How to understand if mastitis has passed. The main symptoms of mastitis. Common symptoms and harbingers of mastitis

Mastitis is an infection of the breast tissue that causes pain, swelling, a feeling of heat, and redness of the breast skin. Mastitis is often accompanied by fever and flu-like symptoms. This disease most often affects women who are breastfeeding, but in rare cases it does not develop during lactation.

In 90% of cases, mastitis is diagnosed in nursing mothers. Statistics indicate that the disease occurs in 16% of young mothers and in 74% of first-borns. Most cases of mastitis occur in the first three months after childbirth. At the same time, a woman may experience extreme fatigue, it becomes very difficult for her to care for a child.

Sometimes women due to mastitis wean a baby earlier than planned, although in reality with this disease it is possible to continue breastfeeding.

Mastitis in a breastfeeding woman

In a woman after childbirth, mastitis makes itself felt a day later. More often, mastitis in lactating women develops as a result of the accumulation of milk and the addition of bacteria (staphylococcus) to it, which penetrate the woman's mammary gland, causing severe inflammatory process fabrics.

If a nursing mother experiences signs of lactostasis, you should immediately contact a doctor in the postpartum department at a maternity hospital or a antenatal clinic if the situation arose after discharge from the hospital.

With mastitis, breastfeeding is prohibited. In addition, in the treatment of mastitis, it is mandatory to use antibiotics that penetrate into mother's milk. Even with a temporary suspension of breastfeeding during mastitis, it is necessary to express milk regularly and carefully. This procedure will speed up recovery and maintain lactation.

For the prevention of lactostasis and mastitis, it is important to apply the baby to the breast within the first two hours after birth, cohabitation mother and child feeding newborn in free mode. This helps to empty the milk passages, creating conditions for normal lactation.

Causes of mastitis

Mastitis develops when bacteria enter the breast tissue through cracks and other breaks in the nipples. These bacteria may be on the surface of your skin or in your child's mouth. They begin to multiply in the mammary glands, causing symptoms of mastitis.

Risk factors for mastitis are:

• cracks in the nipples;
• history of mastitis;
• feeding in only one position;
• too tight bra.

If you've ever had mastitis, chances are you'll get it again while breastfeeding this or future babies. The risk of recurrence is increased by late or not adequate treatment.

Stages of mastitis

There are three stages of mastitis:

• serous;
• infiltrative;
• purulent.

The serous stage of mastitis is manifested by a large increase in temperature, deterioration. The mammary gland thickens, increases in volume, pain increases during feeding and pumping. With belated treatment, serous mastitis passes into the infiltrative stage within 1-3 days.

Symptoms of mastitis

In most cases, problems occur in the first days after the birth of a child. The first dangerous symptom mastitis - the occurrence of even small cracks in the nipples.

After that, bursting pains in the mammary glands often appear. The chest swells, becomes tight and very dense, the skin turns red, touching the chest becomes very painful. This condition is aggravated by a significant rise in temperature and the onset of chills.

Mastitis symptoms:

• pain;
• tightness in the chest;
• breast augmentation;
• chills;
• redness;
• painful sensations in the area of ​​​​the mammary glands;
• hanging temperature up to 39°C;
• general deterioration of well-being;
• weakness;
• headache.

At the first symptoms of mastitis, it is necessary to urgently consult a doctor, and, as prescribed, immediately begin treatment. With treatment and compliance with all recommendations, recovery occurs in a few days, otherwise mastitis becomes more severe (infiltrative) in a couple of days.

Very soon, the inflammatory process intensifies, appear in the thickness of the gland, hot to the touch seals up to 3 cm in diameter. There may be several seals, while the elevated temperature is maintained, and general state deteriorates significantly.

With such signs of mastitis, symptoms of intoxication (weakness, dizziness, headache) are added. If you do not take radical measures to treat mastitis, a severe form occurs - purulent.

Symptoms of purulent mastitis

Symptoms of purulent mastitis:

• severe redness of the skin;
• increasing swelling;
• breast enlargement;
• an admixture of pus is visible in the milk;
• pain intensifies.

The temperature during this period can rise and fall sharply, depending on the course of the inflammatory process caused by microorganisms. Temperature drop is usually accompanied by profuse sweating, and fever - a violent chill.

Signs of mastitis of this stage:

• lack of appetite;
• nausea;
• chills;
• pain all over the body;
• hot to the touch chest.

Descriptions of the main symptoms of mastitis

Mastitis treatment

The strategy for treating mastitis depends on the nature, duration of the disease and the volume of the affected area.

Which doctors to contact for mastitis

Infectious forms are treated with targeted antibiotics prescribed by a doctor. In order to achieve the desired result during bakposev, the type of pathogen and its concentration are determined.

In the boundary conditions between mastitis and lactostasis, first of all, antiseptics are used and the dynamics are monitored. Only if the situation worsens, they switch to antibiotics.

It is necessary to express milk every 3 hours, but with an abscess, the breast should not be touched. If purulent bags have formed, doctors open them surgically or pump out pus through a needle, wash the mammary gland and prescribe antibiotics.

In the treatment of mastitis prescribed local use cold, immunomodulators and physiotherapy. Acute not purulent mastitis not a hindrance to breastfeeding, but if the milk contains pus - it is forbidden to breastfeed!

If you have problems with your breasts during the feeding period, consult a doctor, do not self-medicate, it is dangerous!

Whether or not to continue breastfeeding while taking antibiotics, the doctor who prescribed the medication will tell you. At reduced immunity and erroneous treatment of mastitis and self-medication, the disease will go into a phlegmonous and even gangrenous stage.

Folk remedies for the treatment of mastitis at home

It must be remembered that folk remedies for the treatment of mastitis at home should be used only with the permission of the attending physician.

Diagnosis of mastitis

Mastitis is diagnosed based on the characteristic signs that the doctor detects when examining and feeling the breast. In addition, the axillary lymph nodes are enlarged and painful when touched. In conditions of suppuration, a peculiar symptom of fluctuation will appear.

The type of bacteria and sensitivity to antibiotics is determined by bacteriological examination. In addition, blood and urine tests are done for diagnosis. Sometimes the diagnosis of mastitis is supplemented by ultrasound of the mammary gland and echography of the breast. These methods provide information about the course of mastitis.

In addition, ultrasound visualizes the abscess and helps to see necrotic areas. Ultrasound is an accurate process: the specificity and reliability of this technique reaches 90%. If in doubt, fine needle aspiration biopsy is done.

