While women are nursing, they often have to deal with leaky breasts. Milk can start dripping and spraying from the breasts anytime making this a messy and uncomfortable experience.
Causes of Leaky Breasts After Giving Birth
The milk-ejection or let-down reflex allows a woman to breastfeed. It helps in propelling the milk out to the ducts and through the nipple. The reflex is also what causes leaky breasts. When your nipples are stimulated or when the baby cries, milk keeps seeped or sprayed from the breast. Even though it is not uncommon, it can get really uncomfortable. Your body will take some time to get accustomed to the feeding pattern of your baby. Until this pattern is solidified, your breasts will have no idea when and when not to let-down and feel as if they have to produce milk all the time. It will take some time but eventually, your breasts will only let-down milk when the baby is on your breast.
Important Facts About Leaky Breasts
A leaky breast can occur at any time. Some of the common scenarios leading to the leaky breasts are:
Until the breast figure out the feeding pattern of the baby, breasts can leak at any time without any stimulation.
Treatment for Leaky Breasts When Nursing
You can consider nursing pads as the best friend of a new mother. They fit comfortably inside your bra and can soak up any milk that might be leaking out of your breasts. They are available in washable and disposable forms. While sleeping, you can try using a towel or a breast pad under your breast area. This way if you leak milk at night, it won’t soil your linens.
Apart from this, pumping, warm showers, and nipple stimulation can lead to let-down. But, this will not stop the leak. In fact, they can increase milk production that can make the situation even worse.
