Mastitis (a disease that is also called "breastfeeding") most often develops in women during the lactation period. However, it happens that mastitis affects nulliparous women, and in rare cases, even men. This ailment is characterized by an inflammatory process in the mammary gland. If you do not immediately take measures to treat, you can reach surgery.
In 90% of cases, mastitis is diagnosed in nursing mothers. Statistics indicate that the disease occurs in 16% of young mothers and 74% of the birthright. In order not to fall into this number, you need to know about the methods of prevention of mastitis. Let’s take a closer look at what this disease is and what needs to be done to avoid it.
Causes of mastitis
Lactational mastitis is more common. Every woman should know about the etiology, treatment, and prevention of this ailment. The most common cause of breast inflammation is infection. In 90% of cases, the causative agent is Staphylococcus aureus, also causes mastitis, streptococcus, E. coli. The causative agent easily penetrates the mammary gland through cracks in the nipples, as well as through the foci that are present with chronic tonsillitis or pyelonephritis. With a healthy immune system, the body can easily cope with minor infections. However, with a decrease in immunity, there are no forces to fight against pathogens. Childbirth for the body is a lot of stress, all efforts are aimed at recovery. It is no wonder that very often after childbirth women develop mastitis, when even the slightest penetration of the pathogen causes inflammation. Prevention and treatment of mastitis is very important to carry out in a timely manner so that there are no complications.
Infected infection spreads through the mammary gland, through the lymphatic ducts. There is a chance that pathogens with lymph and blood can get from remote infectious foci, for example, those that are localized in the genitourinary system.
Favorable conditions are often created for the development of the disease in the mammary gland, in particular, this happens when milk stagnation occurs - lactostasis. Stagnant milk in the thoracic ducts is an excellent medium for the reproduction of bacteria, because it contains so many nutrients.
In what cases does lactostasis occur? If the baby does not suck out all the milk from the breast, and the mother does not decant, it stagnates, as a result, a favorable environment for the development of pathogenic microflora matures within 3-4 days, and mastitis begins. There is a high probability of illness in women with irregularly shaped nipples, as well as in those who do not follow hygiene and ignore the prevention of mastitis.
The disease considered by us is often accompanied by obesity, diabetes mellitus, infectious diseases, a difficult recovery period after childbirth.
Lactation mastitis
Lactational mastitis that occurs in nursing mothers has several stages, and one can go into another. To avoid this, it is necessary to timely prevent and treat mastitis.
The first stage is serous . The woman’s body temperature rises sharply, the breast increases significantly and swells. Touching causes pain. If you do not start timely treatment, the disease will go into acute form. Then the temperature reaches 39 degrees, there is severe chills, there are signs of intoxication (headache, malaise). The chest is heavy, the color of the integument turns red, the woman is tormented by constant pain. Expressing milk gives great discomfort, while the procedure does not bring relief.
If you do not stop the development of the disease, serous mastitis develops into infiltrative . At this stage, the patient is in fever, the chest is swelling even more, the pain does not stop, even if you do not touch the chest. The condition of the body is very serious. A woman suffers from insomnia, lack of appetite, headaches intensify, general weakness is even more pronounced. An analysis of the blood reveals an elevated white blood cell count. Armpit pain (in the lymph nodes) also joins. This is what awaits those who are not serious about the prevention of lactational mastitis. At the infiltrative stage, it is necessary to stop feeding the baby, since pus can accumulate in milk.
The third stage of mastitis is purulent . The temperature can reach 40-41 degrees. Sweating appears, appetite is completely absent. The chest swells and hurts even more. Decantation becomes very painful, while milk comes out in minimal portions with an admixture of pus.
Worse than this condition can only be abscessed mastitis. An abscess of halo and furunculosis begins, purulent cavities form on the chest.
Also, mastitis can develop into a phlegmonous stage, when breast tissue literally melts, neighboring tissues are affected. At this stage, septic shock often occurs.
To avoid such manifestations, it is necessary to take the necessary measures in time. Diagnosis and prevention of mastitis play an important role in maintaining women's health.
Non-lactational mastitis
This type of disease is quite rare - only in 5% of cases. The cause of non-lactational mastitis can be trauma, compression of the mammary glands, any hormonal disruptions that have occurred in the body. The disease, in turn, is divided into fibrocystic, plasma cell, acute non-lactational. Prevention of mastitis in these cases will differ from measures taken during lactation.
Plasma cell mastitis is rarely diagnosed. More often it can be observed in women who gave birth a lot. Symptoms resemble breast cancer, but no suppuration.