Complications of mastitis

In the absence of adequate treatment of mastitis, an abscess can form in the chest - a cavity filled with pus. In this case, the pus has to be removed by resorting to surgical methods. To avoid this and other complications, you need to see a doctor as soon as you notice signs of mastitis and follow all his instructions exactly.

Questions and answers on the topic "Mastitis"

Question:Good afternoon, I have swelling after the treatment of mastitis. What do I need to do next? I don't breastfeed.

Answer: Hello. You need a full-time consultation with a doctor for examination and other diagnostic measures.

Question:Hello! I have mastitis due to a blocked duct. The mammologist expressed the pus with his hands, said that it was not yet an abscess and there was no need for a puncture. The child was ordered to be breastfed. After decanting, the redness on the same breast on the other hand will have to go and decante again, perhaps the pus is also in another duct. Temperature 39, appointed augmentin. There are seals in the chest, the doctor said that you don’t need to strain yourself, only to relief if the child refuses. Compresses, heat, physiotherapy is strictly prohibited. Question: how else can you help yourself and speed up the healing process?

Answer: Hello. You should not be treated at home - follow the recommendations of your doctor.

Question:Hello. I have an infant. I feed him with milk that I express. Since the problem with the nipple in the right breast. Everything was fine for a month. Now my right breast hurts. Increased in size, and one half is hard as a rock. I don't understand why. I express myself completely. Who to contact? What should I do?

Answer: You have all the signs lactational mastitis. It is urgent to contact the surgeon for an examination and ultrasound. Based on the results, the necessary treatment for mastitis will be selected.

Question:Hello, please explain whether any more tests need to be done: my child is 1.2 months old, she breastfed for 8 months, I am 37 years old, at the moment my right breast is worried, a slight induration is felt, about a pea, during lactation the right breast was two times more, and there was more milk, and the child sucked more often on the right breast. Uzi did - signs of uneven moderate ductectasia from 0.11 to 0.24 cm. Zone of inflammatory infiltration. Lotions with Dimexide are recommended. But the procedure did not eliminate the seal. Is there anything else worth doing? Thank you!

Answer: In our opinion, you should consult with a mammologist. The seal you describe may be a completely harmless complication of limited inflammation of one milk duct against the background of lactostasis, but this assumption still needs to be confirmed. Your doctor will order additional tests, possibly a mammogram.

Question:There was no milk after delivery. My son was already 2 years old when I had mastitis, reached for purulent, went to the clinic, where they cut me alive (I couldn’t go to the clinic because of the child). local anesthesia it didn’t work in the chest, then every day they did washings and dressings (drainage was inserted), they drank antibiotics and gave injections. 1.6 months have passed, as I feel again a seal on the same chest, there is no temperature, as it was the first time, I am in shock, what should I do? I won't survive this anymore.

Answer: You should contact your doctor again. It is possible that this time everything will work out, but it is better to have a doctor see you as soon as possible.

Question:Is it necessary to express milk after feeding? If this is not done, something will change and how it will affect the child.

Answer: It is recommended to express milk after feeding in order to prevent lactational mastitis.

Question:Hello. I am 25. gave birth to a daughter on November 5 this year. Due to improper attachment to the breast, severe cracks formed on both nipples. I smear the rud with bepanthen and aventshvsky cream. Before each feeding, I wash my breasts, plus I regularly wear breast pads. Today, my chest began to hurt a lot with a light touch on it, there are no bumps and seals, I express myself regularly. Sometimes it starts to chill. Tell me, is it mastitis? and where is the best place to go. Thanks in advance for your reply.

Answer: According to the symptoms you describe, it is possible to assume the debut of mastitis. Consult a mammologist or surgeon for advice.

Question:I have mastitis. First swollen left breast, then formed not big boss when you touch it it hurts. There is no temperature yet. How is it treated, and is it possible without surgical interventions?

Answer: You need an urgent consultation with a surgeon. It is necessary to perform an ultrasound examination of the mammary gland, it may be necessary to puncture the compacted focus. If the diagnosis confirms the diagnosis of mastitis, then it is necessary to start antibiotic therapy. Need decision surgical intervention the attending physician will determine based on the dynamics of the process.

Question:A 20-year-old girl was diagnosed with fibrous mastopathy. Give please consultation. How to be, what to do?

Answer: Treatment is necessary under the supervision of a mammologist. You may need hormonal adjustment.

Question:I am 18 years old. In 2012, during the examination, she was diagnosed with mastopathy of the right breast. Tell me, please, is it possible to go in for sports, in particular, do exercises for the chest with mastopathy? Thanks in advance for your reply.

Answer: With mastopathy, there are no restrictions for playing sports (which do not injure breast tissue). It is only necessary to regularly monitor the condition of the mammary glands by a mammologist.

Question:I am 29 years old, one child, breastfed until 10 months. I finished feeding in June, before the new year I found a bump in my chest, the size of a pea, right under the nipple. I turned to the gynecologist, she gave me a referral for ultrasound, but it is only in February. In my head, except for breast cancer, nothing else climbs. What could it be?

Answer: It is not necessarily a cancerous (malignant) tumor. More often in the areolar region (nipple area) occur cystic formations, benign fibromas. Therefore, there is no reason to panic. It will be necessary to make an ultrasound of this area. And for a 100% reliable determination of the structure of the seal, it may be necessary to perform a biopsy and microscopic examination of the biopsy.

Question:Good afternoon. Please tell me how to cure mastitis and why is it dangerous? I saw a doctor. An incision was made on one breast, but there was no pus. They prescribed antibiotics (Medocef) once a day and a compress (Dimexide) + Levomekol. Is this treatment correct? I have been on treatment for a week now. Can you tell me something. How to express and stretch your chest?

Answer: With mastitis, breast massage is contraindicated. Treatment is prescribed adequately - it is necessary to follow the doctor's recommendations.

Question:Hello. The child is fully guarded. I recently had mastitis. I just called the doctor (gynecologist) and she diagnosed mastitis by symptoms. I was shivering, my temperature was 38. The skin around the nipple on only one side (a small area) was red, swollen and painful. the doctor prescribed an antibiotic (by phone) and a glucose dropper with ascorbic acid. I did not do all this, but only breastfeeding and that's it. The next day the temperature was gone. And the redness subsides. This is the third mastitis in four months. Prompt, what to me to do or make and whether it was necessary to do or make antibiotics? Still intimidate mastopathy in the future. Is it so?

