The health of the female breast must be given special attention. Most carefully monitor it during lactation. Despite the fact that the body independently controls the amount of milk in response to nipple irritation, even a completely healthy woman may experience inflammation caused by stagnation of milk in the mammary glands in times of crisis. How to prevent mastitis from a nursing mother and how to properly treat this ailment?
Many women confuse mastitis with mastopathy, not knowing what the difference between diseases is. Mastitis can occur at any time of lactation, and even when the mother does not breastfeed. Mastopathy is a cystic and hyperplastic change, the development of which is due to hormonal failure.
Causes
Mastitis is a disease characterized by inflammation of the breast tissue. Most often occurs under the influence of two factors. These include stagnation of milk and the presence of pathogenic microflora. If you exclude them, you can successfully overcome the disease. As a rule, mastitis in a nursing mother begins to develop in the following periods:
- 4-7 days after birth. At this point, colostrum is replaced with breast milk, which is actively produced by the woman’s body.
- With the introduction of complementary foods. By this period, the child ceases to feel the need for breast milk. The number of attachments to the chest is reduced, which leads to stagnation.
- After the end of lactation. If breastfeeding is abruptly stopped, avoiding mastitis will not be easy.
Stagnation of milk provokes the active reproduction of pathogenic microbes. Against the background of the development of harmful microflora, tissue edema appears, which squeezes the milk ducts and exacerbates the situation. If you do not take measures, mastitis in a nursing mother will have to be treated surgically.
Causes of Lactostasis
Lactostasis - stagnation of milk in the ducts of the mammary glands. Almost all nursing mothers face this problem. The reasons for the appearance of lactostasis are the active production of milk or a decrease in its consumption by the baby. This may be due to the influence of the following factors:
- Decantation. Feeding the baby should be done on demand, but many women adhere to certain time intervals.
- Single breastfeeding. You need to start feeding with a "new" breast. In this way, uniform emptying of both mammary glands can be ensured.
- Surface sucking. Often babies do not suckle too actively. This leads to the fact that the "back" milk is untouched, and stagnation occurs.
- Incorrect attachment. In order for the lobules to be emptied evenly, the woman needs to periodically change position while feeding the baby.
- Wrong linen. Nursing mother needs to wear underwear made from natural fabrics. It is important that the bra does not squash the chest.
- Surgical intervention. If breast surgery was previously performed, this can worsen the situation with duct obstruction.
Infection penetration
The penetration of pathogenic microbes into the place of stagnation of milk is carried out as follows:
- Through damaged nipples (cracks). If the baby is not correctly applied to the chest or his teeth have already erupted, he begins to bite his nipples, this leads to the appearance of wounds, which are considered an excellent conductor for pathogens.
- From the foci of infection. A latent infection (caries, sinusitis) or one that penetrates in an acute form (colitis, cystitis, etc.) is able to penetrate the mammary glands with a flow of lymph or blood. Common causes of mastitis in a nursing mother are staphylococcal and streptococcal infections.
What are the signs of mastitis?
In order not to aggravate the situation, you need to be able to recognize the symptoms of mastitis in a nursing mother in time. What to do first? The woman carefully and gently palpates the mammary glands. The stagnation of milk will indicate the onset of the disease. Many lactating mothers face this phenomenon. Lactostasis manifests itself as follows:
- An excess of milk is observed in the mammary gland.
- In some places in the chest, pain can be felt.
- In some cases, tubercles and seals can be felt.
It is worth noting that there is no problem with the passage of milk, and the temperature of the nursing mother remains within the normal range. After feeding, the woman feels relief. The clinical picture depends on the stage of the disease. Mastitis can occur in an acute, chronic form. Relapses are possible. The reason is insufficient sanation of the focus of infection.
What to do?
If mastitis has just appeared and lactostasis is observed, you can get rid of the problem on your own. Do not self-medicate, you need to see a doctor.
So, how to quickly cure mastitis in a nursing mother? To do this, adhere to certain recommendations:
- Express the chest and often apply the baby. To eliminate stagnation, let the milk stand out unhindered. If the child does not want to take a breast, it is worth resorting to expressing by hand.
- Warm up the chest in the shower. Water allows you to relax and relieve spasm of the ducts. Water should be pleasantly warm, but not hot. It is important!
- Take antispasmodic drugs. As a medicine, "No-shpa", "Papaverine" are suitable.
What is strictly prohibited?
