The lactation period is the most important time in every mother's life. Right now, she should be as serious as possible about what she does, what she eats. After all, almost every wrong action of hers can affect the he alth of the baby, and in some cases, her own he alth. That is why you need to regularly go to consultations with a pediatrician and a gynecologist. They can help mommy enjoy this period and avoid various problems, among which mastitis is not uncommon.
What is mastitis?
This diagnosis is more common in women who have recently been discharged from a maternity hospital. As soon as a woman is diagnosed with this disease, questions arise in her head: what caused the disease, and most importantly, is it possible to treat mastitis at home in 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 a nursing mother. And they, in turn, arise due to improper attachment of the child to the breast. This is not only the fault of the mother, but alsodoctors who were unable or unwilling to teach the technique to the woman.
Uninfected mastitis
It does not appear on its own, and in most cases occurs if a woman has untreated lactostasis. In a nursing mother, the milk passages are clogged, which, in turn, disrupts the outflow of milk. All this leads to severe pain in the mammary glands and causes an increase in body temperature up to forty degrees. In one of the lobules of the mammary gland, a seal appears, which brings pain, outwardly stands out as redness, and the temperature in this area rises.
In addition to the above symptoms of mastitis, a nursing mother may experience severe headache, dry mouth, weakness and malaise throughout the body. Some changes can be seen in the blood, if you do a general analysis. Significantly increased levels of leukocytes and ESR. No pathogens can be detected in the study of mother's milk. Women with uninfected mastitis may not be treated successfully, in which case the infection can get into the breast, leading to infected mastitis.
Infected mastitis
The first symptom is a high temperature, which does not just rise to forty degrees, but makes sharp turns from low to high and vice versa. The general condition of the woman is deteriorating sharply. There is dryness not only in the mouth, but also on the skin, as well asmucous. The mammary gland increases in size, along with redness, cyanosis appears. In addition, the venous network is clearly visible, and inflammation and manifestation of the lymphatic vessels are also possible.
In such cases, doctors prescribe a general and biochemical blood test, which can determine how much mastitis has developed in a nursing mother, the symptoms and treatment that should be given to her. In especially advanced cases, pus is even released 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 an inflammatory edema in the milk lobule. It has redness and gives the woman pain. Now the woman can still breastfeed the baby. If you do not start treatment at this stage, then in a few days the disease will turn into 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 is kept at around 38 degrees. Now the tumor is observed not only in the region of the lobule, the entire mammary gland increases in size. And the site of inflammation becomes even more painful, cyanotic swelling appears. With such mastitis, treatment at home is impossible. You need to go to the hospital.
If at this stage everything is done as the doctor recommends, then the seals will soon resolve, and the womancan return to normal life. But if you ignore this stage, then you can immediately prepare for the development of the next, even more serious one.
Purulent mastitis
Here there is a softening of the infiltrate, pus is formed. The general condition of the patient worsens, the temperature rises to forty. If you press hard on the nipple, pus will begin to 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 deliberately 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 or 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 child to the breast;
- non-compliance with the rules for breastfeeding mothers.
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 express the remaining milk so that it does not clog the ducts. Otherwise, lactostasis develops - this is a directexpensive for mastitis. And this is not the most pleasant disease for either mom or baby.
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.
- A seal appears in the mammary gland, it itself increases in size, painful sensations begin.
- The mammary gland can become very reddened, bluish swelling appears.
- The general condition of the body worsens, headaches torment, the body loses a lot of fluid.
- A certain area, and sometimes the entire gland, turns very red.
- In advanced cases, pus begins to stand out.
- Baby may refuse to breastfeed.
With the transition to a new stage, the woman's condition is deteriorating more and more, the possibility of treatment with medication is becoming less and less. Every woman should remember that this disease is dangerous not only for he alth, but also for the life of the mother. Therefore, with a trip to the doctor should not be delayed. With mastitis in a nursing mother, it is strictly forbidden to postpone treatment. This endangers not only her he alth, but also her life.
What not to do with breast inflammation
Many women believe that when seals appear in the breast, it is enough to knead it a little and everything will fall into place, but this is far from the case. If you have foundsigns of the initial stage of mastitis, you can not press on the chest, try to smooth out the seal, rub the mammary glands with washcloths or a rough cloth. This will not only not help, but even lead to the growth of edema.
There is a special massage that is designed 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 shower, the water temperature should not exceed body temperature.
Some women believe that if they drink less, their milk supply will drastically decrease. This is far from true. 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 patient's condition. In the initial stages, breastfeeding should not be stopped, it should even be increased. After all, the baby sucks, takes milk, and the seal can disperse.
Mastitis in a nursing mother: treatment
When 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 that the patient can do on her own, but only after a specialist teaches her to do this. And also oftenprescribe 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 that enters the composition of mother's milk does not harm the baby in any way.
The last stage is treated only inpatient, because in this case it is impossible to do without surgical intervention. The woman is given general anesthesia, and the doctor removes the resulting 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 the result of undertreated lactostasis. But if the latter occurs in every second woman, then the former develops quite rarely. Mastitis accounts for only 9% of breastfeeding women. To avoid being included in this list, you need to empty the breast of the remaining milk if the baby could not eat everything during feeding.
The most effective way is considered to be frequent attachment of the baby. Modern doctors say that you need to feed the child on demand, but even if the baby does not ask to eat, you need to apply it. But some kids don't eat enough. In such cases, the remaining milk should be expressed. This can be done while taking a shower. You can not press hard on the chest, you can only lightly squeeze the nipples.
It is also recommended to apply a warm diaper to the breast, then the milk will come out easily. In addition to all of the above, theremany ways to help prevent a disease such as mastitis. First of all, do not take the baby off the breast. Let him suck as much as he needs. Do not wash your breasts too often and do not use soap that dries out the nipples. Learn how to properly attach your 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, no wires. Try to be less nervous and do not stay outside for a long time during the cold season. You can use a breast pump to express milk.
Folk treatment for mastitis
At home, the symptoms of mastitis are easily identified. There are ways of treatment with the help of folk recipes. You can use them simultaneously with drug 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 when milk stagnates in the chest, a cabbage leaf should be applied. You can even put it in a bra and walk like that all the time.
- 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.
- Burdock and alder leaves are widely used for compress. It is prepared according to the previous technology.
Carefully monitor the state of your body. For any changes, you need to contact a specialist. After all, a nursing woman is responsible not only for her he alth, but also for her baby. And the baby is affected by any ailments of the mother. Timely medical care can save you from various complications. Finding the symptoms and treatment of mastitis is very simple, and it is much easier to get rid of it at the very beginning, so as not to harm yourself and the child.
