Puerperal Mastitis

Between 10 % and 33 % of breastfeeding women develop lactation mastitis. Infectious mastitis occurs when accumulated milk allows bacteria to grow.

Risk factors:


1.    Reduced number of feeds, leading to milk accumulation. This may be due to:
  1. Partial bottle feeding.
  2. Painful breasts.
  3. Preferred breast, leading to milk accumulation in the other.


2.    Trauma to breasts.

Management: 


1.    First-line management:
  1. Encourage the woman to continue breastfeeding.
  2. Assessment of breastfeeding technique by an appropriately trained, skilled person who can assess feeding pattern, positioning, attachment, sucking behaviour and breast fullness. Because mastitis is thought to result partly from inadequate milk removal from the breast, optimizing breastfeeding technique is likely to be beneficial.
  3. Manual expression of milk to empty the breast after feeding.
  4. Increasing feeding frequency.
  5. The mastitis was preceded by deep nipple wounds that were treated with topical and oral antibiotics, and the woman was receiving topical antibiotics when she developed mastitis. Treatment with oral antibiotics resolved the mastitis.



2.    Surgical management, is indicated for breast abscesses, occur in around 3 – 7 % of women with puerperal mastitis. Stopping breastfeeding suddenly in mastitis increases the risk of developing an abscess. Other risk factors include obesity and smoking.

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