Other specialties
They are inflammations or infections that are identified by their red colour on the skin causing pain and oedema. Their treatment: medication, vitamins and a gel can be prescribed to relieve pain.
Mastitis is one of the most common problems that appear in the mother’s breast during lactation. It is important to prevent it, paying special attention to hygiene and nipple cracks.
The causes of mastitis are:
Mastitis can be due to an infection caused, generally, by the penetration of microbes inside the mammary gland, through cracks or cuts in the nipples.
Mastitis can also be caused by stagnant milk inside the breast, such as from skipping one or more feedings.
Mastitis can also be caused by the habit of wearing tight bras or holding the nipple in a “clip” position during feeding.
In some cases, it is due to a temporary drop in the mother’s immune defenses.
The symptoms of mastitis are:
Mastitis can appear around the third or fifth day of breastfeeding, or between the second and fourth week.
The main symptom of mastitis is hardening of the breast, which is also called “milk paving”. The breast that suffers from mastitis becomes larger, hard to the touch, tense and very painful. Also, the skin area of the breast appears red and shiny.
The woman suffers from high fever preceded by tremors and chills. The fever usually reaches 38°C.
The woman also feels very tired.
Mastitis usually affects one of the breasts and rarely occurs in both at the same time.
The onset of the condition is usually mild and, over time, it becomes more serious. First, there is usually a hardening of an area of the breast, which indicates that this is where the milk is stagnant.
Then, pain and local redness appear. It is at this point that the breast should be emptied to prevent the breast from continuing to swell. If the milk continues to stagnate, the area may become infected and this is when high fever, tiredness and chills appear.
If mastitis is not treated properly, even abscesses can form, which may require hospitalization.
Therefore, it is very important to go immediately to the specialist when the first symptoms appear.
