Introduction
The areola in the human breast resembles that of a bull’s eye. The color of the areola depends on the color of the skin. The fairer a person is brighter the areola. During pregnancy, the circular dark-colored skin around the nipples gets darker to create a better visualization for the babies to lactate. Breast skin's high contrast color helps the baby locate its feeding spot. Many other physiological changes occur in a mother's breast during pregnancy and post-delivery.
What Are the Changes Seen in the Areola During Pregnancy?
One of the obvious signs seen in breasts during pregnancy is breast enlargement. This breast enlargement results from increased hormones like estrogen and progesterone, especially during the first trimester. The veins are seen dilated due to an increased blood supply. The nipples become well-defined and larger, with the surrounding areola getting darker in color. Occasionally, the nipples start leaking early by the beginning of the ninth month. Apart from physiological changes, women also experience pain, heaviness, and tenderness of breasts.
During the second and third trimesters, the ducts start preparing for breastfeeding. As a result, it starts showing signs like early leakage of nipples rather than post-delivery. The fluid secreted is creamy in consistency. If the breasts show bloody leakage, immediate attention should be brought to the treating doctor. Early leakage of fluids can be rectified using small nipple pads for absorbing the liquid. By the end of the third trimester, the mothers often feel heavy breasts due to the seepage of milk in the ducts. A gentle massage or warm compress can manage this. An unresolved heaviness of breasts can lead to clogged ducts even before childbirth. This can also cause various infections, redness of the area, lump formation, and consistent pain. Such small ignorance can even lead to threatened delivery due to the high surge of infection.
Why Does the Areola Get Darker During Pregnancy?
The breast tissue is in constant change from the time of conception. The areola increases in size due to the increased blood circulation in these areas. Various small glands start projecting around the nipples in the areola region called the ‘Montgomery tubercles.’ These small glands produce enough lubrication to hydrate the nipple area, protecting it against any crack formation. The areola gets darker during pregnancy, creating an identification spot for the babies to lactate. The areolar area increases in diameter, measuring up to five or six centimeters in radius.
What Are Montgomery Tubercles?
These small glands appear on the nipples due to early pregnancy signs. The Montgomery glands are sebaceous glands that produce a lipid secretion. During pregnancy, the Montgomery glands swell up and project on the areola surface, known as the Montgomery tubercle. Around twelve to twenty such small non-pigmented nodules circle the areola. Post-delivery, these tubercles produce enough lubrication to protect the breasts against skin cracking due to repeated lactation. It also produces an aromatic fluid that stimulates the smell receptors in babies to locate the nipples for breastfeeding.
What Are the Changes Seen in the Areola During Breastfeeding?
Post-delivery the breasts start producing milk. The associated signs of the breast after childbirth are as follows.
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Heavy and leaking breasts.
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The size of the areola becomes big in diameter, and the color turns darker.
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Dark greenish veins are visible on the breast tissue due to the dilation of blood vessels, otherwise known as varicose veins.
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Enlargement or erection of nipples is observed.
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Hypertrophy and enlargement of breast tissue are observed.
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Clogged milk ducts.
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Nipple cracks or fissures.
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Pain in the breast due to excessive milk formation.
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Small bumps are seen around the areola.
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Decreased oil secretion from apocrine glands or sweat glands.
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Accumulation of excessive milk after lactation, if not expressed properly, can later cause a rise in temperature or fever and which in turn can give rise to calcification of milk in ducts.
What Are the Changes Seen in the Blood of a Pregnant Woman?
Various changes are observed in the bloodstream due to the hormonal push during pregnancy. Some of the changes observed are as follows:
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Increase in blood volume.
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Increase blood components like plasma cells, red blood cells, clotting factors, fibrinogen, and white blood cells.
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There is a fall in hemoglobin, packed cell volume (PCV), viscosity, platelets, and other factors XI and XIII will fall.
What Is Post-Delivery Care Taken to Protect the Breasts?
A lot of changes occur in breasts following delivery. Hence, proper care is required to take care of the health of breasts. Here are some of the tips to follow.
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Wearing the right bra is essential as the breasts enlarge in size. Avoid wearing tight-size bras to avoid tenderness of the breast.
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Keeping the breasts clean is very important. In cases of cracked nipples, the bacteria can travel from those cracks into the breast tissue and can cause infections and pus accumulation. Therefore, maintaining the personal hygiene of breasts during breastfeeding is essential. The area should always be kept dry. Women who sweat a lot can apply talcum powders and Candid powders to fight against fungal infections. The most common fungal infection seen is oral thrush in children. The child acquires this infection from unhygienic breast milk and improper hygiene of the child's oral cavity. It is seen as a white curdy deposition on the tongue's surface.
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Due to repeated lactation, there are chances of developing dry or cracked nipples. Using moisturizers like coconut oil or other body creams can help lubricate the area.
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Early milk secretion before delivery can be taken care of by using breast pads.
Conclusion
The pigmented skin areola plays a crucial role during breastfeeding. A growing fetus has growing demands like blood, calcium requirements for bone formation, and its own development of organs. When the baby’s body signals those needs, a mother's body copes with meeting those needs of the infant. Many changes occur in these nine months of pregnancy and post-delivery to satisfy the child's needs. Many such changes are observed in the breast tissue, starting from its size, blood supply, color changes of the areola, and erection of nipples.
