Acute mastitis is the most common breast disease in mothers. Mastitis is likely to occur in older women over 35 years of age, in first-time mothers who lack breastfeeding experience or are emotionally stressed, and in women who choose to have a cesarean section. Acute mastitis can cause high fever and chills to the mother herself and even the formation of breast abscesses. It can cause termination of breastfeeding to the baby and bring about inadequate intake of immune factors.
The cause of acute mastitis is mainly the accumulation of milk and bacterial invasion, in addition to the decrease in the ability of women to fight infection after childbirth. Therefore, to prevent acute mastitis, it is important to prevent the accumulation of milk, to keep the breasts locally clean, and to maintain the physical and mental health of the mother. More importantly, mothers-to-be should do a good job of breast health care from the following aspects starting from the pregnancy period.
1, keep clean
In the second two months of pregnancy, often use water to clean the nipples, pay attention not to use soap cleaning products to clean the breasts, soap can be washed away to protect the lubrication of the skin of the breast oil, easy to make the surface of the breast to form a broken, cracked, resulting in germs easy to invade secondary infection. After each breastfeeding, use warm water to wipe the breasts and nipples clean.
2.Correct the concavity
If you have congenital sunken nipples, splitting, etc., you should find a way to correct them in early and mid-pregnancy (even better if you can correct them during adolescence). You can often pull the nipple by hand or use a breast pump or negative pressure cupping device to suck out the nipple once or twice a day for 20 to 30 minutes each time.
3. “Start breastfeeding” as early as possible
The baby’s sucking will stimulate lactation, which will not only increase the amount of lactation, but also promote the smooth discharge of milk and prevent the accumulation of milk.
4.Take supplements as needed
Some mothers do not have a smooth start in breastfeeding, so their families rush to stew carp soup and pig’s feet soup to give the mothers tonic, but in fact this practice is not suitable. If the milk ducts are not open, the milk will increase after the tonic but cannot be discharged smoothly, which will easily lead to acute mastitis.
5, correct breastfeeding
It is advisable to alternate breastfeeding between the two breasts to empty the breast and avoid accumulation of milk. When one breast is full, empty the other breast with a breast pump. After breastfeeding, do not let the baby sleep with the nipple, as a broken nipple creates an opportunity for bacterial invasion.
6.Protect your breasts
The size of your breasts increases in late pregnancy, so choose a suitable bra that does not make your breasts feel compressed. Wearing a bra after breastfeeding can hold up your breasts and also help correct sagging breasts. Use warm towels to warm up both breasts in between breastfeeding to keep the blood circulation inside the breasts smooth. You should also avoid bumping your breasts with external forces during normal activities.
7.Be in a relaxed mood
Keep the air in the room fresh and the environment quiet, keep the mother emotionally stable, avoid anger and rage, and keep a reasonable diet with good nutrition and smooth bowel movements.
Once acute mastitis has occurred, it should be treated promptly, and most women can still resume breastfeeding. In general, it is not recommended to use antibiotics right away because breastfeeding has to be suspended after antibiotics are used, and antibiotics often cause breast lumps to “stiffen” and not dissipate easily. Only in cases of bacterial inflammation where the temperature is very high and the blood leukocytes are determined to be high, should they be considered. The most common pathogens of acute mastitis are Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus, and targeted antibiotics should be used.
Warm Tips
Don’t forget breast examination before pregnancy
If a large fibroadenoma or other disease is found during a pre-pregnancy breast examination, surgery before pregnancy is recommended. Generally speaking, local surgery that does not damage the main milk ducts does not affect postpartum breastfeeding, but on the contrary, if you get pregnant with a “tumor”, if the tumor grows rapidly during pregnancy, it may not only compress the breast ducts and lead to poor lactation, but also cause serious psychological burden to the mother and affect lactation.