TL;DR
- Breast inflammation affects mainly postpartum women (95%), with 5% occurring at other times (typically ages 30 or post-50).
- Symptoms: Breast swelling, redness, pain, skin warmth, fever (>38°C), changes in the nipple (e.g., redness, peeling, leakage of pus/blood), and swollen axillary lymph nodes. Severe cases may form abscesses needing surgical drainage.
- Postpartum causes: Milk stasis from improper feeding techniques, stress, tight clothing, or infrequent feeding.
- Prevention: Regular breastfeeding from both breasts, proper feeding positions, adequate sleep, and avoiding weaning/supplementation too early.
- Treatment: Feed from the affected breast, apply warm compresses/massage before feeding, and cool compresses after. Use remedies like cabbage compresses. Pain/fever can be managed with paracetamol or ibuprofen. Persistent symptoms (>24 hours) require antibiotics or specialist care.
By the term breast inflammation, we most often mean inflammation of the nipple or inflammation of the mammary glands, which occurs most often in women. 95% of breast inflammation happens in the postpartum period, and the remaining 5% are non-breast lesions, which occur most often in young women, around the age of 30 or in the period after 50. We explain what such inflammation manifests itself, what its causes are and what measures can be taken even before visiting a specialist.
Symptoms of breast inflammation
Treated breast inflammation lasts from 3 days to about a week and should not entail special complications. If you intervene as soon as you observe the first symptoms, you can reduce the unpleasant discomfort even to a few hours and avoid the development of inflammation. Among the first symptoms of breast inflammation, we distinguish swelling, pain and redness of the breast, along with warming of the skin and a subfebrile state or fever. If we intervene at an early stage, we can count on a fairly mild course of inflammation and a relatively quick elimination of unpleasant discomfort. Inflammation initially involves a small section of the breast, then spreads to additional areas, and eventually causes a systemic reaction of the body. redness in the breast area, breast pain Further symptoms present in breast inflammation include visible changes in the nipple area, purulent leakage or purulent leakage along with blood, and enlargement of lymph nodes (usually axillary). A signal that inflammation is developing is also a fever, usually above 38 degrees. Sometimes an abscess develops in the wart area, which should be incised and drained under the doctor's supervision. The doctor will also select an antibiotic. Although relatively rare, it happens that the inflammation is due to breast cancer. Then the most common symptoms include leakage and itching of the nipple, visible changes around the nipple, such as peeling skin or redness, and hard-to-treat, non-healing ulcers.
Extrapartum breast inflammation – causes.
Postpartum mastitis can be caused by mechanical trauma, bacterial infection or even cancer. It can also result from endocrine disorders such as hyperprolactinemia or disorders related to the functioning of the thyroid gland. Treatment of extrafollicular mastitis most often involves consulting a doctor, selecting antibiotic therapy or anti-inflammatory medications, and taking a sample for testing to help determine the cause of the inflammation. Extra-glandular inflammation unfortunately tends to recur, which is why it is so important to determine its cause. There is also a variety of mastitis in newborns, which is caused by excessive exposure of the mother's hormones to the baby during pregnancy. Treatment involves the administration of antibiotics. The problem much more often affects girls than boys.
Inflammation in the postpartum period and breastfeeding – causes.
The most common cause of inflammation in the postpartum period is milk stasis. Milk stasis can be diagnosed by the fact that the breast hurts, is swollen and red and food does not flow from it. Stasis can be caused by stress and fatigue in the body, too much food being produced and improper feeding technique. Stasis leads to inflammation and even abscess formation. In addition to the factors mentioned above, wearing too-tight underwear, trying to wean the infant too early, mechanical trauma and feeding too infrequently can contribute to inflammation.
Prevention against stasis
The best prevention against stasis will be, first of all, taking care of yourself and regularly feeding your baby, alternating from both breasts. Getting enough sleep, wearing non-pressurizing and airy underwear, keeping stressors to a minimum and not overtiring your body. In addition, stasis can be prevented in the following ways:
- take care of the proper feeding position, get enough sleep and feed equally from both breasts,
- pay attention to whether the baby covers the entire nipple with his mouth, including the areola,
- feed the baby regularly, do not lead to prolonged breaks and do not try to wean the baby too early,
- avoid supplementing the baby with modified milk.
If you suspect that your feeding technique is inadequate, it is worth asking for help from a midwife, health nurse or lactation specialist.
What to do when stasis or inflammation occurs?
When stasis occurs, we most often have to deal with pain when we attach the baby to the breast. Unfortunately, in order to get rid of stasis, it is necessary to try to feed the baby from the sick breast at every feeding, and only when this fails, to attach the baby to the healthy one. To facilitate the flow of milk, you can warm and massage the breast before feeding. It is worth noting that the baby's nose and chin should be on the side of the changed area. After feeding, to reduce some discomfort it is worth cooling it down and making cool gel compresses. Quite known way for such difficulties are also cabbage compresses. Such a poultice is prepared by putting a cabbage leaf in the refrigerator, and when it is sufficiently cooled, it should be crushed so that it lets out juice and applied to the breast. When you are already dealing with symptoms of inflammation, the main thing to do is to rest, get enough sleep, wear airy, non-pressing clothes, massage and warm the breast. It is also worth taking paracetamol or ibuprofen to help reduce pain and fever. Based on ibuprofen, the drug also has an anti-inflammatory effect. When the symptoms of inflammation persist for more than 24 hours, you should contact a specialist who will choose the appropriate treatment, most likely an antibiotic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. When the inflammation has already turned into an abscess, it is essential to consult a specialist and visually inspect the changed area, as surgical intervention and emptying of the abscess may be necessary.
Conclusion
Breast inflammation is uncomfortable but manageable if addressed early. We've covered symptoms, causes, prevention, and treatment options, from proper breastfeeding techniques to stress management. The key takeaway: act swiftly at the first sign of trouble. Regular self-care, informed practices, and seeking professional help when needed can prevent complications. Protecting your health should always come first.