Answer: At the first sign of mastitis, there is no need to take an antibiotic. It is necessary to properly massage the painful area and express all the milk to the last drop after the child has eaten. Try to protect your chest from drafts and empty it in time. If the temperature persists with purulent contents appearing from the nipple and the seal is very painful, it is necessary to consult a surgeon.

Breast mastitis is an inflammation of the breast tissue in women. Previously, this disease was called differently - the chest. Most often, the inflammatory process occurs unilaterally. It spreads quite quickly, so when at least one symptom appears this disease should proceed to immediate treatment.

Most often, mastitis in women occurs during breastfeeding or in the last days of pregnancy. In rare cases, the onset of the disease has been noted in newborns and non-nursing adolescent girls. Mastitis of the mammary gland, the symptoms of which have been identified in this category of patients, is called non-lactational.

In order to minimize the risk of this problem, and learn how to avoid mastitis altogether, you should familiarize yourself with the reasons why it appears.

The development of the disease begins after bacteria enter the tissues located in the chest area. This can occur through damage to the nipples such as cracks. The infection can be on the woman's skin or in the mouth of the newborn baby she feeds. After this, the bacteria begin to multiply rapidly, the symptoms of the disease are noticeably manifested. Inflammation of the breast in women who are breastfeeding babies can occur for the following reasons:

• The presence of cracks and other damage to the nipples;
• The only position for feeding. Breastfeeding must necessarily take place in various positions, otherwise a significant amount of milk may remain in the mammary gland;
• An oversized bra. Underwear for a nursing woman should choose comfortable and not tight. The bra should support the breasts, keeping them in their natural state.
• Repeated inflammatory process. If health problems arose during the first pregnancy, there is a high probability of its occurrence again. Also, the possibility of the disease increases with untimely or wrong therapy. It is necessary to be treated when the first symptom of irritation is detected.

In addition to the above, one of the main reasons for the onset of the development of the inflammatory process is lactostasis. Stagnation in the mammary gland is a kind of impetus for the appearance of mastitis. A prolonged lack of milk is the basis for the formation of a favorable environment in which bacteria multiply. The resulting infection can cause not only inflammation, but also fever with suppuration.

Non-lactational irritation of the breast

In addition to the inflammatory process that occurs during lactation, the development of another type of problem is allowed. To understand the question, what is non-lactational mastitis, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the information about the reasons for its occurrence. Among these are:

• Damage mammary glands subsequent injuries;
• Presence in the chest foreign bodies. These include implants and piercings;
• The formation of ulcers;
• Disturbed metabolism;
• Various procedures carried out with violations of sanitary and antiseptic standards.

The non-lactating species is rare. In addition to it, mastitis of newborns is isolated. The causes of its occurrence are the mother's hormones that entered the young body during pregnancy or lactation, as well as bad care for the child, non-observance of hygiene rules.

Common symptoms and harbingers of mastitis

As mentioned earlier, unilateral mastitis is most often manifested. In rare situations, a bilateral inflammatory process occurs.

To learn how to recognize inflammation of the mammary mammary glands and get rid of mastitis in time, you should study information about its symptoms.

1. Unpleasant sensations.
2. Puffiness and an increase in the size of the affected area of ​​the body.
3. Increased body temperature and chills.
4. Detection of blood or pus in the milk of a nursing mother.
5. Pain during breastfeeding and pumping.
6. Decreased appetite and loss of energy.
7. General weakness of the body.

These criteria are the first signs of inflammation of the mammary glands. If at least one of the symptoms of the disease is detected, treatment should be started immediately. Appoint correct order actions and tell how to cure mastitis and what to do when infected, only a qualified medical worker can. At timely handling This disease can be cured by a doctor within a few days.

It is worth noting that self-medication in this period of time is highly not recommended. Otherwise, the risk of developing complications and a severe form of the disease increases.

Complications of inflammation of the mammary glands

Delayed and incorrect treatment of the problem in lactating women can cause a number of complications.

1. Sepsis. Too advanced stage of the disease can cause blood poisoning.
2. The presence of inflammation on the body of a significant number of purulent foci entails such health problems as pneumonia, meningitis, osteomyelitis.
3. Infectious-toxic shock.
4. Fistula formation.

Stages of the inflammatory process

In order to determine one or another stage, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of each of them in more detail.

1. Serous. This stage considered to be initial. Often, the symptoms of mastitis in this case are almost impossible to distinguish from lactostasis. Learning to distinguish one disease from another is not at all difficult. Due to milk stagnation, nursing mothers may complain of heaviness and discomfort in the area of ​​the sore chest. With lactostasis, the pumping procedure becomes painful, but there is no lack of milk in this case. Stagnation is temporary, so if the disease lasts more than 2 days, you should think about serous mastitis. An increase in body temperature and a general deterioration in the patient's health are another indicators of the first period of infection. Sometimes there are times when the serous period passes on its own. Otherwise, the next step begins.

1. infiltrative stage. The second form of mastitis can be characterized by the presence of a dense homogeneous compaction in a sore spot. It increases in size, but there are no other visual changes - redness and swelling. With absence medical therapy at this stage of the problem, purulent formations appear, and the next form of the disease process begins.

1. Destructive. During this period, the penetration of toxins in purulent formations into the patient's blood. There is a significant increase in body temperature - up to 39-40 degrees. Other health problems immediately appear - frequent headaches, lack of appetite, sleep disturbances.

Advice on how to determine this or that stage of the problem, and how the treatment of mastitis in lactating women should proceed, can be obtained from your doctor. The destructive form of the disease can be seen visually - the affected area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe chest turns red, increases in size. The veins in this area of ​​the body become pronounced. In each situation, treatment of mastitis should be carried out immediately.

Forms of the disease

By temporary nature, 2 types of irritation of the breast are distinguished:

• acute;
• chronic.

In the first variant, the disease appears suddenly, its signs are clearly identified. Most often this happens in postpartum period.

The chronic form of breast lesions occurs with erroneous treatment of the serous stage. Its main characteristic is the presence of irritation in any certain period time. Effective treatment in this case is possible only with the intervention of surgeons. A thorough sanitation of the milk ducts and subsequent competent antibiotic therapy.

Treatment

Upon detection primary signs problems should immediately contact the doctor who treats the disease - a mammologist. Only a qualified doctor will tell you exactly what to do with mastitis, how to accurately determine inflammation of the mammary gland and choose a treatment.

Before you start treating breast inflammation, you need to determine the nature and stage of development of the disease, the causes of its occurrence, as well as the volume of the affected area of ​​​​the body and the duration of the disease.

