and ways to overcome them. If you are pregnant and reading this book, congratulations, you are already doing a lot for successful breastfeeding!

What not to do: buy literature about children by unknown authors, especially those written in the last century. Very often it turns out that such books simply reprint information from the 50s and 60s, when it was believed that this was not only normal, but also a distinctive sign of an “advanced” mother... Has not stood the test of time and is well known to everyone Dr. Spock: his books once made a revolution; according to the then concepts of education, it was truly a huge step forward. But from the point of view of modern knowledge about breastfeeding and interaction with children, many of the tips presented in his book are simply harmful. In addition, few people know that Spock's son, raised according to his famous system, did not speak with his father until the end of his life...

Instead of Spock, it is better to pay attention to the books of William and Martha Sears (in another edition - Sears): in the family of these famous pediatricians and nurses, who raised eight children, they adhered to the attachment parenting style that is quite relevant now. This is most often translated into Russian as “style of rapprochement.” Their books “Your Child from Birth to Two Years”, “Night Parenting”, “25 Main Advice for a Young Mother” gently and at the same time professionally teach how to find interaction with your child.

It is also a good idea to visit and bookmark the following sites on the Internet:

http://akev.ru/content/blogcategory/23/52/ - articles and translations by members of the Association of Breastfeeding Consultants;
http://breastfeeding.narod.ru/ - site "Tips for nursing mothers" with beautiful animated articles and translations of foreign articles;
http://www.llli.org/Russian.html - Russian-language page of the International Dairy League, where you can find translations of articles on issues relevant to nursing mothers.

That, in fact, is all that can be done before giving birth - the rest is ahead!

Three questions about breastfeeding

My mother and older sister both had problems with their nipples—painful cracks. Mom says that as a preventive measure, you need to rub your nipples more diligently with a towel after a shower. How early should you start doing this? I am now in the second trimester of my first pregnancy. But my mother also did this kind of prevention, but there were still problems. What else can you do? To be honest, even rubbing with a towel is already unpleasant for me: it’s harsh... the skin is very delicate...

It’s great that you’re planning to prepare for breastfeeding before giving birth! You are now doing a very important and necessary thing - find out how feeding went with your older relatives. But there is a peculiarity in adopting someone else’s experience: if you know for sure that someone else’s experience was negative, then they can only tell you exactly how they came to these negative results. Of course, following such advice, you will most likely get the same result... And if your mother rubbed her nipples with a towel as a preventive measure against cracks, and there were still cracks, then why would you repeat the same thing? In addition, with very delicate skin, rubbing with a towel can in itself become a prerequisite for the occurrence of cracks...

I have very small breasts and am very worried about whether I will have enough milk?

Don't worry - breast size has virtually no effect on milk production! The amount of milk is determined not by the size of the breast, but by its capacity, and the capacity in turn depends on the number of glandular cells. Glandular cells develop in the breast during pregnancy and are especially active in the first days after birth, in direct proportion to the frequency of feeding the baby. Your task is to feed your baby as often as possible, and then the supply will match the demand!

My friend and I are expecting babies, the period is almost the same. But droplets are constantly coming out of her breasts, she has even started using special pads in her bra, but I can’t get a single drop! Does this mean that I will have problems with milk?

No, don’t worry, this is just an individual feature of the breast, which says absolutely nothing about the amount of milk! Your friend just needs to be prepared for the fact that after giving birth, milk will leak even more actively. Well, you’ll just have a little less difficulty with wet clothes! So wait for your baby without worry.

Ryukhova Irina,
book chapter

Pregnancy is a wonderful time. This is a time of exciting anticipation and pleasant reflection. For all nine months, the baby, while in its mother’s belly, goes through stages of incredible transformation. And at this time the mother has an excellent opportunity to prepare for the birth of her treasure. Most pregnant women associate preparation for childbirth with preparing the cervix, practicing proper breathing, as well as purchasing the necessary items to care for the baby. But few people think about how to prepare the breasts for feeding, why this is even needed and how to do it correctly.

The female body undergoes changes during pregnancy. And the mammary glands are no exception. A few weeks after conception, the breasts become noticeably heavier and increase in size. The areolas of the nipples darken, their sensitivity increases, and many begin to secrete colostrum - the primary milk.

Why do you need to prepare your breasts for feeding?

