PREGNANCY

Improper Breast Massage during Pregnancy May Lead to Premature Delivery or Miscarriage

Most people think that breast massage hurts the breast itself at the most, so how can it affect the fetus in the uterus? However, in fact, improper breast massage will harm the fetus, because that the breast is closely related to the uterus.

Intimate Relationship between Breast and Uterus

Most people may do not understand the relationship between the breast and the uterus, but married women have actually experienced it. During the sex, it is known that stimulating the breasts can enhance or arise sexual arousal in women. In this case, the woman’s uterus will further contract, thus producing sexual pleasure. Actually, the breast massage during pregnancy has a similar effect.

When massaging the breast, both the papilla and mammary areola are also stimulated, and the resulting impulses are transmitted to the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei in the lower thalamus of the brain, which reflexively cause the posterior pituitary gland to release endogenous estrogen and oxytocin to act on the target organ - the uterus, thus inducing or strengthening the uterine contraction.

Therefore, stimulating the breasts to produce more oxytocin in late pregnancy, when the oxytocin has been already in full swing, is not the icing on the cake, but will lead to premature delivery.

However, in the early stage of pregnancy, the estrogen generated by stimulating the breasts has an even greater impact. With the unstable fetal implantation in the early stage of pregnancy, the abnormal stimulation of the uterus can easily lead to miscarriage. Stimulation of the breasts will increase the estrogen secretion, which will lead to the matrix excitation and uterine contraction, thus easily causing abortion or threatened abortion.

Ways to Care for Breasts during Pregnancy

You can still massage your breasts during the pregnancy, excluding the two special periods of early pregnancy (first trimester) and late pregnancy (third trimester). After the third trimester, you can massage your breasts for about ten minutes every day before going to bed and after waking up in the morning.

Moreover, when the expected date of confinement is reached, there is still no sign of delivery or when the expectant mother has premature rupture of membranes without contractions, the pregnant woman can massage your breasts to induce uterine contractions and start the labor process, so that labor can be completed within the expected time, thus avoiding overdue pregnancy. In case of any uterine inertia and labor extension to pose a risk to the infant during the delivery, breast massage is a good way to enhance the uterine contraction and end the labor as soon as possible to reduce infant complications^[1].

If the pregnant woman suffers from the breast distending pain in the first trimester and the third trimester, please apply a hot towel to their breasts for 5 to 10 minutes, or massage the breast reflex zones on the feet to relieve the pain. The breast reflex zone (chest) is a circular area slightly upper the root of the second, third and fourth toes on the back of the foot, and you can massage this part of both feet with your hands for 10 minutes every day.

Methods of Breast Massage during Pregnancy

You cannot do as you like to massage the breasts full of mammary glands. Only by applying the proper methods can you achieve the desired results. There are several ways to massage your breasts.

1. Put a hand on the breast, with the palm aligned with the nipple, rub the breast clockwise for 3 minutes, do not rub it too hard.

2. Put your index and middle fingers on the roots of the breasts, directly lower your nipples, vibrate your breasts for 3 minutes at a frequency of 100 beats per minute.

3. Move your hands up from the roots of your breasts 20 times.

4. Finally, press the Tanzhong acupoint between the two breasts for 30 seconds, and rub the two lateral thoraxes 10 times.

Massage the breasts before going to bed and after waking up in the morning to relieve the breast distending pain, and neutralize your depression arising from the pain. Please note that do not massage your breasts too hard, and with cold hands.