The most common treatment is antibiotics. To achieve a favorable effect in the shortest possible time, the selection of medicines is carried out by the doctor individually for each patient. Proper prescription of drugs will help to quickly expel the infection from the body.

In cases where the manifestation of the inflammatory process is similar to lactostasis, it is recommended to drink antiseptics and control the dynamics of the disease. In more complex cases, when the harbingers of mastitis speak of it last stage required surgical intervention. An operation is performed during which pus is sucked out of the affected area.

How to treat mastitis at home

There are many recipes traditional medicine that will help get rid of the causes of breast disease.

1. Rice starch compress. To alleviate the symptoms and treatment of mastitis, use rice starch diluted in water. The resulting mixture should have a consistency similar to sour cream. With the help of a bandage, you need to attach the remedy to the sore spot. You can see the effect of this method of treating mastitis after 3 hours.

1. Pumpkin. Warm a piece of sweet vegetable pulp in the microwave and apply to painful place. Change every 15 minutes.

1. Apple. You can remove cracks in the nipples with a grated apple mixed with butter.

1. Narcissus. The crushed narcissus root, mixed in equal proportions with rye flour and boiled rice, will not allow the mammary gland to become very inflamed. Lubricate the affected area of ​​​​the body with the resulting mixture several times a day.

1. Particular attention should be paid hygiene procedures. Contrasting massage with warm and cool water while taking a bath will ease the pain.

Symptoms and signs of mastitis are most often pronounced, so it is very difficult not to notice the development of this health problem. Familiarization with primary information about inflammation of the mammary glands will provide a sufficient level of knowledge on how to treat this disease. The emergence of concerns about its development should serve as an impetus for immediate medical attention.

Mastitis is an inflammatory disease of the breast tissue. It usually develops in postpartum period(approximately in the second or fourth week after discharge from the hospital) in breastfeeding mothers, especially primiparas. However, there are cases of the disease in women outside the lactation period, as well as in men and in children, including newborns.

Symptoms and signs of mastitis.
This inflammatory disease occurs and proceeds very quickly. The first symptoms appear from several hours to two days and are expressed in the appearance of quite noticeable pain in the mammary gland of a aching nature, while its contours are preserved, and the skin does not undergo any changes. This disease also manifests itself in the form of an increase in body temperature (above 38 degrees), the occurrence of headaches, weakness, discomfort and increasing pain when breastfeeding the baby, chills, enlargement and redness of the chest, loss of appetite, sleep disturbance. In addition, in the axillary region, due to an increase in size, lymph nodes begin to be felt in the form of small dense painful formations. It should be noted that mastitis, untreated at an early stage, is fraught with the development of a more serious form of the disease - purulent.

In this option, it is not recommended to self-medicate, because all the means and methods used in this case do not eliminate the source of the inflammatory process, but only relieve its manifestation (symptoms), as a result of which the process progresses. Against the background of the development of the disease, softening appears at the site of compaction in the mammary gland, indicating the appearance of an abscess. The only solution in this situation would be to urgent operation, delay can cause serious complications. In order to avoid such consequences, it is important early diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Causes of mastitis.
The main cause of the occurrence and development of mastitis are bacteria (mainly staphylococci) that penetrate the breast tissue. And get bacterial infection in the tissue can be through cracks in the nipples or through the blood in the presence of foci of infection in the body (pyelonephritis, chronic tonsillitis, etc.).

The appearance of cracks or small defects in the nipples are a kind of gateway for infection. Usually, if bacteria enters the mammary gland, our defense system can cope with them. But since the female body is greatly weakened in the postpartum period, in most cases it is not able to cope with infections on its own. As a rule, immediately after the appearance of cracks in the nipples (which happens in about most women after being discharged from the hospital, especially in primiparas), arching pains appear in the mammary gland, which at the same time swells strongly, thickens, becomes tight, and the skin turns red. All this condition is accompanied by an increase in temperature. There are a lot of reasons for the appearance of cracks in the nipples, but the most common is the non-compliance of the nursing mother with elementary hygiene rules before and after feeding the baby.

Another reason for the development of mastitis may be the so-called lactostasis, which is the stagnation of milk in the ducts of the mammary glands against the background of incomplete or insufficient expression of milk or insufficient frequent feedings. The presence of milk in the ducts of the mammary gland is considered favorable environment for bacterial growth because it contains a large number of nutrients. Lactostasis is expressed in painful sensations in the area of ​​​​the mammary gland, the appearance of focal seals (nodules) in it. Usually, with this phenomenon, body temperature does not rise. However, lactostasis that has not been eliminated, within a couple of days, inevitably flows into mastitis, accompanied, first of all, by an increase in temperature. Flat or inverted nipples are one of the causes of lactostasis, because it is very difficult for the baby to suck on the breast, as a result of which it is not emptied enough.

To avoid the development of lactostasis at the first signs of milk stagnation or breast engorgement, it is recommended to express milk more often and apply cold to the mammary gland, it will facilitate its discharge. It is also recommended to carry out daily self-massage of the breast. It must be done according to this scheme: right hand lower the palm down on the head, and at this moment do a massage with the left in the direction from the outskirts to the nipple, while the nipple area itself does not need to be massaged.

Two types of mastitis can be observed: lactational (in lactating mothers) or postpartum and non-lactational, which occurs outside the lactation period. The latter type is quite rare, as a rule, occurs and develops against the background of injury to the mammary gland, its compression and due to violations in female body hormonal nature. On the background transitional age or hormonal imbalance mastitis often occurs in women reproductive age in the period from 14 to 18, from 19 to 24 and from 30 to 45 years. Cystic and fibrous mastitis are nothing more than cystic fibrous mastopathy.

Stages of development of mastitis.
Mastitis develops in three stages: serous, infiltrative and purulent. The serous stage characterizes the earliest stage in the development of the disease, which occurs two to four days after infection and is manifested by an increase in temperature, an increase in small seal mammary gland, its soreness, which increases with breastfeeding or pumping, and relief does not come after that. A general blood test shows the presence of signs of an inflammatory process. Improper treatment or its absence inevitably leads to the fact that early stage the disease flows in two or three days into an infiltrative one.

Signs of infiltrative and purulent mastitis.
The infiltrative stage of mastitis is characterized by a pronounced inflammatory process and a more severe general condition of the woman. In the process of palpation of the mammary gland, a clear inflammatory thickening (infiltrate) is observed with reddening of the skin above it, which becomes more and more reddening. Heat does not subside, there are sharp drops temperature. Fluctuation occurs (in medical terms, fluctuation), indicating the presence of fluid (pus) in the cavity.

