Mastitis is an infection in the mammary gland that causes inflammation and most often pain, redness, fever, chills and muscle and joint pain.
It affects 10% of women who breastfeed and is one of the main causes of abandonment of breastfeeding. Contrary to what is sometimes recommended, to prevent and treat mastitis, the best advice is not to stop breastfeeding, but a lot of chest. Put the baby to breastfeed as much as possible, whenever you ask for it and if you notice congestion, especially increase the frequency of the shots.
The first sign of alarm may be pain when breastfeeding the baby. Breastfeeding should not hurt, but it can hurt. Breast engorgement is a very painful congestion of the breasts but can be solved with appropriate techniques. It usually appears at the time of the rise of milk the days after delivery and demotivate the woman to start breastfeeding.
Engorgement can lead to mastitis If you do not put a solution, that is why it should be prevented with appropriate solutions such as reverse softening pressure (PIS), in addition to other advice we have given in this post, and of course, increase the shots.
Two probable causes for mastitis are considered. One points to an imbalance in the bacterial flora that inhabits the mammary gland from the mother's intestine. The other, at the entrance of a germ from outside through some of the cracks in the mother's nipple.
Whatever the cause, it is important to know that offering the breast on demand, whenever the baby asks for it, by day and night is one of the keys to uncomplicated breastfeeding. And if necessary, because you feel your chest very heavy or that begins to get congested, increase the shots. Try to make the breasts empty completely. If you are a baby, do not empty them, you can help with a breast pump or pump the milk manually.
When the baby is sucked, the ducts become empty and cleaned of possible infectious agents or obstructions that could occur.
Before the first symptoms of mastitis such as congestion, redness and pain in the chest, try to empty the breasts well, place localized heat or hot showers and perform the massage (inverse softening pressure) that we discussed above. In case of fever for more than 24 hours and malaise, see a doctor. The treatment for mastitis is based on current antibiotics and anti-inflammatory or analgesics that are compatible with breastfeeding, therefore it is not necessary to abandon it.
While the mother is taking the medication she should continue breastfeeding frequently, rest and use moist heat to accelerate recovery.
