Recently a friend told me that she originally had accessory breasts, and she thought she had no uncomfortable symptoms and could ignore them. However, after giving birth recently and preparing to breastfeed her baby, her accessory breasts swelled under her arms. Pain, what should I do? Will it affect the secretion of milk? Can I still breastfeed?

First of all, let’s understand what is accessory breast?

In fact, when we are still in the embryonic stage, 6 to 8 pairs of mammary gland primordia will grow on both sides of the front wall of the trunk. Under normal circumstances, before birth, only a pair of breast glands will remain, and all other breast glands will degenerate. If some mammary glands do not degenerate or do not degenerate completely, accessory breasts will form. Accessory breasts will not have any impact on daily delivery, but they look a bit unsightly.

So, four days after caesarean section, will the swelling and pain of the accessory breasts under the armpits affect the release of milk?

According to the degree of development of the accessory breast, it can be divided into two types: fully developed type and incompletely developed type.

1. Fully developed accessory breasts are the same as normal breasts. After the child is born, the accessory breasts will expand as the breasts develop, and milk will be secreted during lactation. However, the milk passes through the accessory breasts. The nipples are discharged, become soft after weaning, and the mammary glands atrophy.

2. There are several manifestations of incompletely developed accessory breasts:

Only incompletely developed breast tissue without nipple and areola

Only areola and nipple

Only nipples but no areola

Only incompletely developed breast tissue and areola.

The accessory milk of incomplete or complete mammary glands can also secrete milk during lactation. There are a few accessory breast glands in the chest that are connected to the normal breast glands, so they can discharge secretions (such as milk) into the normal breast glands. But most of them are separate and unconnected accessory mammary glands. At this time, milk is secreted. Since there is no nipple and areola, the milk is not easily discharged, which can easily cause breast swelling, pain, blockage, and even lumps.

Therefore, the swelling and pain of the accessory breasts under the armpits will not affect the normal breast secretion of milk, but it will seriously affect the life of the new mother. After all, the degree of swelling of the accessory breasts is also uncomfortable.

What should I do if my accessory breast is swollen and painful?

1. In the event of swelling and pain in the accessory breast, you must first determine whether the mammary glands of the accessory breast are connected to the normal mammary glands. If they are connected, you can ask a lactation specialist to use professional massage to soften and drain the blockage between the mammary glands on both sides, and then everything will be fine. If they are not connected, you need to apply ice to the accessory breast, which can inhibit milk secretion and relieve breast swelling and pain.

2. Accessory breasts that have mammary glands but no nipples and are not connected to normal breasts. Because breast secretions cannot be discharged, lumps will easily appear. Over time, they may even lead to breast cancer. Such accessory breasts are best. Stop breastfeeding first and go to a professional hospital to remove it to avoid the occurrence of disease.

3. Accessory breasts affect the appearance, and accessory breasts with fully or incompletely developed mammary glands are subject to various diseases like normal breasts, such as mammary gland hyperplasia, mastitis, breast cancer, etc. If there are no uncomfortable symptoms, you can leave it alone. If you feel uncomfortable, you can consider surgery to remove the accessory breast and the mammary glands inside.

4. There are many underwear on the market that can also correct accessory breasts, so pregnant mothers can choose some suitable underwear to correct accessory breasts. Also massage the accessory breasts before and after breastfeeding to clear the mammary glands in the accessory breasts and prevent them from becoming clogged.

In short, different accessory breasts have different coping methods. If the new mother really cannot bear the swelling and pain caused by the accessory breasts, then there is no need to insist on breastfeeding. It is no problem and necessary to feed the baby with milk powder. It’s time to go to the hospital to get the accessory breast treated properly, as this will help your body.

I am a full-time mother of two children. I share the knowledge I have learned and experienced about pregnancy, childbirth and parenting through questions and answers. I also hope to learn more parenting knowledge from it. Your casual like is my writing. Motivation, welcome to join us, thank you for meeting us!