With the phlegmanous form of mastitis (when the abscess is not delimited by a capsule from healthy tissues), the body temperature is kept at 40˚, accompanied by chills, weakness. The mammary gland significantly increases in volume, the skin above it becomes edematous, shiny, reddened with a bluish tinge. There is inflammation in the adjacent lymph nodes.

With the gangrenous form of mastitis (tissue necrosis against the background of circulatory disorders), the general condition of a woman is characterized as extremely difficult: body temperature is 40 - 41˚C, pulse is rapid 120 - 130 per minute, the mammary gland is greatly enlarged, the skin above it is swollen, covered with blisters with bloody contents with areas of tissue necrosis. The swelling affects the surrounding tissues. A blood test shows the presence of severe inflammation.

Chronic purulent mastitis.
The chronic form of breast mastitis is a rather rare phenomenon. It develops against the background of a rather long local treatment injections of penicillin, mainly purulent mastitis. With this form of the disease, the condition of the patients is characterized as satisfactory: the body temperature is normal, or does not rise above 37.5-37.8 C. On palpation, some slightly painful induration is felt, not soldered to the skin. In the chronic form of the disease, the symptoms are mild. The mammary gland is painful and somewhat enlarged, and in rare cases there is inflammation in the nearby lymph nodes with a small or less often high temperature.

Once again, I note that the treatment of mastitis on early stages development is conservative, that is, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, etc. are prescribed. Purulent forms of the disease are treated only with the help of surgical intervention.

mastitis diagnosis.
At the first sign of mastitis, you should immediately consult a doctor. The diagnosis of mastitis consists in the detection of existing characteristic features revealed during visual examination and palpation of the mammary gland. To clarify the diagnosis, general analysis blood, showing the presence of inflammation in the body. In order to determine the type of bacteria and their sensitivity to certain antibiotics, bacteriological examination milk from inflamed breasts. Often, an ultrasound of the breast is prescribed to diagnose mastitis.

Mastitis and breastfeeding.
Regardless of the stage and form of mastitis, it is impossible to feed a child, because in milk even from a healthy breast (not to mention a sick one) there may be great amount bacteria that are dangerous to the baby. Moreover, during treatment this disease antibiotics are prescribed, which, entering the mother's milk, can harm the baby. With a temporary cessation of breastfeeding, you should not refuse to express milk, it is simply necessary, while it must be carried out regularly and with great care. Firstly, the complete emptying of the chest during illness significantly speeds up recovery. Secondly, pumping will help maintain lactation so that after recovery, mommy can return to breastfeeding.

Complications of mastitis.
This disease is often complicated by inflammation. lymphatic vessels(lymphangitis) and lymph nodes (lymphadenitis). In rare cases, especially in phlegmonous and gangrenous forms, the disease is complicated by sepsis (blood poisoning). When an abscess is opened (often spontaneous), lactiferous fistulas (which are channels that connect abscesses to the surface of the body) sometimes form, which close on their own, but this requires a fairly long period of time.

Prevention of mastitis.
The main thing in the prevention of mastitis is the prevention of cracks in the nipples (the main thing is the observance of the rules of personal hygiene, complete pumping after feedings). If cracks appear on the nipples, immediately consult a doctor and do not self-medicate. In preventing the development of the disease, it is important to treat caries and chronic inflammatory diseases (tonsillitis) in a timely manner, since through the blood, microbes can penetrate into the breast tissue from foci of inflammation in other areas.

Mastitis is infectious inflammation mammary glands, which most often develops in women after childbirth and is associated with breastfeeding.

Lactational (associated with breastfeeding) mastitis accounts for 95% of all inflammatory diseases mammary gland in women. Mastitis not associated with breastfeeding is much less common and can occur even in men and newborns.

Most often, lactational mastitis develops 2–3 weeks after childbirth against the background of stagnation of milk in the mammary gland - lactostasis. Pathological lactostasis is often considered as the initial stage of mastitis. Stagnation of milk contributes to the development of an infection that enters the gland through microdamages, as well as through the milk ducts of the nipple from the newborn during feeding. If milk stagnates in the breast for a long time, bacteria begin to actively multiply in it, which leads to the development of inflammation.

Mastitis usually develops on the 3rd-4th day of lactostasis. With the timely elimination of milk stagnation, as a rule, it is possible to prevent mastitis.

The development of symptoms of mastitis occurs quickly, within a few hours. Without treatment, the condition gradually worsens, the symptoms worsen, the temperature becomes higher.

The initial stages of lactational mastitis can usually be managed with simple measures: massage, changes in feeding and pumping techniques, and physiotherapy. Late stages diseases are very difficult, require antibiotics, weaning the baby from the breast and surgical intervention. After surgical operation often there are rough scars that spoil the appearance of the breast and force a woman to turn to plastic surgeons.

The insidiousness of lactational mastitis lies in the fact that its initial stages are very quickly and imperceptibly replaced by purulent ones. Therefore, at the first signs of breast disease, you should immediately consult a doctor to avoid complications and long-term crippling treatment.

Symptoms of mastitis

Mastitis usually occurs on one side, more often on the right. Manifestations of mastitis depend on the stage of the disease. Since the breast tissue is rich in blood vessels, milk ducts and adipose tissue, the infection spreads very quickly through the mammary gland without encountering natural barriers on its way, the stages follow each other.

Symptoms initial stage mastitis - serous, differ little from lactostasis:

• a feeling of heaviness, fullness and pain in the mammary gland, aggravated during feeding;
• an increase in the size of the mammary gland, redness of the skin;
• pain when probing the lobules of the mammary gland;
• milk becomes difficult to express;
• body temperature rises to 38-39 o C.

The serous stage of mastitis is replaced by an infiltrative stage - against the background of the persistence of symptoms in the gland, an area of ​​compaction is determined, which is sharply painful when palpated. At this stage, mastitis can be stopped without surgery, the infiltrate can be forced to resolve.

Without treatment, within 3-4 days, the serous and infiltrative stages of mastitis turn into purulent. With suppuration of the tissues of the gland, the state of health deteriorates sharply: the temperature rises, pain intensifies, swelling of the mammary gland. Depending on the individual characteristics an abscess can form in the tissues - an abscess or phlegmon limited to a capsule - a diffuse purulent inflammation of the gland without clear boundaries. In the latter case, mastitis is especially dangerous.

