How to properly prepare the breast for feeding and when it is necessary. Breast and nipple preparation for breastfeeding How to prepare nipples for breastfeeding

Changes in the female breast begin to occur even at the stage of pregnancy. The breast becomes heavier, becomes sensitive, changes in the size and color of the nipples - nature prepares the woman for the future feeding of the baby.

Is there any point in preparing the breast for feeding and how to do it?

Why is breast preparation necessary during pregnancy?

Some future mothers mistakenly think that preparing the breast for the birth of a baby is the prevention of cracked nipples.

In fact, the best prevention to prevent the appearance of cracks is to perform, that is, proper attachment of the crumbs to the breast and proper release of the nipple from the child's mouth.

So why, then, and how exactly to prepare the breast for feeding?

First, inspect the nipples. With their retracted or flat shape, the capture of the breast by the baby is complicated. How to define it? Very simple: a normal nipple, under the influence of cold, stretches forward and takes on a convex shape, a retracted one is drawn into the areola, a flat one does not change shape at all. A non-standard shape will prevent the breast from being held in the baby's mouth. And although this is not a particularly serious problem, nevertheless, preparing the future "dairy factory" for feeding will not be superfluous.
Take care of buying the right "outfit" in advance. Your "nursing" bra should be exclusively natural, have detachable cups and, preferably, wide straps.
Don't forget about and take time to maintain the elasticity of the breast skin (cream, supporting bra, shower, etc.).

What not to do:

Harden nipples. The expectant mother absolutely does not need the procedure for “resorption” of the nipples, rubbing them with a towel and other popular advice. Remember: nature has already prepared the female breast for feeding, and you can only slightly correct those points that can really become a problem (nipple sensitivity, flat nipples, etc.). And it is worth remembering that any manipulation of the nipples on later dates able to tone the uterus, as well as provoke childbirth.
Soften nipples with cream. Breasts produce natural lubrication on their own! And nipple softening cream is just a way to profit from the gullibility of ignorant mothers. A special ointment is needed only when cracks appear on the nipples during feeding (and that is prescribed by a doctor).

Preparing breasts for feeding with flat nipples

There is no reason to panic. Even if you do not take care of the problem of flat nipples in advance, then after a month of feeding, the baby himself will stretch the nipples to the desired state .

Main - avoid bottles and pacifiers . Feeling more comfortable for sucking objects, the baby will simply refuse the breast.

So, how to prepare the chest?

Special exercises. We stretch the areola, squeeze the nipples between the fingers - we are not zealous in order to avoid trouble (uterine tone). For each action - a maximum of a minute.
The doctor's consultation, lactation specialist. We are learning how to properly attach a child to the chest.
Remove all purchased nipples and bottles in a distant drawer.
Don't listen to advice, like - "with such nipples it is better to feed from a bottle than torturing yourself and the child."
Understand that the baby will suck on the breast with any nipples if you don't disturb him!
Use a breast pump and manual pumping after starting feeding. They will also help in stretching the nipples, if there are no contraindications to pumping.

Also, special pads that gently press on the areola (they are put into a bra), and proofreaders acting on the principle of a pump. But, before engaging in such procedures, consult a specialist.

Increased nipple sensitivity

Often, discomfort when feeding a baby arises from high nipple sensitivity .

How can you get out of trouble?

Use coarse bras (linen, terry, etc.) or put pads made of coarse material into the bra cups.
Do not rub the nipples and do not use lotions containing alcohol! These manipulations break the protective layer of the areola and injure the nipples. You should also not overdry the skin of the nipples with soap - enough water and, if necessary, a special cream.
Air baths more often for your chest (do not immediately tighten the chest with a bra after a shower, but wait a bit) and massage the chest with ice cubes from, for example, an infusion of oak bark.
Massage your chest , slightly stretching the nipples.

Remember that with proper nipple latching, the discomfort will likely go away on its own in a couple of days. If the pain persists and even intensifies - consult a doctor and find out what is the reason.

How to keep the shape of the breast during pregnancy?

When it comes to the future feeding of the baby, one of the most exciting questions of the expectant mother is how not to lose the shape of the breast?

