Mastitis

As a brand new, first time mother, I thought that once the baby was here I was DONE.  Little did I know that there would be post-partum stuff – a bit uninformed and naive, right?  Then, just when I thought that I was off and running, my first round of mastitis hit.  If you have ever walked this particular walk – mastitis – you know how important it is to find answers and to find those answers quickly.

I did find some answers.  Eventually, I even found information about possible causes.  From there I was able to find some means of preventing the next round.  Happy days!

What is Mastitis?

The first – and most important – thing to understand about mastitis is that, while common among nursing mothers,  it is a condition that is both treatable and preventable.  Better yet, most of the solutions are quite simple and quite inexpensive.

Mastitis is a bacterial infection that begins in one or, perhaps, both of the mammary glands of the breasts.  Masititis often begins with a hard, sore spot inside the breast.  Redness, heat, and inflammation soon follow.

Depending on the study that you are following, mastitis is said to affect 10% to as much as 33% of breastfeeding women – many of us more than once!  Mastitis usually occurs in only one breast.

In rare occasions, mastitis may occur in a woman who is not lactating.  Even more rarely, it can occur in men.

Symptoms

Basic Symptoms

• An area of the breast becomes red, swollen, and hot.
• Fever, chills, and shivering often follow because mastitis is a bacterial infection.
• Fatigue.
• The breast becomes very sensitive to pressure and touch.
• A burning sensation, either constant or only when the baby is nursing.
• Flu-like symptoms and/or other symptoms of infection.

Additional Symptoms

• Anxiety, feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
• General aches and pains all through the body.
• Lassitude, malaise.

Risk Factors

You will be more likely to get mastitis – or get it again – if:

• Mastitis has been a problem for you in the past.
• You have cracked or irritated nipples.
• You delay or entirely skip, a regular breastfeeding session.
• Mastitis is more common during the early months of a baby’s nursing life.  It sometimes takes a little while for Mom and baby to establish a routine.
• Mastitis also occurs a bit more frequently as the baby grows and begins to add solid foods to the regular nursing schedule.  This can lead to delayed or skipped feeding sessions.

Possible Causes

Since knowing the cause is the first step in prevention, let’s start by discussing that topic.  I did mastitis at least once while nursing everyone of my seven children except the last one.  While we had found quick and effective answers to cope once a new infection had started, learning to prevent infection and pain took a lot longer.

1.   A Blocked Milk Duct

• If the breast doesn’t completely empty with each feeding, a milk duct may become clogged.  If it does this, inflammation and, eventually, an infection can occur.
• Anything at all that contributes to the milk not being properly expressed may result in milk stasis.  This pooling of milk in the breast can result in a blockage in a milk duct. Sometimes the contributing factor is something as simple as the mother placing a finger on the same spot on her breast every day, over and over again, in order to move the breast out of the way of the baby’s nose.  I believe that this very thing, the finger in the same spot, was part of my problem with recurrent bouts of mastitis during my own childbearing years.

2.  Bacteria Entering Breast

• Bacteria on the surface of the skin may enter the breast through the small cracks and breaks that sometimes develop when breastfeeding.
• Human milk is not, in general, a medium in which bacteria thrive.  However, if milk ducts become blocked and the milk stagnates in the breast, it is quite possible for an infection to begin and flourish very well.

3.  Lymphatic Congestion

• The lymph system, with its many lymph nodes and ducts, is found throughout the body.  The lymph system gathers up and eliminates things that are detrimental to the health of the body.  There are major lymph nodes found in the armpit, just above the collarbone, and directly behind the breast bone.  If these important nodes are plugged, milk backs up with no place to go.  The result?  Stagnation, inflammation, and a much higher risk of infection in the breasts.  I have, personally, never seen mastitis in a mother that did not have underlying lymph drainage issues.

4.  Breastfeeding Issues and Difficulties

• The infant does not attach to the breast properly.  This can be, simply, the position that mother and baby have assumed in relationship to each other during nursing.  Alternatively, there be an undiagnosed structural issue with the baby’s palate or jaw.
• Nursing too infrequently.  This may be because breastfeeding is being supplemented by formula feedings.  This may also become an issue as the baby grows older or begins sleeping through the night more frequently.

Breast Abscesses

If a breast infection – mastitis – is not treated promptly or aggressively enough, a pocket of pus (or several such pockets) may develop.  There may be pus draining from the nipple or any other areas of the breast.  This is a serious situation.  Other symptoms may include red streaks extending away from an increasingly reddening area of the breast.  The swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck or the armpit is another indication that the situation is getting serious.  There will almost always be fever accompanying these symptoms.

This situation is getting serious!   The abscess may require lancing in order to drain properly.  If a sufficiently large area of the breast is involved, surgery may be required.

Thrush

A pregnant woman may pass a vaginal candida (yeast) infection to her baby during birth.  It will, most often, show up in the baby’s mouth as thrush.  Thrush may also create a very difficult to treat diaper rash.  Thrush in the baby’s mouth may spread to the mother’s nipples and breast ducts.

Symptoms of Thrush

In the Baby:

• Distinctive white mouth lesions.
• Difficulties in nursing.
• Unusual fussiness or irritability.
• A particularly nasty form of diaper rash.

In the Nursing Mother:

You may have thrush rather than mastitis if your symptoms are not responding to the treatments you have been using.  Other symptoms that indicate thrush include:

• Thrush may begin with sudden sharp pain or burning in the breast with no other symptoms when breastfeeding has been going well with no noticeable problems.
• Pain in the nipple area during and after breastfeeding.
• Sharp breast pain between feedings.
• Nipples that look extraordinarily pink.