Causes of mastitis

The immediate cause of mastitis is usually bacteria - Staphylococcus aureus or other microbes that are found on the surface of human skin. The infection enters the mammary gland through microdamages on the nipple or excretory ducts of the milk ducts. It is believed that the source of infection may be the newborn itself, which transmits microbes to the mother during feeding.

If the mammary glands are regularly emptied (during feeding and / or pumping), then the bacteria do not have time to multiply. When milk stagnates, microbes, multiplying, increase its viscosity, which aggravates lactostasis. Further development infection leads to purulent inflammation in the mammary gland.

lactostasis

Primary (physiological) lactostasis (milk stasis) is most common in women after the first birth, which is associated with a violation of the preparation of the mammary glands for feeding.

On the 3-4th day after childbirth, milk suddenly arrives, but the mammary glands are not yet ready to accommodate it. Excessive stretching of the milk ducts leads to their inflammation and swelling. Milk is excreted with great difficulty, so it is difficult for a newborn to suckle on his own, and he may refuse to breastfeed, which further aggravates the process.

If not taken at this time necessary measures, within a few hours, pathological lactostasis develops. Its symptoms:

• the chest becomes dense, bumpy, hot to the touch;
• there is a feeling of heaviness and soreness in the mammary glands;
• getting worse general well-being temperature may rise.

If milk is properly expressed, there is a rapid improvement in well-being, which never happens with already developed mastitis. In addition, you can notice a significant difference in body temperature when measuring it in the right and left armpit: on the side where the chest is more tense and painful, the thermometer will rise higher. With the development of mastitis, this difference will no longer be. However, only a specialist can reliably distinguish the stage of pathological lactostasis from mastitis.

If you experience the symptoms described above after giving birth, seek help as soon as possible. At the maternity hospital, at any time of the day, you can go to the midwife on duty, who will help you “drain” your breasts and tell you how to do it yourself in the future. In addition, the midwife will teach you a massage technique that promotes the expansion of the milk ducts and the discharge of milk from the gland.

During your doctor's round, be sure to tell him about your breast problems. The doctor will examine the mammary glands, give you his recommendations and, possibly, prescribe additional treatment such as physiotherapy.

If milk stasis has formed in you after discharge from maternity hospital, apply for medical care to a gynecologist or a breastfeeding specialist in a antenatal clinic.

It is necessary to fight lactostasis under the supervision of a doctor. Otherwise, you can miss the time and not notice the moment when lactostasis develops into mastitis.

Chronic mastitis

Chronic mastitis - rare disease, which can develop in a woman at any age, as a rule, after suffering acute mastitis. The reason for the transition of the process into a chronic form is incorrect or incomplete treatment. With this disease, one or more purulent cavities are formed in the mammary gland. Sometimes cavities are opened through the skin with the formation of fistulas - passages through which pus periodically drains. Chronic mastitis requires surgical treatment.

Risk Factors for Mastitis

Some women have a predisposition to stagnation of milk and the development of mastitis. Factors that increase the likelihood of these conditions include:

• pathology of pregnancy (toxicosis, preeclampsia, threatened miscarriage, etc.);
• cracked nipples, flat or inverted nipples;
• mastopathy or a large volume of mammary glands;
• cicatricial changes in the mammary glands after injuries, operations (including after the installation of breast implants);
• irregular feeding or pumping;
• a significant decrease in immunity (for example, with diabetes mellitus, HIV infection, etc.).

In these cases, it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the mammary glands after childbirth, especially in the first 2–3 weeks, until lactation is finally established.

Causes of non-lactational mastitis

Non-lactating mastitis is more likely to develop in women aged 15–45 years:

• against the background of puberty in girls;
• during menopause in women;
• as well as in some endocrinological diseases.

The immediate cause of non-lactational mastitis is usually an infection. Bacteria can enter the mammary glands with the blood flow from the foci chronic inflammation about the body, for example, when chronic tonsillitis, cystitis. In addition, non-lactational mastitis can be a consequence of trauma, including nipple piercing.

Mastitis in newborns

This disease can develop in children of both sexes and is associated with hormonal changes. After childbirth, the child's body is supported for some time high level maternal hormones. When their level decreases (usually 4-10 days after birth), the baby may experience breast engorgement and even milk discharge from them. By itself, the physiological engorgement of the glands in newborns does not require treatment and resolves on its own.

But during this period, the baby's mammary glands are very vulnerable. If they become infected, mastitis may develop. The entry of bacteria is facilitated by non-observance of hygiene rules, rubbing of the mammary glands, attempts to squeeze milk out of them, diaper rash and skin diseases. The development of mastitis in newborns is accompanied by fever, anxiety and crying of the child, redness and enlargement of the mammary glands. These symptoms require urgent medical attention.

Diagnosis of mastitis

If you experience symptoms of milk stasis or mastitis, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. This may be an obstetrician-gynecologist in antenatal clinic, clinic or paid clinic. In addition, assistance with the development of lactostasis and mastitis can be provided in the maternity hospital where you gave birth. If it is not possible to get to a gynecologist, contact a surgeon. Diagnosis and treatment of mastitis is also within his competence.

The basis for the diagnosis of mastitis is an examination of the mammary gland. Feeling it can be painful, but it is necessary for the doctor to determine the stage of the process and further tactics treatment. With lactostasis, during the examination, the doctor can “dissolve” the chest, which will immediately bring relief.

Additional examination

As an additional examination is assigned:

• general blood test from a finger - shows the presence and severity inflammatory response;
• bacteriological examination of milk and analysis of the sensitivity of pathogens to antibiotics - shows whether there are microbes in milk in an amount capable of causing mastitis (over 5 * 102 CFU / ml), and also provides information on those antibiotics that act on the inoculated microbes;
• ultrasound examination of the mammary gland (ultrasound) - allows you to accurately determine the stage of mastitis and its prevalence, the location of inflamed foci, their size, the presence of abscesses, etc.

Mastitis treatment

The sooner you seek medical help, the easier, shorter and more effective treatment will be. The onset of symptoms of mastitis should always be a reason to see a doctor as soon as possible. Remember that mastitis does not go away on its own, but on the contrary, it progresses rapidly and can deprive you of your breast within a few days. After all, nutritious breast milk is an ideal incubator for pyogenic microbes.

In no case do not waste time, hoping for folk methods and advice from "experienced" friends. cabbage leaf, honey cakes or urine therapy remained in people's memory only because in the old days, when there were no antibiotics and other effective medicines, were the only means of assistance.

