Breasts Infection while breastfeeding, Mastitis

When the breasts become very hard and painful, it is very possible the conducts have become blocked. Make sure that your bra is the suitable size and agree to let the baby empty out one breast completely before moving on to the other one. Otherwise, pump out your milk and freeze it. Modify the position of the baby and position hot cloths on your breast to help the milk to come out. If none of these steps alleviates or if the pain increases and you get a fever or headache, go to the doctor immediately so you can get medication.

The symptoms of mastitis make the breast look hot, hard and red. You may have a high fever and will feel like your body hurts and is run down. This infection in the breast can be diffuse or can be placed in a specific segment. If it is localized, the redness will be seen as a helmet, over the infected area. If these types of symptoms show up, make sure to call the doctor right away. You will probably be prescribed antibiotics & the doctor will probably ask you to go back so he or she can check you again.

Continue breastfeeding the baby even if you have the infection, since after all the bacteria surely originated in the baby’s mouth and they will not harm him or her. If you stop breastfeeding all it will do is cause the breasts to become congested and will aggravate it and cause more pain. Some good remedies are acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and warm compresses to help alleviate the pain of the mastitis while the antibiotics you are taking start to kick in. make sure to drink enough liquids and make sure to empty out as much milk as you can from the breasts and rest so your body can do what it needs to do in order for you to get better. Make sure to take the medications all the way through to make sure the infection does not come back.

Abscesses In The Nipples
If mastitis is not dealt with well enough, or if a feeding conduct is still blocked, an abscess can develop on the breast. In fact abscesses are seen in around ten percent of mastitis cases. The symptoms are extreme pain, heat and swelling in the area where the abscess is located and a high fever. Sometimes the doctors can treat this problem with antibiotics but in many occasions they need to be surgically drained.

If you do get an abscess in one breast, you can still continue feeding the baby with the other breast, but you should stop feeding the baby with the side that is infected until the problem is over with. You will need to ask your doctor how long it will have to be before you can start breastfeeding you baby like you normally did before.