Lactation is the most important time in the life of every mother. Right now, she should be as serious as possible about what she does, what eats. Indeed, almost every of her wrong actions can affect the baby’s health, and in some cases on her own health. That is why you need to regularly go to consultations with a pediatrician and gynecologist. They can help mommy enjoy this period and avoid various problems, among which mastitis is often found.
What is mastitis?
This diagnosis is more often made to women who have recently been discharged from the maternity hospital. As soon as a woman finds this disease, questions arise in her head: what caused the disease, and what is especially important - is it possible to treat mastitis at home with a nursing mother.
The disease is divided into two subspecies: uninfected and infected. The second can develop as a result of the fact that cracks appear on the nipples of the nursing mother. And they, in turn, arise due to improper attachment of the child to the chest. This is not only the fault of the mother, but also doctors who could not or did not want to teach the woman this technique.
Uninfected mastitis
It does not appear by itself, but in most cases occurs if a woman has uncured lactostasis. The lactating passages are blocked in the nursing mother, which, in turn, disrupts the outflow of milk. All this leads to severe pain in the mammary glands and causes a rise in body temperature to forty degrees. In one of the lobes of the mammary gland, a seal appears that brings pain, externally stands out as redness, and the temperature in this area rises.
In addition to the listed symptoms of mastitis, a nursing mother may experience severe headache, a feeling of dry mouth, weakness and malaise throughout the body. Some changes can be noticed in the blood, if you do a general analysis. Significantly increased levels of leukocytes and ESR. It is impossible to detect any pathogens in the study of breast milk. With uninfected mastitis in women, treatment may not produce results, and in this case, the infection can get into the chest, which provokes the development of infected mastitis.
Infected mastitis
The first symptom is a high temperature, which not only rises to forty degrees, but makes sharp turns from low to high indicators and vice versa. The general condition of the woman is deteriorating sharply. Dryness is observed not only in the mouth, but also on the skin, as well as the mucous membrane. The mammary gland increases in size, along with redness, cyanosis appears. In addition, the venous network is clearly visible, and inflammation and the manifestation of lymphatic vessels are also possible.
In such cases, doctors prescribe a general and biochemical blood test, which can be used to determine how much mastitis has developed in a nursing mother, the symptoms and the treatment that she should be prescribed. In especially advanced cases, pus is even secreted from the mammary glands.
Serous mastitis
This is the so-called initial stage of mastitis. During this period, body temperature can rise to 38.9 degrees. And also there is inflammatory edema in the milk lobule. It has redness and gives the woman painful sensations. Now a woman can still breastfeed her baby. If you do not start treatment at this stage, then after a few days the disease will transfer to another, more serious one.
Infiltrative mastitis
The inflammatory fluid that formed in the previous stage may begin to spread to other areas. The woman has additional symptoms in the form of general malaise, headache, the temperature keeps at around 38 degrees. Now the tumor is observed not only in the area of the lobule, the entire mammary gland is increasing in size. And the place of inflammation becomes even more painful, cyanotic swelling appears. With this mastitis treatment at home is impossible. Need to go to hospital.
If everything is done at this stage, as the doctor recommends, then soon the seals will resolve, and the woman will be able to return to normal life. But if you ignore this stage, then you can immediately prepare for the development of the next, even more serious.
Purulent mastitis
Here the softening of the infiltrate occurs, pus is formed. The general condition of the patient worsens, the temperature rises to forty. If you press hard on the nipple, pus will stand out from it. In this case, treatment is impossible without the intervention of a surgeon who will open the resulting abscess. Breastfeeding during this period is strictly prohibited. Doctors intentionally suppress lactation using various hormonal drugs.
Causes of inflammation
Mastitis can occur in a woman who has recently given birth and has not yet learned all the rules of breastfeeding, as well as in those who complete this process. The main reasons include:
- lactostasis, or stagnation of milk, as mothers call it;
- various chronic diseases, such as: caries, tonsillitis and others;
- hypothermia of the body or a prolonged lack of rest, which is typical for mothers of newborns;
- cracks in the nipples, which are formed as a result of improper attachment of the baby to the chest;
- non-compliance with the rules for the care of the breast of a nursing mother.
It is especially important for young mothers to pay attention to the fact that in the first days the body produces a lot of milk, and the baby does not have time to eat it. In such cases, it is recommended to pump out the remaining milk so that it does not clog the ducts. Otherwise, lactostasis develops - it is direct expensive to mastitis. And this is not the most pleasant disease for either mom or crumbs.
Main symptoms
At each stage, the symptoms and treatment of mastitis may differ, but the general condition of the woman remains unchanged. So, the main signs of the disease include:
- A sharp increase in body temperature to forty degrees.