The bra should perfectly support the bust without restricting movement.
Do not buy a bra "for growth" . It is clear that the breast will increase in volume, but it is better to acquire it as the breast enlarges, taking into account that it does not pinch anywhere, does not rub, does not press, does not hang out.
It is advisable to choose wide bra straps with good regulation.
No synthetics! Only natural fabrics.
Chest muscles are supported by appropriate exercises : we push up from the floor, walls, cross our arms extended in front of us, squeeze an object with our palms at chest level (palms - as in prayer, look at each other).
If possible, exclude jumping, running.
After filling the breast with milk, do not sleep on the stomach.
We do not try to lose extra centimeters urgently immediately after childbirth.
We feed the child correctly and in a comfortable position.
Do breast massage regularly with natural oil (for example, jojoba).

That's all the main recommendations. But do not be too hard on the issue of breast preparation - do not rub it with hard washcloths, do not pour ice water over it and do not stimulate the nipples unnecessarily so as not to induce labor prematurely.

Expectant mothers are advised to arm themselves in advance with knowledge about the intricacies of the process

10.01.2015, 09:20

Do I need to prepare the breast for feeding? - this question is asked to the doctor by almost every woman who finds herself in an interesting position. Breastfeeding seems to many expectant mothers simple process which happens by itself. Some moms do breastfeed and are happy, but many remember breastfeeding as a nightmare. So that breastfeeding does not turn into torture, you need to prepare for it. But do not immediately grab a towel and rub your chest with it, as recommended earlier. Consultants for breastfeeding unanimous in opinion: it is not necessary to specially prepare the breast for feeding during pregnancy. During this period, preparation for breastfeeding comes down to future mom prepared mentally, studied the subtleties and the technical part of this process.

Do not rub with a towel

The mood “whether I will breastfeed” is formed during pregnancy, says Galina Yaremovskaya, a breastfeeding consultant, educational psychologist at the Amur Regional Children's Clinical Hospital. - If at this time a woman has not made such a decision, then it is very difficult to convince her that her milk is better and healthier than the mixture.

Previously, when they lived in large families, girls from childhood could see how they take care of a baby and how they breastfeed, but today there is almost no such connection between generations, and the model of maternal behavior is transmitted in a distorted form - a bottle with a mixture, even baby dolls in stores are sold with bottles included. But even if today a woman has no idea how to take a child in her arms, and even more so, how to properly attach it to her breast, she can learn this, because "maternal behavior is a learned behavior," psychologists say. And it is necessary to study in theory the subtleties of the correct attachment of the baby to the breast even before childbirth. Because improper attachment to the breast is fraught with painful sucking, the baby can dissolve the nipples to bloody cracks.

Until recently, doctors gave recommendations to prepare the breast for feeding. The main thing here is not to harm, - Galina Nikolaevna warns. - It was believed that it was necessary to prepare the nipples for feeding in cases, for example, if they were inverted or flat. Allegedly, if the nipples are actively rubbed with a towel or massaged, then it will be easier to feed. Touching the breast, its active rubbing can cause a surge of the hormone oxytocin, which is responsible for pushing milk out of the breast and contracting the uterus. After 32 weeks of pregnancy, the uterus becomes sensitive to this hormone. This means that after 32 weeks you need to be very careful about anything with your breasts. However, this is all individual: someone will not feel any changes, while for someone such manipulations can create a threat of premature birth.

Do not buy bottles and nipples in advance

The modern industry offers many devices that, according to the manufacturers, should help the mother in feeding the baby. These are all kinds of bottles, pacifiers, feeding pads. Don't be in a hurry to buy them. An acquisition that seems important during pregnancy can actually be a waste of money.

There is no need for nipple formers during pregnancy, says Galina Yaremovskaya. - The best shaper is a baby. The child does not care what shape his mother's nipple has. The first application experience is very important. If he was successful, then the child will take any breast, even if the mother's nipple is flat.

If the situation is such that the baby after childbirth cannot be attached to the breast due to his state of health and he is bottle-fed, then it is very difficult for him to get used to this breast shape. And here then you can use nipple shapers, as well as nursing pads that resemble the shape of a nipple. They come in handy if the child has already injured his mother's chest, their temporary use relieves pain in the mother.

I would not recommend buying bottles in advance. This “just in case” purchase can be detrimental, because if a woman has a bottle and something does not work out with feeding, then she can resort to the help of this bottle without much effort. At this point, the baby has a “nipple confusion” - he grabs his mother’s breast and nipple in different ways, says the consultant.

