Mastitis

Alternative Names

Mastitis, Breast abscess, Infection - breast tissue

What is Mastitis

Mastitis is an inflammation of the breast that caused by a bacterial infection. It can happen to any woman, but usually it occurs on breastfeeding women more. Mastitis can leave a new mother feeling very tired and run-down. Add the illness to the demands of taking care of a newborn, and many women quit breastfeeding altogether. But mastitis can be treated with medicine, and you can continue to nurse your baby even though you have mastitis. In fact, breastfeeding usually helps to clear up the infection.

Signs and symptoms

Signs and symptoms can appear suddenly as a mastitis do. Symptoms include:

• Breast tenderness or warmth to the touch
• General malaise or feeling ill
• Swelling of the breast
• Pain or a burning sensation continuously or while breast-feeding
• Skin redness, often in a wedge-shaped pattern
• Fever of 101 F (38.3 C) or greater

Mastitis usually occurs in the first several weeks of breast-feeding and it can happen anytime during breast-feeding. Lactation mastitis tends to affect only one breast — not both breasts. In most cases, you'll feel ill with flu-like symptoms for several hours before you recognize that there's a sore red area on one of your breasts. As soon as you recognize this combination of signs and symptoms, it's time to contact your doctor.

Possible complications

Mastitis complications may include recurrence, milk stasis and abscess. The abscess is the most severe complication that women can get from this condition. Also, women who have had mastitis once are likely to develop it again with a future child or with the same infant. Recurrence appears especially in cases of delayed or inadequate treatment.

Another complication is milk stasis is that may arise from mastitis and it occurs when the milk is not completely drained from the breast. This causes increased pressure on the ducts and leakage of milk into surrounding breast tissue, which can lead to pain and inflammation.

Delayed treatment or inadequate treatment, especially in mastitis related to milk stasis, may lead to the formation of an abscess within the breast tissue.

What causes

Usually mastitis happens when bacteria enter the breast through the nipple. This can happen when a nursing mother has a cracked or sore nipple. Going for long stretches between nursing or failing to empty the breast completely may also contribute to mastitis. Using different breast-feeding techniques and making sure your baby is latched on properly when nursing will help with emptying the breast and avoiding cracked nipples.

Prevention

To get your breast-feeding relationship with your infant off to its best possible start and to avoid complications such as mastitis consider making an appointment with a lactation consultant. A lactation consultant can give you tips and provide invaluable advice for proper breast-feeding technique.

You should do fully draining the milk from your breasts while breast-feeding and minimize your chances of getting mastitis by. Allow your baby to completely empty one breast before switching to the other breast during feeding. If your baby nurses for only a few minutes on the second breast or not at all start breast-feeding on that breast the next time you feed your baby.

Treatment

Sometimes antibiotics can be the main treatment of mastitis. If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, take them as directed. Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to take the full course of pills. The antibiotics will not harm the baby. If treatment doesn't work at first, your doctor may send a sample of your breast milk to a lab to help identify the type of bacteria causing the infection.

You should get more rest, drinking more fluids, and using warm or cold packs on your painful breast.

Before breast-feeding your baby, place a warm, wet washcloth over the affected breast for about 15 minutes. Try this at least 3 times a day. This increases milk flow in the breast. Massaging the affected breast may also increase milk flow.

Also you can safely take acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) for pain. You can take ibuprofen (such as Advil) along with acetaminophen to reduce inflammation.