- In the mammary gland, a seal appears, it itself increases in size, painful sensations begin.
- The mammary gland can turn red, bluish swelling appears.
- The general condition of the body worsens, headaches torment, the body loses a lot of fluid.
- A certain area, and sometimes all of the iron, turns red.
- In advanced cases, pus begins to stand out.
- The baby may refuse to breast.
With the transition to a new stage, the woman’s condition worsens more and more, the possibility of treatment with medical methods becomes less and less. Every woman should remember that this disease is dangerous not only for health, but also for the life of the mother. Therefore, a trip to the doctor should not be delayed. With mastitis in nursing, it is strictly forbidden to postpone treatment. This threatens not only her health, but also her life.
What can not be done with inflammation of the mammary gland
Many women believe that with the appearance of seals in the chest, it is enough to stretch it a little and everything will fall into place, but this is far from the case. If you find signs of the initial stage of mastitis, you can’t press on the chest, try to smooth out the seal, rub the mammary glands with washcloths or coarse tissue. This will not only not help, but even lead to the growth of edema.
There is a special massage, which is intended for use in such cases, but only a specialist can show its technique. In addition, you do not need to try to make a compress or apply various lotions. If you decide to take a bath or go to the shower, then the water temperature should not exceed body temperature.
Some women believe that if they drink less, the amount of milk will decrease dramatically. This is far from the case. Moreover, one of the symptoms is dry mouth. And this means that the body is in dire need of fluid, but its absence can further aggravate the condition of the patient. In the initial stages, breastfeeding should not be stopped, it should even be increased. After all, the child sucks, takes the milk, and the seal may break up.
Mastitis in a nursing mother: treatment
If the first symptoms of the disease appear, you should immediately consult a doctor. First of all, he will prescribe a general blood test and, most likely, an ultrasound. In addition, milk is taken for sowing. Thus, it is possible to identify the nature of the disease: infectious or not. If there is an infection in the milk, antibiotics are prescribed.
If the doctor determines the presence of the first or second stage of mastitis, he prescribes a special massage, which the patient can do on her own, but only after she is trained by a specialist. And also often prescribed various physiotherapy.
You can bring down the temperature with drugs such as Paracetamol and Ibuprofen. When using these tablets, breastfeeding does not need to be stopped. The active substance, which enters the composition of breast milk, does not harm the baby.
The last stage is treated only stationary, because in this case it is impossible to do without surgical intervention. The woman is given general anesthesia, and the doctor removes the pus and milk that has stagnated. After the operation, a course of treatment is carried out, which is used in the two previous stages.
Prevention
As already mentioned, mastitis is a consequence of untreated lactostasis. But if the latter is found in every second woman, then the former develops quite rarely. Mastitis accounts for only 9% of women who breastfeed. In order not to get on this list, you need to free the breast from the remaining milk, if the baby during feeding could not eat everything.
The most effective way is the frequent application of the baby. Modern doctors say that you need to feed the baby on demand, but even if the baby does not ask for food, you need to apply it. But some kids eat little. In such cases, the remaining milk should be expressed. This can be done while taking a shower. You can not put much pressure on the chest, you can only squeeze the nipples slightly.
It is also recommended to apply a warm diaper to the chest, then the milk will easily come out. In addition to all of the above, there are many ways that will help prevent a disease such as mastitis. First of all, do not tear the baby away from the chest. Let him suck as much as he needs. Do not wash your breasts too often and do not use soap that dries the nipples. Learn how to properly apply the baby so that cracks do not form on the nipples, through which various infections can enter the mammary glands.
Buy yourself a special bra that will have wide straps, pitted. Try to be less nervous and for a long time do not stay outdoors in the cold season. For pumping milk, you can use a breast pump.
Alternative treatment of mastitis
At home, the symptoms of mastitis are easily determined. There are methods of treatment using folk recipes. You can use them simultaneously with medical treatment, they are also very effective not only in the treatment of mammary glands, but also in many other cases. Let's look at the most popular and effective recipes for treating mastitis in a nursing mother at home.
- It is widely known that with stagnation of milk in the chest, cabbage leaf should be applied. You can even put it in a bra and walk so constantly.
- Dry mint leaves are poured with boiling water and left for five minutes. Then the liquid is drained, and the leaves are wrapped in gauze and applied to the sore spot as a compress for twenty minutes.
- The leaves of burdock and alder are widely used for compress. It is being prepared according to previous technology.
Carefully monitor the state of your body. For any changes, contact a specialist. After all, a nursing woman is responsible not only for her health, but also for her baby. And the baby is affected by any ailments of the mother. Timely medical help can get rid of various complications. It is very simple to establish the symptoms and treatment of mastitis, and it is much easier to get rid of it at the very beginning, so as not to harm yourself and the child.