Fibrocellular mastitis occurs in women from 30 to 60 years old. The main cause of the disease is a malfunction in the endocrine system. Pain is felt in both mammary glands, and inflammation is rare.
Acute non-lactating mastitis can be caused by damage to the adipose tissue of the breast. Sometimes the disease develops in women who have dramatically changed climatic conditions.
Urgent measures for the detection of mastitis
Often, inflammatory processes in the chest occur due to stagnation of milk, so the first action in the prevention and treatment of mastitis is pumping to the last drop. With lactostasis, breast-feeding should not be stopped, it helps the outflow from the mammary glands, and also reduces the volume of stagnation. If there is no infection, stagnation resolves after decantation. The woman feels relief, the initial symptoms of mastitis disappear.
If infection has occurred, the disease should be treated only under the supervision of a doctor, the usual prevention of mastitis will not be enough. Only a surgeon is able to distinguish mastitis from lactostasis and determine the purulent form. Most often, a woman is prescribed antibiotics, a course of physiotherapy, while breastfeeding has to be interrupted. If a purulent form of mastitis is detected, physiotherapeutic procedures should be canceled. Surgery is urgently required. The abscess is opened, cleaned and washed. It is further treated as an open purulent wound. In order to prevent such troubles, it is much easier to find out what preventive measures for mastitis exist and adhere to all recommendations.
Drug treatment
Mastitis is a rather serious disease, but despite this, with timely intervention, the treatment is very successful and quick. Carrying out the prevention of mastitis will help to avoid an ailment, but if you still notice the first signs of the disease, immediately contact a doctor - he will decide on treatment methods.
Diagnosis includes sowing milk for sterility testing and a general blood test. Treatment is started without waiting for the results of the tests (they will help in further activities). Until complete recovery from breastfeeding, it is better to refuse for a while, because the causative agents of infection and the components of the drug can enter the baby’s body with milk.
The basis in the treatment of any mastitis is antibiotic therapy. The doctor should choose exactly the drug that has the most negative effect on the pathogen. The concentration of the active substance in the tissues should be high, then the treatment will be most effective. Drugs can be administered intravenously, intramuscularly, the use of tablets is permissible. Depending on the stage and form of the disease, the course of treatment can last from 5 to 14 days. All this time, milk must be expressed every three hours. Drugs that reduce lactation will help. The treatment of mastitis and the prevention of the disease very quickly bring positive results. If the symptoms have disappeared before completing the full course, do not stop taking the medicine, otherwise a relapse is possible. In the case when the therapy did not bring relief, and mastitis goes into a more complex stage, surgical intervention may be required.
Prevention of Postpartum Mastitis
Avoiding insidious mastitis is not such a difficult task. First of all, every woman during pregnancy and breastfeeding must observe basic hygiene rules. Also, preventive measures include:
- regular expressing during lactation (it is important not to let milk stagnate in the ducts);
- immediate treatment of any lesions that appear on the chest, special attention is paid to the nipples;
- urgent appeal to the doctor in case of any suspicion of mastitis;
- good sleep and balanced nutrition;
- avoidance of stressful situations, unrest, which negatively affect the protective reactions of the body, immunity.
Prevention of mastitis in the postpartum period is the basis of the health of a nursing mother.
At the first symptoms, traditional medicine will help relieve the condition, but do not delay with going to the doctor. Depending on the stage of the disease, the fight against mastitis will take no more than 1-2 weeks.
Hygiene
The main measures for the prevention of postpartum lactational mastitis are mainly reduced to the prevention of the formation of various nipple cracks, timely treatment of microtraumas. It is very important to pump milk to the end on time and observe the rules of personal hygiene. Every day you need to properly wash your breasts, for this you need to use warm water and soap. It is recommended to wipe the areola and nipples with a solution of soda (1 tsp. In a glass of boiled water).
To prevent microorganisms from entering the child's body, the first drops of milk need to be decanted.
Also, the prevention of postpartum mastitis involves the use of various protective agents. Be sure to lubricate the nipples after each feeding - this will help prevent the development of wounds and cracks. Before feeding with baby soap and water, the protective agent must be carefully removed. You can use folk remedies that help to quickly heal cracks in the nipples.
