Stroke chest

Nicole Wendler holds a PhD in biology in the field of oncology and immunology. As a medical editor, author and proofreader, she works for various publishers, for whom she presents complex and extensive medical issues in a simple, concise and logical manner.

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By brushing some milk from your breast, you can relieve the pain and discomfort of breastfeeding. With the help of a gentle massage, tense, hardened breasts are relieved before the child is put on, and the flow of milk is facilitated. Then the milk can also be emptied by hand. Read here when breast smears make sense and what you should pay attention to.

Stroking chest: when does it make sense?

Especially at the beginning of the breastfeeding period, milk production must first level off. If the chest is tight and there is a risk of blocked breasts, you can relieve the symptoms by stroking the breast. Weaning the baby or suddenly falling asleep can be other phases in which the breast is sore and breast stroking is comfortable.

Other reasons for streaking breast milk are:

• Breastfeeding problems such as swelling of the breasts or sore nipples
• The colostrum is obtained around 24 to 48 hours after birth
• Triggering the milk donor reflex (which then makes it easier to express the milk and to make it easier for babies who drink poorly to drink)
• Milk production without a pump

Express milk

You can find out how to express milk with a pump and what you have to pay attention to in the article Expressing milk.

Stroking the breast: gentle massage

Breast stroking is a gentle massage in which you run your hands over your chest and stimulate blood circulation. Often, however, this is not enough to alleviate symptoms or to obtain large quantities of milk. Then it can help to empty the breast manually.

Before stroking the breast, you should wash your hands thoroughly. Warm compresses on the chest before spreading stimulate blood circulation and soften the breast tissue so that the milk ducts empty more easily. Gently shaking the breasts ("milkshake") also loosens the tissue. If some milk flows off, it takes the pressure off a tight and swollen chest.

Stroke the chest - this is how it works

The following massage methods are suitable for stroking the breast:

• The chest rests between two hands that gently slide against each other: from top to bottom, from right to left (Plata-Rueda method).
• One hand supports the breast from below, the fingertips of the other gently massage the breast tissue in small, circular movements, wandering around the nipple once (Marmet massage).

Strain out milk & empty breast

After the massage, the breast is well prepared for emptying by hand. The method requires some practice, but then usually works without difficulty and with a little experience on both sides at the same time.

To empty, place your thumb and forefinger on the opposite side (C-grip) about three to four centimeters behind the nipple (nipple) on the breast. The majority (two thirds) of the milk-producing glandular tissue is located at this point. Now press in the direction of your chest with both fingers and then gently bring your thumb and forefinger towards each other so that the areola is pushed together. The fingers must not slide over the skin. Repeat this process rhythmically at the same point before moving your fingers around the nipple. In this way you can obtain milk from the different breast regions. It is also helpful to change hands in order to empty all breast ducts well. It takes about 20 minutes to stroke a breast and express milk by hand.

With a bent forward posture, catching them in a container is quite easy. Colostrum can be easily drawn up in a small syringe, then nothing is lost.

Stroking the chest must not hurt!

Basically, stroking the breast and emptying it by hand should not cause pain. Short fingernails are beneficial so that you don't injure the skin on your chest. Be careful not to squeeze the breast tissue. Be gentle when stroking milk from your breast.

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