With mastitis, a nursing mother should refrain from the following manipulations:
- Too much pressure on the chest during pumping.
- Warm the chest with severe inflammation.
- Take pills to stop lactation.
- Put the child to the chest with purulent discharge.
To eliminate stagnation of milk, areas with seals can be wiped with ice cubes. Such actions should be carried out carefully so as not to injure the tissue. With the help of the cold, it will be possible to relieve swelling, pain. After massage with ice cubes, it will be much easier to express or feed the baby.
Drug treatment
If you know how mastitis begins in a nursing mother, you can stop it in time and prevent complications. When the body temperature reaches the level of 37.5-38 ° C, you must definitely take medications, which the doctor should prescribe. The following drugs can be used to treat mastitis in nursing mothers:
- Antibiotics. At the time of therapy, it is not forbidden to breast-feed a baby. This is possible only if the doctor prescribed Cefazolin, Cefotaxime, Amoklav, Azithromycin. When taking "Metronidazole", "Clarithromycin" will have to wean the baby from the chest and resort to decantation. If there is strong mastitis in a nursing mother, antibiotics and any other drugs should be selected by a doctor.
- Antipyretic. All drugs from this series have the ability to penetrate into breast milk. The safest drug for crumbs is the drug "Ibuprofen."
- Antispasmodics. Medicines such as Drotaverin and Papaverine will help reduce swelling, eliminate pain, and activate the outflow of milk.
- Oxytocin. The natural production of this substance is carried out with irritation of the nipples. If mastitis has been diagnosed in a nursing mother, the drug is administered intramuscularly or intravenously. As a result, there is a reduction in ducts, which leads to the emptying of the milk ducts.
- Cessation of lactation. With mastitis, proceeding in a complex form, the doctor may decide to stop lactation. For this purpose, a woman is prescribed drugs that reduce milk production (Parlodel, Dostinex).
Folk ways
Traditional medicine is also used at the initial stage of mastitis. An effective therapeutic effect is observed with complex treatment using drugs.
Mastitis can be treated with available herbs and remedies. Most commonly used:
- Cabbage. Before attaching the sheet to the affected area, it must be doused with boiling water and wait until it cools. Such lotions are best done at night.
- Baking soda. Dissolve 1 tsp. in 200 ml of hot water, moisten gauze in this solution and put a compress in the evening. Leave the bandage overnight.
- Alder or mint. Raw materials can be used in dried or fresh form. Shredded plant (1 tsp) pour 1 cup boiling water and let the composition brew for about half an hour. Strain. Apply gauze soaked in infusion to the place with seals for 3-5 hours.
- Coltsfoot. Rinse leaves with hot water, apply to chest overnight.
Surgical intervention
If we talk about the danger of mastitis in a nursing mother, then first of all it is worth noting that its neglected form is not amenable to treatment by the above methods. If a medication regimen does not lead to improvement, or if there are signs of an abscess in the mammary gland, surgery is inevitable.
To choose the best way to solve the problem, the doctor must conduct an ultrasound of the mammary glands.
As a rule, radial incisions are made that allow you to open the abscess. In these places, a drainage is installed to release purulent fluid.
Postoperative period
Within 10 days, timely treatment of the wound will be required. In the postoperative period, a woman must be prescribed antibiotics. If necessary, dressings are applied to the sore spot with Vishnevsky ointment or Levomekol.
Complications
If you ignore the fact that the milk in the chest began to stagnate, this can lead to complications. In severe cases, breast removal may even be required. In order to prevent such grave consequences, you need to monitor the condition of the mammary glands and recognize the mastitis of the nursing mother in time. In the photo posted in the article, one of the solutions to the problem is a surgical operation. Its consequences may be as follows:
- a scar will form on the skin;
- the appearance of fistulas, which also require long-term treatment, and do not exclude repeated surgical intervention, is not excluded.
Mastitis: preventive measures
If preventive measures are taken during the lactation period, mastitis can be avoided. To do this, adhere to certain recommendations:
- Properly apply the baby to the chest.
- Do not ignore the appeared cracks on the nipples.
- Wear the right clothes.
- Perform breast massage.
- Feed the baby on demand.
- Observe hygiene.
- Avoid injury to the chest.
Conclusion
If all signs of mastitis have been detected, a lactating woman should definitely consult a doctor. As for which doctor treats mastitis in a nursing mother, an obstetrician will be able to conduct all diagnostic measures and draw up a treatment regimen.