Proper feeding and pumping
In the prevention of mastitis, great emphasis is placed on the correct process of breastfeeding. To ensure that the feeding process lasts as long as the baby needs it, while not causing discomfort, change the position of the crumbs. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the pressure on the areola and the nipple is distributed evenly, all areas are involved. Attach the baby correctly to the chest. In that case, if after feeding the baby does not let out the breast, presses, you can gently pinch his nose - he will push the nipple out.
Then, following the requirements for the prevention of mastitis after childbirth, it is necessary to decant the remaining milk to the last drop. If the glands are roughened, a breast pump is recommended.
How to express milk manually
Hands must be washed with baby soap. Position the thumb above the areola and the ring and index fingers below, approximately 3 cm from the nipple. With confident, but accurate movements, the chest should be squeezed with your fingers, slightly pushing inward, after which the fingers should be directed forward to the nipple. At this point, milk should appear. Repeat these movements until complete relief in the mammary gland. No need to feel sorry for yourself, confidently press on the chest. The first time pain is possible. If the process is correct, the milk sprays in trickles, and not stands out in drops. Follow the technique of movements, fingers should not pinch the nipple - this injures him. If the skin is very wet, wipe it with a dry diaper or cloth. The doctor must tell each young mother in the maternity hospital about the technique of pumping. If you still have any questions, feel free to ask them to your gynecologist.
Pumping with a breast pump
Modern breast pumps are great helpers for young mothers. With their help, you can easily and simply express excess milk from the breast. There are many models on the market; choosing the one that suits you is not difficult. Preparation for the procedure will be the same as for manual decantation. The device must be sterile. Each breast pump always has instructions for use.
What will be the basic rules for pumping? The funnel of the device must always be positioned so that the nipple is in the middle. The skin should be dry to ensure a vacuum with a snug fit. Further actions depend on the model of the device: you need to press the piston handle, squeeze the bulb or pump (in manual breast pumps) or turn on the button (in the electric device). When operating manual models, constant mechanical work is required - rhythmic pressing of a pump, pen or pear. Electrical appliances pump milk themselves, but here it is necessary to control the process and adjust the device for yourself. The flow of milk must be active, uniform.
At the end of the decantation, the trickle gradually turns into droplets. The chest should be light and empty. The process of expressing itself should not cause discomfort. This is possible only in the first minutes when using a mechanical pear, pump. After the decantation procedure, you must immediately sterilize the breast pump.
Leave the breast open for a short while, let the remaining milk dry in the air. Change your underwear daily, use nursing pads that are inserted into the bra. If tightening is felt in the chest, gently massage the chest, “disperse” it.
Take care of your chest!
In order not to become a victim of postpartum mastitis, prevention must be carried out necessarily, and all the rules must be strictly observed. Be sure to keep your chest warm. With mastitis and lactostasis, even slight hypothermia contributes to the development of various complications. Tightening or bandaging the chest is not recommended. With obstructed circulation, congestion only increases. Modern doctors say that you don’t need to feed the child by the hour, it is better to do this on demand. So the risks of lactostasis and mastitis are significantly reduced. During hourly feeds, milk stagnates in the ducts. Free feeding improves the quality of life for both mother and baby. Mom is healthy, and the baby is always calm and full. Adhering to recommendations for the prevention of mastitis in women, you can avoid an insidious disease and enjoy motherhood and the ability to feed a healthy baby.
Folk recipes for the treatment of mastitis
If nevertheless mastitis or lactostasis began to manifest itself, folk remedies will help alleviate the symptoms of the disease. However, this does not exempt you from going to the doctor, grandmothers alone can not do here, you must destroy the pathogen.
What means and folk recipes for these pathologies used our ancestors: We list the most popular ways:
- Relieve the patient with lactostasis and mastitis honey cakes. They are prepared from equal proportions of honey and flour. They help dissolve seals.
- Reduces heat, alleviates the condition of a fresh leaf of cabbage, burdock or coltsfoot. Leaves must first be doused with boiling water. You can apply honey or sour cream. After that, fix the compress on the chest with a tight bandage, it is not recommended to use a film. An inflamed area should breathe.
- It is recommended to apply Kombucha to the sore spot, and cover with paper on top. Compress should be done before bedtime for a week.
- Baked onion with honey helps from mastitis, it is also used as a compress. You can use figs: before use it is steamed in milk.
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- For the compress, you can use the pulp of pumpkin. It is boiled in milk. When the mixture thickens, make a compress out of it, sprinkle sugar on top and cover with a napkin.
"Grandmother's recipes" will only help alleviate the condition, but they will not solve the problems, you need to remember this. At the slightest suspicion of mastitis, you must consult a doctor and start medication!