And if the bottle was the first, then it can be very difficult to retrain the child to take mother's breast. The choice of the baby in favor of silicone is explained simply: the nipple is easier to suck - the flow from it is always stable, and milk flows from the breast either stronger or weaker, sometimes forcing the baby to work hard.

Buying a breast pump before giving birth is also not worth it, experts say. Modern research and practice of breastfeeding consultants shows that manual pumping is no less effective than pumping with a special device. Moreover, some women are even better at expressing milk with their hands. A breast pump can be useful if the baby and mother are separated immediately after birth, for example, the child was born prematurely, he is still weak, he needs to undergo treatment. Then the device will make it easier for mom to express several times a day breast milk to feed your baby.

First difficulties

Up to three months of the baby's life, until mature lactation is established, the mother will have to face several difficulties. And you need to be ready for them already during pregnancy.

The mother faces the main difficulty already in the first three days after childbirth. A woman needs to learn how to put her breast in her baby's mouth. The days until the breast is filled with milk, while it is soft, is the most convenient time to learn how to do it right - the nipple and another two or three centimeters of the areola should be in the baby's mouth. Pediatricians and nurses of the children's department can show how this is done correctly in the maternity hospital.

On the same days, you need to be patient and wait for the milk to arrive.

This occurs on the third or fifth day after birth. On the first day of life, a child's stomach is the size of a pigeon egg, on the second day - with a quail, on the third day - with a chicken, - Galina Yaremovskaya compares. - In these three days the child does not need a large amount of food. And colostrum, even a few milliliters, is so nutritious that with frequent application to the breast, it is just enough for the child for these three days.

Mom will have another test when the baby is about three months old. The mother will establish mature lactation, which she may mistake for a decrease in the amount of milk. In fact, by this time the woman’s body already “understands” how much milk the child needs, and the mammary glands begin to produce as much milk as necessary. The chest will no longer pour heavily, it will become soft. You should not be afraid that the baby does not have enough milk, and you should not buy the mixture.

On the first day of life, the stomach of a child is the size of a pigeon egg, on the second day - with a quail, on the third day - with a chicken.

Wet diaper test

How do you know if a baby is getting enough milk?

If the baby suckles only the breast, does not receive supplementary feeding and the mother does not give him enough water, he must wet the diapers from 10 to 20 times a day, says Galina Nikolaevna. - If there are less than 10 wet diapers, then there really can be little milk. If we are not talking about diapers, but about diapers, then there should be 5-7 heavy and full ones per day.

How and what should a woman eat during pregnancy in order to benefit both her and the baby?

Alina Bozhko, dietitian

Nutrition during pregnancy should be: firstly, varied, secondly, balanced, thirdly, useful, and fourthly, adequate. At this time, a woman should not eat for two, but for two. You need to choose the right diet. To do this, you need to start from the initial weight of the pregnant woman. If the mother-to-be has excess weight, then it is worth eating so as not to gain even more. First of all, limit fast carbohydrates. And, most importantly, do not forget about physical activity: walk more, walk, breathe fresh air, do exercises.

If the weight is normal or low, then you can eat without looking back at the restrictions. The frequency of nutrition is important: there should be three main meals and three intermediate ones.

For breakfast, you can eat either porridge, or cottage cheese, or eggs. For lunch, there must be a hot dish. You can eat the first and salad or the second and salad. For dinner - vegetables with meat or fish, you can cook side dishes. For second breakfast and afternoon snack, you can eat fruits, vegetables, dairy products - kefir, fermented baked milk, unsweetened yogurt, cheese.

Pregnant women often get heartburn from large portions. The fetus puts pressure on the stomach, and in order to avoid the reflux of its contents into the esophagus, it is better to eat in small portions, but more often. Even in pregnant women, there is a phenomenon of hypoglycemia - this is a sharp decrease in glucose levels. It can lead to loss of consciousness. If a woman goes out somewhere for a long time, it is better for her to take a snack with her: for example, an apple.

Modern mothers often have a question - how to prepare the breast for feeding? In fact, cases where any action is required are quite rare.

Remember the main axiom - almost any woman can feed, only she must have breasts and a baby in her arms. Medicine knows cases of natural feeding even of adopted children. The main thing in successful feeding is calmness, faith in one's own strength and love for the unborn baby.

