Breast mastitis which has occurred more than once in a lactating (nursing) mother should be explored in order to determine the cause of the recurrent infections. If a mother can recognize the signs before she becomes noticeably ill, she may be able to resolve the infection on her own. If not, there are some treatment options.
Description
Simply put, mastitis is a breast infection. This usually occurs in a nursing mother when her milk ducts become plugged with milk plugs. Another cause of mastitis is cracked nipples--the infection can enter her breast tissue, where the infection settles and grows. Symptoms of mastitis include fever, redness, tenderness in the infected breast and a feeling of heat. The mother could also develop tiredness (malaise) and occasionally, nausea and vomiting.
Early Treatments
If the mother has had mastitis in the past and recognizes early symptoms, she can begin at-home treatments which may help to avoid the need for antibiotic treatment. These treatments include bed rest, gentle massage of the affected breast behind the sore area, warm compresses and frequent breast feeding on both breasts. As she is breast feeding she needs to change positions often.
Antibiotics
If she is not able to stop the infection from progressing to the point where she is experiencing flu-like symptoms, she needs to visit her doctor. He will request a "clean-catch" sample of her milk to test for the infectious agent. Depending on the specific bacteria, he will prescribe an antibiotic to clean up the infection. This antibiotic will be prescribed with an eye toward what could affect her baby.
Breast Feeding
Another treatment aimed at alleviating the mastitis is to breast feed frequently on both breasts (the baby has already had the bacteria introduced into his system before his mother got sick). She may find it easier to begin breast feeding on the unaffected side first until the milk in her affected breast has let down. Her baby may be reluctant to take milk from the affected breast because of an elevated content of sodium in the milk from that breast.
Express Milk
It is important for the mother to try and keep her breasts as soft and not engorged as possible. Therefore, she will have to frequently express milk--expressing milk manually may also help to expel any milk plugs which may have collected in her milk ducts. If she does not do this, she runs the risk of developing cellulitis, which is an infection of the connective tissue is the breasts. Another infection she could develop is called adenitis, which is an infection of the milk duct. Even though it is painful, she has to express the milk, try to keep her breast soft and breast feed her baby so she can recover from the infection. If her infection becomes a breast abscess, she will need surgery in order to drain the infection.
Tags: affected breast, both breasts, breast feed, breast feeding, infection This
