Care for Mothers

Breastfeeding is a wonderful feeling that a woman can experience. It is beneficial for both the baby and the mother in several ways. But breast care is equally important. This will not only give a hygienic supply of milk to the baby but also help mother to maintain the shape and the firmness of her breasts.

This assumes that it is solely a lactating mother's outlook to sustain a good and healthy diet for her breastfeeding child. A mother who gives birth to a large baby that grows fast may experience difficulties in producing and sustaining enough quantities of milk. This is because the fat reserves she had during the pregnancy period can be lost soon after childbirth and eating well enough might become a problem for her.

Keep the nipples washed clean. Beginning from around the fifth month of pregnancy, a viscous fluid is secreted from the breasts. If this is not washed away properly, it may form a crust and the surrounding skin becomes reddish. To prevent this, clean the nipples well everyday with warm water - occasionally adding boric acid powder to the water and dry them by rubbing them lightly with a clean piece of cloth.

Proper breast care begins with the cleanliness of the breast. Women should devote a few minutes of their bathing schedule in pampering the breasts. Since breasts are a spongy mass of tissue enclosed by a skin, they can be washed with the same soap you use for the rest of the body.

Breast enlargement pills use the same concept. Mankind has known such herbs which stimulate growth since ages. These herbs are known to increase the bulk of the breast growth. These herbs contain the plant estrogen, called phytoestrogen. This phytoestrogen has the same function human estrogen has.

Though not proven to cause breast cancer, surgical breast enhancement technique has its vehement protestors. Not wanting to go through the rigors of a surgery and desiring an alternative to the artificial look and feel of a breast implant, more and more women are turning towards non surgical breast enhancement methods like the pill, pump, cream or a special brassiere.

Other common problems like sagging breasts and inverted nipples can be easily combated by proper and precise breast massaging techniques. Finally, breast massages increase the tone and breast and the bust size. This will work well to increase the confidence of the woman, and she will feel good about herself.

In case the nipples appear flat or inverted, it is advised to press the areola between the thumb and the finger to encourage the nipple to stand out. If the nipple sticks out, the baby will not have any difficulty in suckling. During the pregnancy period the shape of the nipple may be abnormal, but it improves as the pregnancy advances. This is because of the effect of hormones during pregnancy.

These hormones are called oxytocin and prolactin. The hormone called oxytocin is stored in the pituitary gland and acts on muscle cells. These muscles surround the milk glands where milk is produced. Oxytocin causes the muscles cells to contract in turn squeezing milk out of the glands into the ducts.