Knowledge is the key to confidence

To know exactly how to prepare your breasts for breastfeeding, it is advisable to get more information during pregnancy:

Attend childbirth preparation courses. Be sure to check that a large amount of time is devoted to the topic "Breastfeeding" in the training program.
Read literature on breastfeeding. Suitable, for example, books by Nikitin, Martha and William Sears. Jean Ledloff's book How to Raise a Happy Child covers not only feeding, but also upbringing, and will prepare a pregnant woman well for future motherhood.
You can search for information about breastfeeding in our Breastfeeding section.
Communicate more with other pregnant, nursing mothers, friends who already have children. It will be useful to make acquaintances at childbirth preparation courses, in the yard, on specialized forums - you will really need communication with your own kind when the baby is born.
Prepare and put in a conspicuous place useful phone numbers: lactation consultants, medical centers specializing in assistance with lactostasis and mastitis, online stores for nursing mothers.

The hormones prolactin and oxytocin are responsible for the production of milk in the mammary glands, which begin to act in full force a day or two after childbirth, excluding the rarest cases of endocrine system disorders. In order not to prevent nature from doing its job, mommy should follow the recommendations for breastfeeding developed by WHO, listen to herself and her baby.

The help of a husband, grandmothers and other relatives is also important. It is better to prepare them in advance. It would be best to organize care in such a way that in the first few months you will only take care of the child, and everyone else will take care of you.

What should women with flat nipples do?

Successful feeding can be easily organized by a woman with both flat and inverted nipples. After a few days of active sucking, the baby will pull out any nipple, only you need to offer him the breast more often and not take it by force, but wait until the child is full and releases his mother himself. However, if the expectant mother is still thinking about how to prepare the nipples for feeding, something can be done.

To determine what shape the nipple is, look at how the breast reacts to cold. The elongated nipple stands upright, the flat one does not change, and the retracted nipple sinks inward more strongly.

If it turned out that you have flat or inverted nipples, the main task will be to form a correct breast latch in the baby. To do this, do not give the baby bottles and nipples at least in the first 4 months after birth.

To get milk from the breast, the crumbs have to work hard. And from the bottle, milk practically pours into the mouth itself, as a result, natural feeding is abandoned. In addition, children take nipples in a completely different way from their mother's breasts, and then they cannot be properly attached.

With flat or inverted nipples, you can gently sip and twist them once a day, no more than a minute. However, such preparation is rarely effective, the best solution to the problem is to apply the baby on demand.

What to do with sensitive nipples?

Women who have noticed particular sensitivity in their breasts will need to pay attention to shaping the latch on the nipple. With proper application, there are no discomfort, and the skin is not injured. To prevent problems, it is necessary to competently take care of the breast throughout the entire period of lactation, namely:

do not wash your breasts with soap before and after feeding, this leads to overdrying of the skin;
if there are cracks on the nipples - smear them with a special cream, and correct the attachment;
learn in advance all the rules of breastfeeding and follow them;

If you follow the recommendations for natural feeding, the pain will disappear after one to three weeks from the start of feeding. If the unpleasant condition worsens, you need to contact a breastfeeding consultant.

Does breast shape matter?

Stories that there is more milk in a lush breast are nothing more than a myth. The amount of milk depends on the hormone prolactin, and this, in turn, is produced when suckling the breast. Therefore, if well-wishers tell mom that she is “not a dairy cow,” you don’t need to believe this. You just need to feed the baby more, stimulating the production of prolactin.

Daily nourishment of the skin with olive or almond oil will help prevent the appearance of stretch marks. A comfortable bra with wide straps will support your breasts and prevent them from stretching out and sagging.

It is also important to properly attach the baby so that the nipple is at the mouth and the baby does not have to reach anywhere.

This cannot be done!

When looking for information about breastfeeding preparation, it is easy to stumble upon useless and even bad advice, which women, and sometimes doctors, unknowingly pass from mouth to mouth. During pregnancy, you can not:

Roughly act on the nipples, rub them with a towel or washcloth. Such preparation is not only useless, but can also cause premature birth.
For the same reason, you should not stretch your nipples for a long time and intensively.
Asking your husband to "suck" his chest. With this function, the child will cope much better when the time comes.
No need to apply ice to the chest, this can result in a cold.

When preparing for breastfeeding, the most important thing is to accumulate and assimilate more information and tune in to successful, problem-free feeding. Give your little one love and care, and everything will definitely work out!

