As one of the first symptoms in the first trimester, in the second trimester or in the final stretch, many women have breast pain in pregnancy, a habitual pain and not worrying if it does not go beyond preventing us from maintaining our usual daily rhythm. Of course, it is uncomfortable, and it can be very much in some cases.
Let's see what we can expect from breast pain in pregnancy, why, who suffers more frequently, how to prevent it and at what times during the nine months we can meet him.
First pregnancy symptom
At the beginning of pregnancy the woman can already experience significant changes in the breasts. These can be tightness, tenderness, tingling, swelling ... They are frequent discomforts in the first trimester, although they usually disappear. The extreme sensitivity of the breasts In the first trimester it can cause the woman to feel discomfort or pain if they are stimulated in sexual intercourse, so she will have to communicate it to her partner.
Other changes in the breasts do not cause discomfort, such as the darkening of the nipple and areola (and enlargement), the bluish veins that stand out under the skin ... What usually happens is that the size of the breasts begins to increase (already in the first month), as we see in the next point.
These discomfort and changes in the breasts They are more frequent if the woman used to experience changes in her menstrual cycle. On the contrary, the changes are less noticeable if the mother is not new.
Enlargement of pregnant breasts
The increase in the amount of estrogen and progesterone that is produced in the woman's body at this stage is responsible for the increase in breast size and side effects such as tightness, pain, tenderness ... The breasts will continue to increase in size during the entire pregnancy, so it is likely that we will have to check the sizes several times. Luckily, sensitivity is not so common in the second and third trimesters.
Maternal breast tissue can increase about 900 grams during pregnancy, so it is essential that we ensure a good grip, changing bra size if necessary. In this way, we avoid that the pain of the breasts increases due to a bad subjection, to that they move more of the account or are tightened… The hoops can become uncomfortable in this stage, reason why many women will go more comfortable with Bras without rings.
In this sense, it is also important to prevent chest pain that we remain at an ideal weight, that we do not gain too many kilos throughout the nine months, which results in the overall health of the pregnant woman. To achieve this, remember to have healthy habits, with a balanced diet and exercising regularly, as well as putting into practice proper posture hygiene.
Women with small breasts will notice that these do not increase so much in size in the following pregnancies (usually happens to all women, but it is more noticeable in the first), which will avoid pain due to this cause. Yes, the change in size is usually noted for breastfeeding, once the baby is born.
A lump in the chest
Some women during pregnancy get an annoying bump (on one or both breasts) because the milk ducts are blocked. And, although there are still months to breastfeed the baby, the breasts are preparing for it (and the changes we have mentioned above are the product of this preparation).
Yes a galactophore or milk duct becomes clogged, a lump may appear on the chest, reddish, painful to the touch. These lumps are more common from the second child.
What we can do to avoid this pain is to drop warm water in the shower on the affected area or put hot packs. Gentle massages may also help clear the breast duct in a few days (as is the case with breastfeeding obstructions). Underwired bras that press on the affected area are not recommended.
If the bump does not go away and still hurts, consult the gynecologist. Remember that the search for suspicious lumps, with periodic self-examination of the breasts recommended for every woman, should continue in pregnancy.
Finally, remember that heaviness or an abnormal tenderness in the breasts is a fairly common symptom throughout the first stage of pregnancy. Afterwards, discomfort due to breast enlargement is usually more common. In any case, you should know that certain pain in the breasts during pregnancy is normal and you should not worry unless the discomfort is intense or lumps appear that do not go away.
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In Babies and more | Discomfort in pregnancy: swelling and pain in the breasts, changes and care of the breasts
