1. What is lactation mastitis?
Lactation mastitis occurs mostly within the first three months after childbirth, and most women are new mothers. This disease can be prevented, and if the mother is treated properly, the inflammation can be quickly absorbed and cured.
2. What are the symptoms of lactation mastitis?
If the mother has painful swollen breasts, painful lumps, red and hot skin on the surface, or systemic symptoms such as fever, she may have lactational mastitis. If symptoms do not improve in 12-24 hours but worsen, such as severe pain, red and swollen skin, and severe systemic symptoms such as fever, antibiotics are often needed quickly.
With regular treatment, the vast majority of mastitis patients can be cured without stopping breastfeeding.
3. How to drain breast milk effectively?
Effective drainage of breast milk is both a treatment and prevention measure for mastitis. Breastfeeding mothers should not restrict their diet and should drink plenty of fluids and rest. In order to ensure maximum breast emptying by breastfeeding, it is necessary to pay attention to the correctness and effectiveness of the baby’s latching and sucking. In addition, mothers who exclusively breastfeed their babies should nurse 8-12 times a day to maintain an adequate milk supply. You can coat your fingers with cooking oil or non-toxic lubricant and massage your breasts while breastfeeding, moving directly towards the nipple from the direction of milk accumulation. If direct breastfeeding is not possible, breast milk can be pumped regularly using a breast pump 8-12 times a day for 15-20 minutes each time. Mothers should also learn to express breast milk by hand, just in case. For better milk drainage, hot compresses and gentle massage can be used. Cold compresses can also be used to treat discomfort. Mothers may need a lot of moral support and encouragement to keep breastfeeding.
4. Is there a risk of infection to the baby if I continue to breastfeed?
Many studies have proven that it is usually safe to continue breastfeeding, even in the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. Since the same microorganisms often colonize the mother and baby when mastitis occurs, breastfeeding can be continued without fear of transferring the pathogenic bacteria to the baby. Moreover, the milk coming from the breast with mastitis contains high levels of anti-infective ingredients that protect the baby. In fact, after the mastitis subsides, it is a good time to breastfeed, and it is the most effective way to drain milk from the infected area.
5. How to use antibiotics?
If symptoms do not improve in 12-24 hours or if the patient is in severe discomfort, such as severe pain, severe symptoms, systemic symptoms, and/or fever, antibiotics need to be administered promptly, regardless of whether the presumed pathogen is infectious or non-infectious.
Although there is no standard recommended course of treatment, most recommend a 10-14 day course of antibiotics. This is consistent with the recommended course of treatment for most other bacterial infections of the large organs.
6. Are breast abscesses and mastitis the same thing?
A breast abscess presents similarly to mastitis, except that there is a hard area on the breast, often with a fluctuating sensation. The diagnosis can be confirmed by ultrasound, and once abscess formation is determined, surgical drainage or needle aspiration should be performed, which can be repeated. The pus should be cultured and treated with antibiotics. Unless the mother is very sick or the baby’s sucking place is located in the surgical incision, breastfeeding can be continued in general.
7. Can I take painkillers for mastitis pain?
Analgesia helps the lactation reflex. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen may be more effective than simple analgesics such as paracetamol/acetaminophen in reducing symptoms associated with inflammation and can be taken by breastfeeding mothers.
8.How to perform breast massage?
(1) Pushing and stroking method: The patient is in a sitting or side-lying position, fully exposing the breast. First sprinkle some talcum powder or paraffin oil on the affected breast, and then the whole palm of both hands from around the breast along the mammary ducts gently pushed towards the nipple 50 to 100 times;
(2) Squeeze method: Apply pressure to the affected area with the small or large fissure on the palm of the hand, and apply light rubbing to the red, swollen and painful area, and repeatedly rub and press the hard area several times until the lump is soft;
(3) Kneading, pinching, holding method: With the five fingers of the right hand, grasp the affected breast and apply kneading method, one grasp and one release, 10 to 15 times repeatedly. With the left hand, gently pull the nipple several times to expand the milk ducts in the nipple;
(4) Oscillation method: Using the right hand, push the right hand along the breast root from the swollen node to the nipple with high speed oscillation, and repeat 3 to 5 times. The effect is better when there is a slight heat sensation in the area.
9.How to return the milk?
When breast milk accumulation is not resolved, the mother has a higher risk of mastitis. If she already has mastitis, she is at an increased risk of developing a breast abscess, and if she already has an abscess, recovery will be delayed. Therefore, a mother with mastitis should address the problem of milk accumulation before starting to wean. There are several conditions in which weaning can be considered: anyone with nipple deformities and recurrent breast abscesses; those who have developed a breast fistula after abscess drainage; those whose drainage wounds have not healed over time; and those who refuse to lactate can be considered for weaning.
Once breastfeeding has begun, it is best to wear a bra with support. Reduce breastfeeding or sucking once or twice every 2-3 days so that lactation becomes gradually less. After the first week or two, the risk of recurrence of mastitis will be minimized and you can empty your breasts thoroughly in the morning and at bedtime for greater comfort. Sudden weaning can lead to severe milk stagnation, increasing the risk of infection or abscesses, which may lead to systemic symptoms and pain in the overly swollen, hard breast, and discomfort and systemic symptoms that will last about 3 to 4 days or until the milk volume drops.
10.What conditions should I visit our mammography department for?
Breastfeeding mothers should visit our mammography department when they experience elevated body temperature, localized breast pain, breast lumps that do not subside after breastfeeding, redness and swelling of the breast skin, or pus flowing from the nipple. The breast should be routinely checked when you return to the hospital 42 days after delivery.
Most patients with breastfeeding mastitis do not need to stop breastfeeding and can apply massage and other methods to empty the breast; for women who need antibiotic treatment, they can also continue breastfeeding; for women who have formed breast abscesses, they mostly need incision and drainage, and in the past, they were treated with conventional drug exchange methods, which is a long course, painful and ineffective. Now we use the new method of continuous postoperative irrigation and drainage, which can greatly shorten the course of treatment.