A woman who is about to become a mother for the first time has many fears. Breastfeeding seems to be something difficult for many, expectant mothers believe that it is necessary to prepare for this. But there is no more natural process than breastfeeding. Almost any woman can breastfeed her child. But still you need to figure out how to prepare the breast for feeding during pregnancy, and whether it is worth doing.

How it looked before

In Soviet times, the generally accepted recommendation was to prepare the nipples for lactation, rubbing them with a hard towel or sewing a coarse fabric to the bra. And now you can still hear such advice from gynecologists of the old school, as well as from mothers and, especially, from grandmothers, who were once recommended by doctors. Now such chest training is considered obsolete. After all, hard tissue can injure the skin, and microscopic scratches will become the entrance gate for infection.

The previously used soaking of the nipples in alcohol is also not recommended. To reduce their sensitivity, you can use compresses from black tea or infusion of oak bark. During pregnancy, a protective lubricant appears on the skin of the breast. Rough cloth and, especially, alcohol erase it. The nipples are left unprotected. In addition, too much breast stimulation can in some cases lead to premature birth. If a pregnant woman increased tone uterus, it is better to touch the nipples as little as possible.

Prevention of cracks during lactation is not coarsening of the nipples, but correct attachment to the breast, starting from the very first feeding. The technique should be learned during pregnancy, because the first feeding of the baby should ideally take place as soon as he is born.

breast care

It is enough to wash the chest with clean water while taking a shower. Soap is better not to use or use it very rarely. It removes the protective lubricant and dries the skin of the nipples. If you have any skin diseases, you should consult with your doctor. He may prescribe ointments to prevent dry skin. But without the need and on your own initiative, you do not need to lubricate the nipples with anything.

During pregnancy, it’s good to do breast hardening. First, it is better to carry out air baths. Then you can move on to pouring. The most correct, of course, is to pour not only the chest, but the whole body. Just do it carefully so as not to catch a cold. Hardening should be gradual. Ideal contrast shower. It is very beneficial for the skin and minimizes the possibility of catching a cold.

During pregnancy and breastfeeding, it is important to choose the right bra. The chest should not be compressed. You need to change your bra on time. The breast changes for each future mother individually.

Massage

It's good to learn how to do it during pregnancy. First of all, this is useful for mothers who will have to express themselves during lactation. All massage movements should be very gentle and gentle.

Massage techniques:

circular stroking of the chest with both hands at the same time, bypassing the areola area;
massage both mammary glands simultaneously, from above to the nipple, from the side, and finally from below;
slight compression of the chest. Right hand slightly raises the right breast, and the left gently presses from above.

Each movement is performed 5 times.

Flat nipples. What to do?

Some women have flat or inverted nipples. This happens quite often, and even in the same mother, one nipple can be normal and the other retracted. This form does not interfere with feeding the baby, but it still requires special attention, since it is more difficult for a child to take such a breast normally.

A nipple is called flat if it:

does not protrude forward when squeezing the areola;
does not respond to cold;
does not harden when stimulated.

During pregnancy, you can try to correct the shape of the nipple. But not all breastfeeding consultants recommend doing this.

There are special plastic pads to correct the shape of the nipples. They can be worn during pregnancy, and after the birth of a child in between feedings. But don't use pacifiers to feed your baby. They only exacerbate the problem. Accustomed to a long silicone nipple, a child may refuse to take mom's real nipple.

There is also a special Hoffman technique for stretching the nipples. But he has quite a few opponents.

You can also use a regular breast pump to stretch your nipples. First, you need to express a little, and then give the breast to the baby. It will be much easier for the child to take the breast correctly.

It must always be remembered that with a proper grip, not only the nipple, but also the areola is in the baby's mouth, so the shape of the nipple does not affect feeding too much.

Gymnastics for the chest

Of course, every mother wants to feed her baby and at the same time maintain a beautiful breast shape. Chest exercises can help with this. They support the breast and are responsible for its shape.

Starting position, standing straight. Put your hands together in front of you, fingers pointing up. With force, press the lower parts of the palms against each other. Hold this position for about 15 seconds. Relax.
Put your hands together above your head, fingers up. Press your palms against each other again and relax.

Each exercise must be repeated 10-30 times.