In fact, preparatory actions are not only about protecting the breasts from cracks during feeding. But it is also important to maintain the shape and visual attractiveness of the breasts in perfect condition. How to prepare for breastfeeding without causing harm?

How to cook breasts and nipples

At the very beginning, you should determine the type of nipples. The main thing is that they are not retracted or flat, since with this shape it is difficult for the child to grab the mother’s breast for sucking. To find out what shape your nipple is, you can take an ice cube and rub it over the nipple. A normally shaped nipple will become convex, hard and pulled forward. Inverted nipples from the cold deepen even further into the areola. And flat ones remain just as flat when exposed to cold.
Even during pregnancy, you need to take care of a comfortable, supportive bra, as well as a nursing bra with opening cups and wide straps. Preference should be given to underwear made from natural fabrics; the size should be chosen correctly so that nothing is pinched and the woman is comfortable. It is difficult to do without special underwear during breastfeeding: it is comfortable, practical and, most importantly, safe.
Not only the skin of the abdomen, but also the chest is susceptible to stretch marks. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, the mammary glands can increase significantly and dramatically. Unprepared, dry skin cannot withstand stretching and therefore stretch marks appear. Special moisturizing creams do an excellent job of preventing stretch marks. They make the skin elastic, soft, preventing rupture of connective tissue (stretch marks). When choosing a cream for stretch marks, it is important to pay attention to the composition of the product. It’s good when it contains little chemicals and a lot of natural oils. You need to be extremely careful in the postpartum period. It is advisable to completely abandon treatment of the breast with various means. And if this is necessary, then it is better to use baby creams or oils.
Cold and hot shower. Alternating warm and cool water tones the skin, improves blood circulation, as if training it. Alternating exposure of the skin to water of opposite temperature is an excellent preparation of the breast for feeding. So, if possible, it is recommended to take a contrast shower daily.
Massage. The massage is designed to strengthen tissue and increase blood circulation. But massage is contraindicated for prenatal breast preparation. Pregnant women should not apply pressure to their nipples, as stimulating them releases the hormone oxytocin, which can cause miscarriage or premature birth. During pregnancy, the effect on the breasts should be very delicate and careful. In the postpartum period, breast massage can be done, and in some cases it is even necessary (for example, with engorgement, stagnation of milk and other problems).
Consulting a specialist on breastfeeding (breastfeeding) will not harm any mother. During the conversation, all the questions of an inexperienced mother will be answered, including questions related to preparing the breasts for feeding.

If your nipples are flat

What to do when your nipples are flat? Indeed, with flat nipples, problems may arise with the baby's latching onto the breast. If a woman has exactly this breast structure, there is no need to worry. Perhaps the future child will eat without problems.

Special exercises will help to stretch the nipple:

You need to take the nipple by the areola with two fingers, squeeze, and then release. Perform for one minute. Then perform the same action with the second nipple;

Rolling the nipple between the fingers from bottom to top;

Light, short-term pinching of the areolas and nipples with your fingertips, but not with your nails.

It is important not to overdo it here, as overstimulation of the nipples can be dangerous for pregnant women, especially if the pregnancy is still very early. And before preparing your breasts for feeding, it is better to consult a doctor and make sure your own actions are correct.

If a flat nipple is the reason your baby refuses to eat, silicone breast pads will help. They are sold in pharmacies and come in different shapes (somewhat reminiscent of a pacifier). The shields are applied to the nipples, and the baby drinks breast milk through them.

How to get rid of increased nipple irritability

After the birth of the baby and the start of breastfeeding, many women note discomfort in the nipple area and its excessive sensitivity. In order not to experience discomfort, it is important to adhere to certain rules:

It is necessary to properly apply the baby to the breast and wean it from the breast! Perhaps the baby has an incorrect latch - the nipple is injured, and hence the unpleasant sensations. When the baby has eaten, you should not force the nipple out of his mouth. Help him release the nipple with your finger. As a rule, after the baby begins to suck properly, breast problems go away after 1-2 days.
Replace rough underwear with softer, natural fabrics. The hard tissue is likely irritating your already injured nipples.
Do not rub your nipples or rub products containing alcohol or other aggressive substances into them!
Treat your nipples with healing agents such as bepanten or sea buckthorn oil. Bepanten treats microcracks and creates a protective film on the areola. In addition, it is safe for the baby.
If the papillae hurt, you can make tea compresses, as well as compresses from a decoction of chamomile and oak bark.