A lot of experience has now been accumulated in the treatment of postpartum mastitis. For these purposes it is used as non-drug methods as well as pharmaceuticals. Purulent stages of mastitis necessarily require surgical treatment. Moreover, the earlier the operation is performed, the better its therapeutic and aesthetic result.

Can I breastfeed with mastitis?

According to the position of official Russian medicine, with the development of mastitis, it is necessary to stop breastfeeding. At the time of treatment, the child is weaned and transferred to artificial feeding. In exceptional cases, at the stage of serous mastitis, the doctor may allow healthy breastfeeding. However, infiltrative and, moreover, purulent stage are clearly indications for stopping feeding.

Weaning a baby from the breast is a very unpleasant measure for every mother, because there is nothing more useful for a baby than breast milk. However, with the development of mastitis, such a measure is a must. Continuing to breastfeed can harm your baby because:

• The main cause of mastitis is Staphylococcus aureus large quantities excreted in milk. Staphylococcus is the causative agent of many infections, especially dangerous for young children. When it comes into contact with the mucous membranes, staphylococcus causes tonsillitis and otitis media, when it enters the stomach intestinal tract- toxic infection (staphylococcus toxins are one of the main causes food poisoning milk and dairy products in children and adults). The antibodies that a baby receives with breast milk cannot always protect him from this bacterium, and even more so from its toxins.
• For the treatment of mastitis, various drugs are used: antibiotics, antispasmodics, antipyretics, etc. With continued feeding, the baby drinks a cocktail of these drugs with the mother.

Continuing breastfeeding for a woman with mastitis is also fraught with complications, since:

• Feeding a baby, even from a healthy breast, reflexively increases milk production, which is extremely dangerous for mastitis and can aggravate the course of the disease. For get well soon, on the contrary, inhibition is shown, and sometimes a complete temporary cessation of lactation.
• Continued feeding imposes a number of serious restrictions on the choice medicines, which reduces the effectiveness of treatment and can lead to the development of complications.

In addition, feeding with mastitis is an extremely painful process that will not bring joy to either the mother or the child.

Now on the Internet, and, sometimes, on breastfeeding courses, you can read or hear recommendations to breastfeed at all costs. Such advice is reassuring to women, and they continue to breastfeed through pain and suffering, to the detriment of themselves and the child.

In fact, the authors of such advice confuse the stage of lactostasis, when it is necessary to continue feeding, with mastitis. With lactostasis, full feeding and pumping of milk - the best medicine. During and after the emptying of the mammary gland, there really is relief. While with mastitis, the mere thought of feeding reflexively starts the process of milk production, which worsens the condition. Therefore, the issue of breastfeeding should be decided only by a doctor after a full diagnosis and determination of the stage of the disease.

Treatment of non-purulent mastitis

Serous and infiltrative stages of mastitis are treated conservatively - without surgery. For treatment, drugs are used, as well as physiotherapy.

Milk is expressed every 3 hours. First, the diseased breast is decanted, and then the healthy one. Your doctor may give you antispasmodics (drugs that widen the milk ducts) in pill form or by injection before pumping.

Sometimes novocaine blockade of the mammary gland is done before pumping. To do this, using a long thin needle in soft tissues an anesthetic solution (novocaine) is injected behind the mammary gland - a substance that interrupts nerve impulses from the gland to the brain. After the blockade, the pain disappears for a while, the milk passages open, which greatly facilitates pumping. As a rule, antibiotics are added to the anesthetic solution to create their therapeutic concentration in breast milk.

Physiotherapy treatment is extremely effective for lactostasis and mastitis. At non-purulent stages of mastitis, ultrasound, microwaves, and UV radiation are used. Physiotherapy helps to reduce inflammation and pain in the gland, expand the milk ducts, improve the process of milk secretion, and prevent its stagnation in the gland.

Antibiotics are essential component mastitis treatment. For best effect antibacterial drugs given as an intramuscular or intravenous injections. During treatment, the doctor may change the antibiotic based on the results. bacteriological analysis milk and an antibiotic susceptibility test.

To speed up recovery and reduce the risk purulent complications it is necessary to temporarily reduce the production of milk. For this, with mastitis, special medications are prescribed.

At the stage of serous and infiltrative mastitis, milk production is somewhat reduced - inhibited. If within 2-3 days from the start complex treatment improvement is not observed, and it is created high risk complications, your doctor may advise you to completely stop - to suppress lactation. To do this, you will need to give written consent.

The decision to resume lactation will be made by the doctor after the end of treatment, depending on your well-being and the results of the tests. With purulent mastitis, it is always recommended to suppress lactation.

In addition to the main ones, they are used in the treatment of mastitis additional medicines which have a tonic, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effect.

Treatment of purulent mastitis

With the development of purulent forms of mastitis, it is always necessary surgery. The operation is performed under general anesthesia. Depending on the location and size of the abscess, the surgeon makes one or more incisions in the mammary gland. Pus and dead tissue are removed through these incisions. Then the wound is washed with an antiseptic solution and drains are installed - tubes through which the wound is washed, drugs are administered and the wound discharge is removed after the operation.

The operation is usually completed with sutures. If the postoperative period proceeds safely, the sutures are removed on the 8th–9th day. After the operation, antibiotics and physiotherapy are prescribed to improve wound healing.

Prevention of mastitis

The basis for the prevention of mastitis is the timely fight against milk stagnation, correct technique feeding, pumping and breast care.

The physiological mechanisms of milk production, its accumulation in the breast and return during feeding are very complex. For their correct formation The close bond between mother and child is very important. Therefore, the initial measures for the prevention of mastitis are:

• early attachment to the breast (in the first 30 minutes after childbirth);
• joint stay of mother and baby in the maternity hospital.

Every woman after childbirth should learn how to breastfeed properly. Improper feeding increases the risk of nipple cracks, milk stagnation (lactostasis) and, in the future, mastitis.

A woman should be taught the technique of proper feeding by the attending obstetrician-gynecologist or midwife. For all breastfeeding questions, you can contact the staff of the maternity hospital.

Basic rules for breastfeeding:

1. Before feeding, you need to take a shower or wash yourself to the waist with warm water and baby soap, you can wash your breasts only with water so as not to dry the skin of the nipples.

2. You should take a comfortable position: sitting or lying down, so that there is no feeling of fatigue in the muscles and there is no need to change body position, interrupting feeding.