The most important aspect of preparation

Even if the expectant mother did not prepare her breast for feeding the child in any way, but she really wants to feed the baby herself and is sure that she will succeed if her family supports her, everything will be fine with milk. And mom and baby will enjoy the closeness that will arise between them while the baby is eating.

And, maybe vice versa, if a woman is not psychologically ready for breastfeeding a child, and relatives believe that “children grow up beautifully even on a mixture.” No matter how she prepares her breasts, the likelihood of problems is high.

Both difficulties and their solution come from the head. And it is necessary to prepare for feeding the child first her, and then the breast.

Mom needs to be like good courses, communicate with nursing women. It would be ideal to look at the feeding process. It’s a good idea to find the phone number of a lactation consultant in advance so that you don’t lose milk due to late help.

When choosing a maternity hospital, it is important to find out how they treat breastfeeding. It is advisable to agree with the doctor about the most natural, as far as medical indications allow, the conduct of childbirth.

At first, the mother will be busy only with the baby. Which means she needs help around the house. Relatives, especially the husband, must be explained in advance.

During breastfeeding, mother and baby experience the most wonderful moments that will never happen again. And you need to make sure that they are not overshadowed by anything. Perhaps the mother wants to have another child. But it will be another baby, and another story.

Attaching a newborn to the mother's breast is not just a ritual, it is a wise medical and psychological action. Arising at the level of natural instinct, it brings mother and baby closer, forms a close bond between them. The first sucking movements of the baby stimulate lactation in the mother, because breastfeeding is a natural biological process that allows the child to develop and grow properly.

However, in order for breastfeeding to go right, to give pleasure to mother and child, special rules have been developed to help prepare the mammary glands for their main function. Compliance with these rules will give the mother confidence that the milk will arrive on time, and it will be enough for the successful development of the baby.

Doctors strongly do not recommend preparing the mammary glands for the period of feeding during gestation. The negative judgment of experts is due to the fact that during the preparation for childbirth, an intensive production of oxytocin begins in the body of a woman. Thanks to this hormone, milk is produced, but if you start massaging or stretching the nipples, you can activate nerve endings and provoke an early birth of a child.

Some doctors ignore the general opinion, and advise mothers to do preparatory breast manipulations on days. If there is no visible readiness of the body for childbirth, and the cervix is in a mature state, such manipulations will not cause harm. If there is a risk of fetal loss, the uterus may enter into tone and, as a result, early labor will occur. Let's find out when and how to prepare the breast for feeding the expectant mother.

How to find out the shape of the nipples?

Prenatal work to prepare the breast for breastfeeding is especially important for women who have inverted or flat nipples. It is difficult for a baby to grasp such a nipple, and the mother, from the endless efforts of the baby, can get injured. How to determine what a woman's nipple shape is? Put your thumb and forefinger on the borders of the nipple areola, gently squeeze it. If you have a convex, normal nipple, then it will move forward, with a flat shape, it will retract even deeper.

Now let's see how you can correct the situation and train a flat child. A special but simple massage is useful for them. Grasp the nipple with two fingers and gently twist it forward. Be sure to wash your hands before the massage and trim your nails so as not to injure your chest.

It is not worth solving the issue with massage on your own, it is better to consult your gynecologist. Remember that stimulation of the nipples causes uterine contractions, which can lead to undesirable consequences in a difficult pregnancy.

For the last months of pregnancy, you can buy nipple shape correctors, which are sold in pharmacies. They are worn little by little, literally a few minutes a day, closer to childbirth, you can increase the wearing time to half an hour. After you give birth, continue to use correctors, leaving them on your chest for up to 15 minutes.

Flat nipples training techniques

Owners of flat nipples will help to correct the situation and prepare the breast for feeding by performing daily simple manipulations:

Easy pull. Grab the nipple between your fingers and slowly pull forward. Pull slowly, without pressure or sudden movements.
Rolling between fingers. With light, gentle movements, roll the nipples between your fingers.
Pinch massage. The mammary glands are massaged with pinching movements, without touching the halo and nipple, so as not to provoke uterine contractions.

All of these techniques should not last more than a minute. Many doctors advise using the effective Hoffman exercise, which consists in loosening near the nipple adhesions, which led to its flat shape. The thumbs are placed at the bottom of the halo and move one down and the other up, then spread the fingers apart. Exercise is done about 2-5 times a day for 1-2 minutes.