What not to do

Rub your nipples with a towel. This method of preparing the breasts for feeding has been known since Soviet times. Many obstetricians still argue that rubbing the nipples with a rough towel is simply necessary. In fact, when exposed to hard tissue, microcracks form on the nipple, invisible to the naked eye. Subsequently, these microcracks will become a gateway for infection. In addition, nipple stimulation during pregnancy is fraught with dangerous consequences, which were mentioned above.
Apply creams and other products to your nipples after childbirth. Nature itself took care of the protection of the female breast, laying down in the body the process of producing a special protective lubricant for the nipples and areolas of the female breast. Interestingly, this protective lubricant appears only after childbirth and is designed to protect the vulnerable and delicate female breast from damage. Therefore, you should not buy “special” additional protective equipment. Obviously, they will not help a nursing mother, but they can cause harm, given the allergenic substances they contain. It should be noted that in some cases it is necessary to smear the nipples: when they have cracks. But if necessary, only a doctor should prescribe an ointment and only after an examination, because the active ingredient of any gel can cause an allergic reaction in an infant.
Harden your nipples. Prepare your breasts for feeding wisely! There is no need to purposefully apply air baths or wipe your breasts with ice cubes! Moreover, during lactation, the breasts must be protected from hypothermia!

Is it possible to maintain the same breast shape?

Indeed, breastfeeding is a whole test for a woman’s beautiful breasts. To preserve its beauty and elasticity, you need to follow the traditional, well-known rules:

Wear a comfortable, supportive bra of the right size;
- wear comfortable underwear made from natural fabrics;
- during the feeding period, when the breasts are filled with milk, avoid jumping and running;
- while sleeping, do not take a position “on your stomach”;
- you can’t suddenly lose weight or lose weight, everything should be gradual;
- feeding the baby should occur in the correct comfortable position;
- Natural oils will help the beauty of your breasts, namely rubbing them in.

It is important to note that the condition of a woman’s figure, including her breasts, largely depends on the hereditary factor, as well as on the degree to which a woman takes care of her body and a healthy lifestyle.

Breast exercises to help you prepare for breastfeeding

Stroking. Use circular movements; you can stroke two breasts at the same time. It is allowed to massage with oils.
Stroking the breast in the direction from the base to the nipple, from all sides. You can also stroke two breasts at the same time.
Chest lifts. The breast is lifted from below with the palm of your hand, and delicately pressed from above with the other hand. Do the same with the second breast.
Exercise against sagging breasts. Sit up straight. The hands are folded as if for prayer, the elbows are spread to the sides. Palms “look” up. Now you need to press the lower parts of your palms against each other, and at the same time the muscles supporting the chest will tense.

Gentle massage is useful for preventing lactostasis. You can massage your breasts before each feeding; however, massage actions do not have to be professional; it is enough to just slightly knead the breasts to make it easier for the baby to suck milk.

To summarize, I would like to note once again that special preparation of the breast for feeding is not something mandatory or necessary. Nipple preparation is only an addition to all prenatal preparation, with the exception of those extraordinary cases when feeding the baby is difficult due to certain reasons. It should be remembered that lactation is a natural process, and everything in this process is already provided for and wisely arranged by nature. Unnecessary rough interference in this “mechanism” will not bring any benefit. There is another extreme: connivance, poor lifestyle and unsanitary conditions; these aspects also do not contribute to the proper preparation of a woman for lactation. Therefore, before preparing your nipples, you should consult your doctor.

Pregnancy and childbirth are a very important moment in the life of every woman. It is clear that she will have a lot of worries and questions, especially if this is her first child. One of these questions is how to prepare the breasts for feeding so that there are no problems with lactation later. There are many methods and recipes for this, all of them are quite simple and with constant practice they bring beneficial results.

Every woman cares about her beauty and health. And many, due to the fear of losing beautiful and firm breasts, refuse to breastfeed, citing the fact that adapted formulas are better suited to a newborn. But this argument will be refuted by any neonatologist and pediatrician. Even the best formula will never replace mother's milk, and in addition, digestive problems are possible. And this will not have the best effect on a woman’s health: to stop lactation, they use drugs that cause hormonal imbalance. It's up to you to decide, of course, but it's worth thinking about the consequences.

During pregnancy, you should carefully prepare yourself mentally for breastfeeding. This will set the right mood and will help after the birth of the child.

