Breast infection or mastitis is common when you are breastfeeding and is a nasty ailment that can make you feel quite ill. Fortunately, there are some quick remedies to alleviate mastitis, so that you won’t have to stop breastfeeding.
Mastitis is often caused by a blocked milk duct
A milk duct can become blocked because your baby does not empty the breast properly. This happens if your child always presses into your breast in the same place (regularly change your feeding position!), because you sleep on your stomach, because you suddenly stop breastfeeding or because your bra is too tight. Other possible causes of mastitis are infected cleft nipples, a fungal infection (thrush), fatigue and low resistance or a combination of the above.
Symptoms of mastitis
In most cases, you will only have mastitis in one breast. This is apparent from the following symptoms:
- You have one or more painful, red, warm spots on your breast.
- You experience pain when feeding
- You run a high fever, i.e., above 38.5 °C
- You feel ill.
In the event of an imminent breast infection, two things are essential: rest and a good flow of milk.
There are several things you can do to ensure a good flow of milk:
- Before feeding, take a warm shower or warm your chest with compresses. This will make the milk ducts open better, making it easier for your baby to empty your breast.
- While warming up the breast or during the feeding itself, you can massage the breast. Move from the outer areas of your breast towards the nipple. This helps to direct the flow of your milk in the right direction, as it were.
- First, let your baby drink from your sick breast and make sure that he or she empties that breast. In subsequent feedings, let your baby drink first from your infected breast. However, don’t forget to also empty your healthy breast (by letting your child drink from it or by expressing the milk), otherwise it may also get infected.
- Vary the position in which you hold your child during feeding. This will stimulate your breasts in different ways.
- After feeding, a cold compress against your chest can help relieve pain or reduce tension.
- You can take paracetamol against the pain and fever. However, stick to the maximum recommended intake.
In addition, get as much rest as possible!
If these tips do not help within half a day or a whole day and you feel that the mastitis is not going away, consult your general practitioner. The doctor will probably prescribe a course of antibiotics for you.
In this case, you can simply continue breastfeeding even if you have a breast infection. If you need to take an antibiotic, tell your doctor that you are breastfeeding. You will then be given a remedy that is not harmful to your child.
If it hurts you too much to continue breastfeeding right away, express the milk for your baby for a few days. This ensures that you will still produce enough milk after the breast infection has subsided.