How do special bra and correctors work?

Bras of a special style offered by pharmacies can change the shape of the nipples with regular wear. The cups of the bra are cut according to a special pattern; pads are inserted into them, allowing you to stretch the nipple. Concealers act like a pump, but they should not be worn for long periods of time.

Using correctors 3-4 weeks before birth, they are put on for 5 minutes, after the birth of a child, the time of wearing correctors is extended to 15 minutes. The action of bra pads and correctors is aimed at pressing the halo, causing the nipple to stretch outward. It should be noted that the opinion on the effectiveness of both devices varies: some doctors are in favor of their use, some experts are categorically against it.

How to do a breast massage yourself?

When thinking about how to prepare your breasts for feeding, try learning how to massage yourself. A massage that prepares breasts for feeding, developed by specialists, can be easily mastered by every mom. The main thing is that all your manipulations with the mammary gland should be gentle and gentle. Do the following once a day for 5 repetitions:

stroke the gland with both hands, without affecting the areola area;
simultaneously massage both mammary glands, running your hands along their top, bottom and sides;
Raise your chest with your right hand, press lightly on top of it with your left hand.

Taking care of breasts during pregnancy and after childbirth is useful for all mothers. Breastfeeding preparation is also important when you have the right nipple shape. Try to follow the following guidelines:

When washing the mammary glands, make sure that soap does not get on the delicate skin of the nipples and does not overdry it.
Wearing a special bra will help prevent sagging breasts during pregnancy. Choose underwear made from natural materials with wide straps so that it does not press down on the chest.
When caring for breast skin, use natural products, avoid products with aggressive chemical composition. When leaving, it is important not to dry out the skin of the mammary glands.
Apply every day compresses from strong tea or decoction of oak bark. A cotton pad is moistened in the prepared solution and applied for a few minutes on the halo. Compresses will strengthen the skin and prevent the formation of cracks.
Carry out hardening procedures. Air baths and dousing with cold water will help to harden the chest before a serious test. Reduce the temperature of the water gradually, start with a cool one, and slowly move to an icy shower. Contrasting dousing with warm and cold water alternately will help to keep the mammary glands in good shape. Rubbing with ice cubes made from decoctions of medicinal plants is also useful: chamomile, string, oak. Apply ice for a short time to prevent tissue hypothermia.
If you are using a special bra, do not wear tight clothing over it.
Massage your breasts regularly in circular motions. Massage enhances blood circulation in the chest and relieves pain that occurs when breastfeeding.

Preventive massage

The second trimester of pregnancy is a good time to do preventive massage. When taking a contrast shower, finish it by massaging your chest with a terry towel. With light, stroking movements, run the towel from the halo to the bottom of the mammary gland, without touching the nipples. Then perform circular movements and press the chest with your hand against the chest wall. The pressure should be moderate, with 2-3 one-time repetitions.

Massage stabilizes blood flow, enhances the outflow of fluid in the tissues and lymph in the blood. By doing it regularly, you will optimally prepare your breasts for milk production and greatly facilitate the process of feeding after childbirth. In addition, preventive massage will help you maintain a beautiful breast shape after you stop breastfeeding.

We communicate, we discuss, we consult

A pregnant woman experiences a special thrill and excitement in anticipation of the birth of a small treasure. Dozens of questions are born in her head related to the smallest details of pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding. Most questions can be answered by your doctor. Ask a specialist about everything that worries you, do not be shy, be attentive to your health.

Much can be learned from friendly conversations with other mothers who have already given birth. Be interested in what problems they had during these periods, how they solved them. Sign up for special classes where they teach how to put a baby to the breast, explain how to establish a feeding regimen, how to competently prepare for feeding, what measures to take to help your body calmly go through a crucial stage of life.

Is it possible to do without breast preparation?

The opinion that it is not necessary to specially prepare the breast for feeding lies in the field of everyday conversations. Many women believe that the natural ability to feed milk is enough for everything to be successful. Skillfully enough to apply the baby to the breast, observe the feeding regimen, and it will be as it should be.

Experienced midwives express a completely different opinion. They argue that the preparation of the mammary glands for feeding allows you to extend the period of breastfeeding, which, of course, has a beneficial effect on the development and health of the baby. Moreover, a long period of breastfeeding improves the figure of a woman, gives her a special charm, enriching with smooth lines and exquisite shapes.