As studies show, mothers who were more psychologically prepared have milk coming in faster and the breastfeeding process is easier to establish.

But it often happens that a pregnant woman is worried about future feeding because of the shape of her nipples. There are three types of nipples:

convex;
flat;
drawn in.

The last two cases may be cause for concern. But don't get upset in advance. In both cases, feeding is possible. The question immediately arises: how to prepare nipples for feeding with such types? Firstly, the baby suckles at the breast, and the shape of the nipple is not so important to him. The main thing is to learn how to properly attach the baby and choose more comfortable positions. And secondly, you can correct the shape with the help of special massage and correctors.

Nipple preparation is used only after the 30th week of pregnancy and only on the recommendation of a doctor. Correctors are sold in pharmacies and are worn for five to thirty minutes (gradually increasing the time) during pregnancy and for 15-20 minutes before feeding after childbirth. They help to stretch out the nipple a little and make it less sensitive, which is also necessary.

There is also the Hoffman technique, which, using special actions and massage, helps to stretch the nipple. But it is controversial and most gynecologists do not recommend it. In addition to the fact that it can cause uterine tone, thereby provoking the threat of termination of pregnancy, if carried out incorrectly, disturbances and injuries to the milk ducts of the mammary glands are possible.

Preparing to breastfeed

How to prepare your breasts for feeding a baby is how breastfeeding itself will pass. And you need to prepare yourself mentally and physically.

During pregnancy, you need to be prepared that everything will be fine and feeding will go without problems. For these purposes, you can visit a psychologist. You can also discuss all your concerns with a lactation consultant.

To maintain the elasticity and development of the breasts, do a light massage:

Take the mammary gland with both hands and gently, with light pressure, massage in a circular motion.
Hold the nipple between your index finger and thumb and twist it slightly.
Press the right breast with the palm of your right hand, and the left breast with your left.

Repeat each action 10-15 times daily.

You can also do a set of exercises that will not worsen your health during pregnancy, but will help maintain healthy tone of the skin and chest muscles.

Extend your arms in front of you and make a “scissors” movement, alternately spreading them in different directions and crossing them in front of you.
Lie on your back, bend your legs at the knees and spread them wide apart (as comfortable as you like). Take dumbbells in your hands and move them in different directions. Then bring and separate alternately.
The exercise “prayer” helps a lot. Bring your palms together at chest level and press firmly on each other. Then connect them in the same way above your head, and then behind your back.

Each block of exercises should be performed 15 times. This is a very good preparation of the breast for feeding.

With sensitive skin, cracks and other injuries in a nursing mother are often possible. Therefore, it would be good to prepare the nipples during pregnancy and harden them. To do this, when taking a shower, water your chest alternately with cool and warm water. When you wash your face in the morning, wet a soft terry towel with cool water and rub your breasts, areolas and nipples. Air baths are also needed for the chest. Just take off your underwear and walk around the apartment for 20-30 minutes. You can make tea baths or oak bark baths for your breasts. Brew it according to the instructions on the package, cool to room temperature and dip your breasts in it.

In addition, preparing the mammary glands for feeding requires properly selected underwear. The bra should be comfortable, not overtighten the breasts, but at the same time support them well, preventing them from sagging. The straps should be wide, the base should be soft, without foam rubber or push-up. Do not forget that during pregnancy, breasts increase by 1-2 sizes, so you can take a small margin. But you don’t need to take one that’s too big; it’s better to buy a new one later.

Mistakes of past generations

Previously, preparation of the mammary glands for lactation was carried out, but in more severe ways. But even now there are doctors of the “old school” and the older generation who can “teach” them to a young, inexperienced mother.

To harden the nipples, hard tissues were often used to rub them. They were also placed in a bra for greater effect. This caused irritation and cracks to appear. You shouldn't do this now. A soft towel will suffice, as mentioned above.

Alcohol was used for lotions. They soaked gauze and placed it on their chests. But this only makes the skin dry, which also negatively affects its condition in the future.

The most common mistake of the current generation remains overly intensive breast hygiene. Washing it frequently, even with soap, dries out the delicate skin and washes away the protective layer. This type of washing is enough even twice a day: morning and evening. At the same time, it is necessary to change underwear daily so that it always remains fresh and clean. You can lubricate your nipples and areolas with your milk.

After childbirth

After the birth of a child, many are faced with the problem of cracked nipples, even if the breasts have been prepared. Yes, this can happen, but don’t despair in advance.