3. The child must be securely held by your hand near you, after making sure that even if you fall asleep during feeding, the baby will not fall. To do this, you can put a pillow under your arm or fence off the edge of the bed with a roller from a blanket.

4. During feeding, the entire body of the child should be turned towards the mother, the head and back should be in the same line, the baby's mouth should be opposite the nipple. The child should be able to move his head freely to get comfortable.

5. The most important point is the correct grasp of the breast during feeding. The child should take the breast with his mouth wide open, not only the nipple, but also most areola. Underlip the baby during sucking should be turned out.

6. If the baby sucks rhythmically and deeply, does not worry, does not puff out his cheeks and does not choke, and you do not feel pain during sucking, then everything is correct.

7. If it is necessary to interrupt feeding, do not pull the breast out of the baby's mouth, this can injure the nipple. To painlessly remove the breast, gently press your finger on the chest near the baby's lips, then the nipple can be easily released.

8. After feeding, the remaining milk must be expressed. If there are phenomena of lactostasis, then the baby is first of all applied to the diseased breast.

How to Express Milk Properly

With the phenomena of lactostasis, manual pumping is more effective, although this is a very laborious and sometimes painful process.

• To facilitate the passage of milk before pumping, you can do a gentle massage of the breast.
• During pumping, place your fingers on the periphery of the areola (on the border of the skin and areola), do not pull the breast directly on the nipple.
• Pumping alternate with stroking movements from the periphery of the mammary gland to the areola of the nipple.

Breast Care

The skin of the mammary glands, especially the oklososkovy circle, is very vulnerable, through damage to the skin, an infection can penetrate into the mammary gland. Therefore, you must adhere to the following rules:

• during pregnancy and after childbirth, wear cotton underwear that does not tighten the chest, but reliably supports the mammary glands in order to avoid their compression;
• linen should be changed daily, washed in hot water and iron with an iron;
• during lactation, it is advisable to use special nipple pads that absorb the secreted milk; without special liners, linen quickly coarsens from drying milk and injures the skin;
• with the formation of cracks in the nipples, consult a gynecologist in a antenatal clinic.

You can get additional advice on breastfeeding and mastitis prevention at the antenatal clinic or at the pediatric clinic for children.

Mastitis is an inflammatory process in the tissues of the mammary gland. It is manifested by strong arching pains in the chest, swelling, induration, redness of the skin of the gland, a sharp rise in body temperature, chills. Mastitis is diagnosed during a visual examination by a mammologist; additionally, it is possible to conduct an ultrasound of the mammary gland. The disease can lead to the formation of an abscess, phlegmon, necrosis in the mammary gland, the development of sepsis, and even lethal outcome. In case of microbial contamination of milk, breastfeeding will have to be stopped. AT remote period mammary gland deformity may occur, the risk of developing mastopathy and breast cancer increases.

Symptoms of mastitis

Spicy postpartum mastitis- this is most often an inflammatory complication of lactostasis in nursing mothers. Sometimes it develops without precedence of pronounced signs of milk stagnation. Manifested by the appearance painful hardening in the mammary gland, redness and an increase in skin temperature in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bdensification, fever and general symptoms of intoxication. With progression, the pain intensifies, the chest increases, becomes hot to the touch. Feeding and pumping are sharply painful, blood and pus can be found in milk. Suppurative mastitis often progresses with the development of a breast abscess.

Plasma cell mastitis is a rare disease that develops in older women who have given birth repeatedly after cessation of lactation. It is characterized by infiltration of tissues under the nipple by plasma cells and hyperplasia of the epithelium of the excretory ducts. Such mastitis does not suppurate and has some common external features with breast cancer.

Mastitis in newborns is a fairly common condition in children of both sexes, manifested by swelling of the mammary glands, discharge when pressed on them (as a rule, is the result of the residual action of the mother's sex hormones). With the development of acute purulent inflammation and the formation of an abscess, surgical debridement of the purulent focus is performed, but most often the symptoms subside after three to four days.

Diagnosis of mastitis

The focus of inflammation in the mammary gland is determined by palpation. There is also an increase (sometimes moderate soreness on palpation) of the axillary lymph nodes from the side of the affected chest. Suppuration is characterized by the definition of a symptom of fluctuation.

When mastitis is detected at the stage serous inflammation or infiltrate conduct conservative treatment of mastitis. Antibiotic therapy is given with strong operating funds a wide range actions. In this case, serous mastitis, as a rule, disappears after 2-3 days, it may take up to 7 days for the infiltrate to resolve. If inflammation is accompanied by severe general intoxication, detoxification measures are carried out (infusion of electrolyte solutions, glucose). With severe excessive lactation, drugs are prescribed to suppress it.

Purulent forms of mastitis, as a rule, require surgical intervention. The developed abscess of the mammary gland is an indication for emergency surgical sanitation: opening of mastitis and drainage of the purulent focus.

Progressive mastitis, regardless of its stage, is a contraindication to further feeding (including healthy breasts), since breast milk is usually infected and contains toxic tissue breakdown products. For a child, pathologically altered breast milk can cause the development of dysbacteriosis and disorders functional state digestive system. Since mastitis therapy includes antibiotics, feeding during this period is also not safe for the baby. Antibiotics can markedly impair the normal development and growth of organs and tissues. During the treatment of mastitis, milk can be expressed, pasteurized, and only then given to the child.

Indications for lactation suppression: lack of dynamics in serous and infiltrative mastitis for three days of antibiotic therapy, development purulent form, concentration inflammatory focus directly under the nipple, existing purulent mastitis in the history of the mother, comorbidities organs and systems that significantly worsen the general well-being of the mother.

Prevention of mastitis

Measures for the prevention of mastitis coincide with measures for the prevention of lactostasis, since this condition is a precursor to mastitis in the vast majority of cases.

To prevent milk stagnation, a complete thorough emptying of the mammary glands is necessary: ​​regular feeding and subsequent pumping of milk residues. If a child gorges on milk from one breast, next feeding it is first applied to the gland untouched last time.

Don't let your baby just suck on the breast for comfort, without sucking out the milk. Cracks in the nipples contribute to the development of inflammation of the mammary gland, therefore, it is necessary to prepare the nipples for feeding, carefully observe hygiene rules (clean hands, chest), correctly attach the baby to the breast (the child must capture the nipple entirely with the mouth, along with the areola).

One of the preventive measures for the development of mastitis can be called timely detection and sanitation of foci of infection in the body, however, it is worth remembering that general antibiotic therapy during lactation is contraindicated.