Are you planning to breastfeed or already nursing your little one? Breastfeeding can be problematic if you do not maintain proper hygiene. Take care of your breasts and learn about guidelines for hygiene at the beginning of breastfeeding. 

The beginnings of breastfeeding can be difficult. Many mums experience the problem of irritated or cracked nipples and stagnant milk. The breasts are sore and swollen. What you should do to avoid inflammation of the nipples or breasts. Learn some important hygiene rules: 

1. Breast ventilation 

When the nipples are cracked due to breastfeeding in the first days, midwives recommend airing the breasts as often as possible. What does it mean? This means wearing loose, cotton, airy shirts and a nursing bra with open cups to let air into the wound. 

2. Change disposable breast pads frequently 

It is very important to change the pads frequently. Choose the pads that absorb moisture well and retain it, preferably with a gel filling. Change them every 2-3 hours when lactation is in full swing. This prevents milk from accumulating in a pad and becoming food for bacteria that can lead to inflammation of the irritated breast. 

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3. Rub the nipples with your milk or a lanolin cream 

Sore nipples heal more easily if you rub them with a few drops of your milk alternating with lanolin cream after each feeding. Lanolin oils the nipples and speeds up the wound healing process. The lanolin cream does not need to be washed off before feeding, but it is worth applying it to the breast immediately after feeding, so that the ointment can be absorbed well between feeds and the baby does not have a problem with grasping the breast deeply during the next feeding.

4. Don't wash your breasts too often 

Don’t wash your breasts after each feeding, as soapy water dries out the nipples. Simply wash them in the morning and the evening during your daily shower. 

5. Don't harden your nipples 

Our grandmothers used to say that it was a good idea to harden the nipples already during pregnancy by rubbing the breasts with a rough sponge. It was supposed to better prepare the breasts for feeding. Nothing further from the truth. Breasts do not need hardening. A suckling baby is enough to harden them. Rubbing the breasts with a rough wash cloth can irritate, hurt or dry out the nipples. Take care of the nipples by handling them gently. Apply a lanolin ointment in the first few days of breastfeeding, rather than scrubbing them with a rough sponge. 

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6. Use chilled cabbage leaves 

This is a traditional method that helps with inflammatory conditions of the breasts. Wash a few cabbage leaves, refrigerated and smashed with a pestle, and place them in a nursing bra. Such a cold cabbage compress has an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. 

7. Maintain hygiene of your breast pump and silicone nipple protectors 

The equipment you use should be regularly washed and rinsed with hot water after each use. It is not only a matter of breast hygiene, but also ensuring healthy breastfeeding for your little one. If you collect milk with a breast pump, there should be no bacteria in it. The same goes with feeding through the silicone protectors, which come into contact with both the breasts and the baby. 

Discover the benefits of the nipple protectors

8. Don't neglect inflammation 

If a breast inflammation does not go away after 2 days, despite taking ibuprofen and frequently nursing the baby in different positions, make sure you see a doctor to get proper medication. Neglecting a breast inflammation can lead to a breast abscess and a surgery.