For this reason, many stopped feeding (in particular, on the advice of well-wishers, friends and relatives) or resorted to bottles, which only worsened the situation. First of all, you don’t need to listen to everyone. Listen only to those who support you. Contact your breastfeeding consultant. And tune in to a positive outcome.

Secondly, put aside all foreign sucking objects at least for the period of normal breastfeeding. With bottles and pacifiers at the moment you are only preventing the baby from learning to suck properly. And thirdly, see if you are latching your baby correctly. He may not be comfortable in this particular position, so experiment with feeding positions.

For irregularly shaped nipples, which were mentioned earlier, it is often recommended to resort to silicone overlays. But you shouldn’t do this either, since the baby will get used to the elongated nipple and may continue to feel discomfort from the unusual shape.

Don't forget about massage, hardening and gymnastics. Do not overdo it with the latter, as heavy loads may cause the milk to taste worse or there may be less of it.

A young mother needs to eat well, properly and nutritiously. After giving birth, many people want to regain their pre-pregnancy weight as soon as possible. But at first, exercise is prohibited due to the possibility of bleeding. Afterwards, you can gradually introduce them, but do not overload yourself.

This is approximately how much a woman needs to eat without harm to her health.

	calories/day	proteins, g/day	fats, g/day	carbohydrates, g/day
healthy woman	1500-2000	50-70	50-80	200-350
pregnant woman	1800-2500	60-85	60-80	270-450
nursing woman	2000-2600	75-90	60-80	300-500

By understanding how to properly prepare your breasts for feeding, you can avoid many problems with breastfeeding. In addition, this will help keep the bust in its original form, avoid stretch marks and sagging. Don't give up breastfeeding. After all, there is nothing more beneficial for children than mother's milk. In addition, moments of feeding are the unity of mother and child, their communication on the mental level. You shouldn’t lose them in pursuit of illusory motives.

Very often, expectant mothers are already worried in advance about how to set things up for them. Is it possible to do something and how to prepare the nipples for feeding so that lactation can be established as easily as possible?

How to prepare nipples for feeding?

Of course, for everything to go smoothly and without unnecessary nerves, it is better to take care of your breasts during pregnancy. The main thing here is to immediately understand that the key to successful breastfeeding is in the head, not the breast! No amount of rubbing the nipples with a cloth as grandmothers advise will help to avoid cracks, but on the contrary, it can injure and cause infection. If you put your baby to your breast correctly, there will be no problems. So it’s better to listen to positive advice, read life-affirming literature and not doubt yourself.

Inverted nipples when feeding

The only time prepping the breast itself makes a real difference is when you have inverted or flat nipples. A couple of tips will answer how to design nipples for feeding in this case:

Do a special massage of the nipple: grab it with two fingers and twist and pull it a little. It is important not to overdo it here, as such an effect can cause uterine contractions.
Buy special forming nipple shields for feeding. There are those that are worn for a few minutes a day during pregnancy, and there are those that are worn already during feeding.

How to treat nipples before feeding?

It was once believed that before breastfeeding, breasts must be washed with soap. However, it was found that this only destroys the natural protection and promotes the formation of cracks. So the nipples do not require special treatment; it is enough to observe basic hygiene and take a shower every day. To prevent and treat cracks, you can use special creams and ointments with panthenol.

How to prepare your breasts for feeding? This is perhaps the most common question from mothers who are preparing for childbirth for the first time. Breast milk is the most precious food for a newborn, and every mother wants to give her baby the best. It is during feeding that a strong connection is established between mother and child, which accompanies him in the future, he develops better and does not get sick. You should not rely only on nature to prepare your breasts during pregnancy. It's worth the effort. Mastering the correct feeding technique and the woman’s psychological attitude play a big role in this.

Breast milk is the most precious food for a newborn, and every mother wants to give her baby the best

In the post-war period, it was necessary to feed the baby strictly according to the clock, express milk, take a night feeding break of at least 9 hours, wash the breast before each feeding with soap and wash the nipple with a solution of boric acid, and express milk after feeding. Now all this is considered incorrect.

Today there are many myths about the shape of the bust, according to which many assure that you should not expect much from small breasts, it is better to immediately switch to nipples and bottles. This is absolutely wrong. There are no “milk” women; production depends only on the hormones prolactin and oxytocin. 1-2 days after birth, they will begin to stimulate lactation so that it will be possible to feed other children. All you need is the right attitude.

