Mastitis: Breast inflammation when breastfeeding
An insufficiently treated milk congestion can quickly develop into a breast infection (mastitis), because body-warm milk is an ideal breeding ground for inflammatory germs. Here you can find out what causes a breast infection and how you can take action against it.
Milk congestion as a precursor of mastitis
Often it is not so easy to distinguish with a painful breast whether it is “only” amilk congestionor already an inflammatory process that can lead to mastitis. Both phenomena show the same symptoms at the beginning. But with an incipient breast infection, the mother soon feels weak and gets flu-like body aches, the body temperature rises quickly and often reaches up to 40 ° C. The affected breast is reddened and almost always sensitive to pain. Red, stripe-like lines of inflammation may also be recognizable. Immediate help to the mother is very important in this case.
Causes of mastitis
Mastitis develops in almost all cases from an untreated milk stasis. The inflammatory germs can also penetrate the nipple via fine skin wounds, then the breast inflammation develops even without prior milk stasis. In order to reduce the risk of such infectious mastitis, especially frequent hand washing when handling the nipple is important.
What can you do against mastitis?
You should definitely cure real mastitis in bed and spare yourself, even if you only feel a slight fever. Midwives report again and again that women who have not adhered to theirpuerperiumsuffer more often from febrile mastitis than others.
- Support: Your partner should definitely stay at home so that you can recover. If this is not possible, an additional domestic help or family caregiver must be provided.
- Do not wean: As long as no antibiotic treatment has been prescribed, it is not necessaryto wean.
- Wrap: After breastfeeding, a cold curd wrap on the chest fights the inflammation well and moist full body wraps or washes help against the fever.
- Compresses: Another good help is the application of white cabbage leaves or honey compresses. Envelopes can also reduce the inflammation faster.
- As a preventive measure, you should also make sure to change thenursing padsfrequently.
- Homeopathy: Again and again, midwives proceed with ahomeopathic treatment against a breast infection. So discuss with your midwife what treatment options you can imagine. Medicines for this purpose include: Belladonna, Bryonia, Chamomilla, Lachesis, Phytolacca and Silcea.
- Drink enough: Above all, regular and sufficient drinking is important so that the amount of milk does not decrease due to the fever and your child continues to be well cared for.
- Empty the breast: It is also particularly important to empty the breast, just like in the case of milk stasis. The accumulated, viscous milk, which then drips filamentously from a dammed milk lake, is squeezed. In some cases, the procedure must be performed several times on consecutive days.
- Hot and cold wipes: Both cold for pain relief and to curb inflammation and heat for vasodilation can help you. Before breastfeeding, you should place a warm cloth on a chest. Between breastfeeding, ice packs or wet compresses will help.
- Avoidtight or incisiveclothing.
Important: If there is no improvement after one or two days, you should visit your midwife or gynecologist, as the mastitis really needs to be treated with antibiotics.