They are not as complicated as they may seem, but preparing for breastfeeding will increase your long-term breastfeeding chances. Principles of preparation include working with the nipples, choosing the right bra, and hardening them. But everything needs to be done within reason:

First you need to decide on the shape of the nipples. They can be convex ideally, retracted or flat, which will require some effort. It is advisable to consult with your doctor whether you can have nipple stimulation, because in the first half of pregnancy this can cause a miscarriage, and in the second half it can cause premature birth.
You need to pay attention to the condition of the skin of your mammary glands: the first six months of pregnancy, the breasts are washed like the rest of the body, but in the last trimester of pregnancy it is better to avoid exposure to soaps and gels, as they dry the skin.
To make the skin not so thin and sensitive, in the last trimester you can apply a lotion of tea or oak decoction to the areola for a few minutes.
Air baths are considered useful: you need to leave your chest open for 10-15 minutes, which will harden it a little. But you don't need to expose it to direct sunlight.
Hardening can include pouring water over the chest - first warm, then very gradually reducing the temperature by no more than 1° daily. Dousing yourself with excessively cold water does not make sense. Rubbing the nipples with ice cubes is recommended by some, but it will not give much effect, but hypothermia is very possible. During the hardening process, train yourself to wash yourself to the waist with water at room temperature in the morning.
Breasts always increase during pregnancy, and to maintain their shape, it is advisable to wear a comfortable bra made of natural fabric with wide straps, and it should not squeeze. There is no need to buy it taking into account future growth.
Massage – a light massage in the last trimester of pregnancy will not do any harm; it will help soften the breasts and improve blood flow. The massage consists of light stroking movements around the nipple areola, from top to bottom, as if expressing milk. The massage is carried out clockwise after a shower.

How to prepare your breasts for feeding (video)

What to do if you have a flat nipple

To determine the type of nipple, just pinch it lightly with 2 fingers and squeeze lightly; if it protrudes outward, it is convex; if it goes inward, it is retracted; if it does not respond, it is flat. There is no need to be upset about this. There is a golden rule: the baby sucks on the breast, not the nipple. You just need to help your nipples stretch out a little.

How to prepare nipples? For this purpose there are special pads, which are called - (medela), they are inserted into the bra and worn during the day. During this time, they gently press on the areola and help the nipples stretch forward. They can be used both during pregnancy and after childbirth between feedings.

Some advise using vacuum breast pumps for the same purpose. There is another method - the Hoffman technique. Some recommend it, others are against it: grab the nipple with your thumbs and rub it sideways and up and down with gentle movements, 2 times a day for 5 minutes is enough. Friction - to somewhat roughen the skin of the nipples - cut out circles the size of the areola from a terry towel and place them in the bodice opposite the nipples. When wearing a bra, they will rub very softly and easily against the nipples - this is also an opportunity to prepare them for feeding. Pulling the nipple forward and outward, twisting it slightly for a minute, while it becomes more convex, which is what the nursing body requires. It is convenient for the baby to take the prepared nipple.

Do not offer your baby a bottle with a nipple instead of a breast, even with flat nipples: it is much easier to suck from a bottle, and then the baby will not take the breast at all. But you should know that all your efforts in preparing for lactation pale in comparison to the capabilities of the baby himself: with proper attachment, the baby will absorb the breast on its own in the first 2-3 weeks of feeding. At the same time, enlarged and protruding nipples will remain that way. The baby will suckle at any breast. Offer it to him more often and do not take it away by force until he is satisfied and refuses it himself. Latch your baby on demand.

What to do about nipple sensitivity

Another problem is with touching. Unpleasant sensations appear when feeding the baby, and this becomes torment for the mother. But even in this case, you can prepare the nipples for feeding:

Wearing a bra made of fairly coarse, dense fabric to train the nipple and make it less sensitive. Sometimes, as early as 4 months of pregnancy, colostrum begins to be released, which, when dried, can damage the skin. You can put thick cloths in your bra.
Air baths for the chest during the day at home.
Do not rub your nipples with alcohol lotions.
Apply your baby to the breast correctly, and the discomfort will go away in 1-2 weeks.

Do not offer your baby a bottle with a nipple instead of a breast, even with flat nipples: it is much easier to suck from a bottle, and then the baby will not take the breast at all

What not to do

After childbirth, the breasts themselves produce natural lubrication, and therefore you should not lubricate the nipples with cream. It is only needed for cracks. Lanolin cream is better: it does not require rinsing, is completely absorbed, odorless and tasteless. Cracks appear only when the baby is not attached correctly.

Some women often ask their husbands to suckle their breasts - this is both harmful and makes no sense. The baby sucks in a special way. If you take him off the breast when he has already grown up, after a week he already forgets how to do it correctly. And mothers then wonder why feeding the child in such cases becomes painful.

Wearing a bra: there should be no squeezing, otherwise the milk may disappear. There is no need to buy it for future growth; it is better to purchase a new one when changing the size. Wear special nursing bras with an opening nipple; to maintain the shape of your bust, it is better to wear it constantly during breastfeeding.
Exercises can help maintain the shape of the chest and its elasticity: push-ups (from a wall or floor), the “prayer” exercise (elbows apart, fold your palms and press hard on each other to tighten the pectoral muscles), various movements with outstretched arms, forearms, rotations shoulders, etc. Running and jumping are not necessary, they are harmful to the mammary glands.
When the glands are filled with milk, it is not recommended to sleep on the chest.
Even if your weight has increased after childbirth, while breastfeeding is going on, it is not recommended to lose weight.
Feeding the baby must be done in the correct position.

How to prepare your breasts for feeding your baby? Lactation will be especially successful if the baby is immediately placed on the mother’s stomach and attached to the breast: at this moment it contains colostrum - a liquid rich in composition with vitamins, enzymes, antibodies and immunoglobulins. It also contains a lot of BZHU - this is the baby’s first vaccination in his life.

Colostrum is enough for the baby in the first 1-2 days if there is no milk yet. Preparing your breasts for feeding should not begin with a fanatical desire for sterility: do not wash it with soap before each feeding, this only dries the skin. In addition, soap interrupts the smell of mom. It is enough to wash your breasts while showering with warm water. 1 feeding = 1 breast.

Attachment should be on demand - if there is any crying, first offer the baby your breast. Do not tear off the nipple forcibly; when the baby is full, he will release it himself. In the first days, babies hang on the chest for hours, not because they are not full, but because they are so comfortable. Don't give your baby a pacifier to calm him down. Although the nipple is convenient for the mother, this will disrupt the milk status.

If a child receives milk on demand, he does not need additional water: the first portion of milk (front milk) is rich in water (this is a drink for him), the last portion (hind milk) is fatty, filling - it is food. If you give water, the baby sucks less, and lactation suffers from this.

Don’t rush into complementary feeding before 6 months: breast milk is healthier than zucchini in a jar. After 6 months, complementary feeding is needed more for variety and introduction to new tastes than for the child’s health. Introducing complementary foods early will quickly replace breast milk.

To prevent lactostasis, it is useful to change the mother’s positions during the day: this is necessary to “milk” milk from different segments of the gland, even the most distant ones. There is one rule: where the baby’s chin rests, the milk is sucked out from there. Poses:

armpit feeding;
lying on mom's arm;
lying jack;
hanging pose;
lying down, baby on top;
child sitting;
sitting on mom's hip;
standing.

The last pose, of course, should not be done before bedtime.

The minimum term of a GW is up to a year, it is better to extend it to 2-3 years. And the point here is not about complementary feeding. After a year, the baby is not yet psychologically prepared to enter the world without his mother’s breast; he is not comfortable. Make sure you have the correct grip when feeding: if this is not the case, air is swallowed during feeding, causing bloating and weight loss.

How to prepare your breasts for feeding your baby (video)

Application technique

The main thing in feeding is proper attachment:

belly to belly pose;
the baby’s face is turned to the chest, he should not reach for the nipple;
The baby's mouth completely captures the areola and nipple, with his tongue he squeezes out the milk and then swallows it.

Feeding time is different for everyone: some need 10-15 minutes, others hang on the breast for hours. The release of milk is determined by oxytocin, the first 30-40 seconds there is no milk yet during sucking, the milk ducts are at the beginning of their contraction, as a result of which the milk begins to move towards the outlet - this is the anterior portion. After 1-5 minutes, hindmilk comes in - this is where oxytocin begins to work: it forces the gland cells to contract and secrete milk. Irritation of the nipple skin by the baby's lips stimulates the production of prolactin.