If either mother or baby has thrush they can pass it back and forth for some time unless treatment is simultaneous and consistent for both of them.

Avoiding Mastitis

• Be sure to completely drain the milk from your breasts when breastfeeding.  The baby should completely drain one breast before being switched to the other breast during feeding.
• Change the position you use, even just a little bit, from one feeding to the next.
• Make sure your baby latches on properly during feedings.  Get help from a lactation consultant if necessary.
• If you smoke and have been prone to mastitis in the past, consider programs to help you quit.  Smoking substantially increases the risk of mastitis.
• Avoid blows or impacts to the breast area.  Such impacts can cause damage or swelling that may lead to a blockage in the milk ducts.
• Avoid sleeping on your stomach – or in any side position – that presses your breasts against the mattress.
• Avoid putting soaps, deodorants, or any other chemicals substances on your breasts.  Antibacterial soaps and products containing triclosan are particularly irritating.  There is some concern that triclosan increases the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics.

Treatment Options for Mastitis

Antibiotics

For me, antibiotics were not a good option.  First, they simply took too long to start to make a difference.  Second, for me, the reaction to the antibiotic was every bit as painful and scary as was the mastitis!  In addition, antibiotic use has long been linked to yeast infection in mom and thrush for the baby.  This was known even way back in my childbearing years.   The following link is a study showing that antibiotic exposure in children increases the risk of irritable bowel syndrome later in life.  Click Here  

Herbals

Garlic

Garlic is always a good choice for any type of infection. In fact, garlic is, in fact, one of nature’s most potent antibiotics!  Ingest garlic any way that you can!  Garlic capsules have been very effective for me many times – with mastitis, as well as with other infections.

Butterfly’s MP Pack

This pack literally saved my sanity more than once.  There are a few things that you need to know about this herbal compress/pack.  First – and this is very important – make the pack using distilled or very well filtered water.  Some of the healing properties of certain herbs are completely neutralized by such chemicals as chlorine.  I learned this the hard – and painful – way with mastitis years ago!

To make a compress/pack, put 2 or 3 tablespoons of the herbal mixture into boiling water.  A couple of cups of liquid will be enough.  Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let it steep for at least 10 minutes.  Lift the herbs out of the water with a slotted spoon. Place them on a clean cotton cloth. Sewing the cloth on three sides to make a pocket helps to keep the herbs contained.   I like to place something under the cloth to control the moisture.  Plastic wrap or Press-n-Seal works well.  Fold it all together so that the herbs do not tumble out during use.  Apply the pack as a poultice to the affected breast area.  Keep the pack on for a much of the day and night as possible.  Be sure to keep the poultice hot using a heating pad or some other heat source.

The most important part of this treatment is to get started as soon as you suspect a problem.  The second most important part is consistent and as nearly constant use as possible until the mastitis has completely cleared up.

Watch the video to see how to make a compress

At the same time, use ^LeEndoRelief essential oil blend on the feet and on the lymph areas of the neck and underarms.  Include infection-fighting, lymph draining, and kidney supporting herbal formulas (discussed below) by mouth.

Infection-Fighting Herbs

RC would be my first choice.  IF would be a close second.  Avoid formulas containing Yarrow or Parsley as both of these herbs can decrease the milk supply.  Others to avoid, in quantity, are Peppermint, Spearmint, Black Walnut, Thyme, and Oregano.

Herbal Support for the Kidneys

Butterfly’s KT or KB formulas.  You might notice the KB contains parsley.  However, it is such a small percentage of the total blend that it does not create milk supply issues.

Essential Oils

^LeEndoRelief

This blend strengthens and supports the various organs of the endocrine system.

^LeDeliverance and ^LeSpiceC

These are infection-fighting blends.  ^LeDeliverance is far stronger but ^Le SpiceC smells better. ^Le SpiceC gets the job done.

Application:  Placing ^LeEndoRelief on the chest and ^LeDeliverance (or ^Le SpiceC)  on the feet at the same time is a particularly powerful way to use these essential oil blends!  Reversing the locations ^LeEndoRelief on the feet and ^LeDeliverance  (or ^Le SpiceC) on the chest the next time, can enhance the properties of both essential oil blends.

 Homeopathic/Blessed Water Suggestions

When a situation is serious and I need immediate results, I turn to homeopathics/blessed waters.  These energetic remedies, if the appropriate one is chosen, work very well and very quickly!  One remedy stands out in the treatment of mastitis.  That remedy is Phytolacca decandra.  Phytolacca is the Latin name for Pokeweed.  Pokeweed plays a major role in the MP herbal pack mentioned above!  Caution:  Do not take Pokeweed herb internally except in very small doses and rarely, if at all!

Phytolacca decandra

This is the polychrest (most common and applicable to many women) remedy!  Keynotes of this remedy, as far as mastitis is concerned, include breasts that are hard and very sensitive to both touch and cold.  When the child nurses, the pain goes from the nipple all over the body.  There will almost always be cracks and small ulcers abound the nipples.  The breast, which is hard and very painful, will take on a purple hue (rather than red as with other remedies).  Phytolacca helps with the abscess that forms if effective treatment is not sought quickly enough.  The abscess will exude a bloody, watery discharge.  A unique feature of the symptom picture of Phytolacca is that the breasts, though sensitive to touch, often feel somewhat better from gentle hand pressure.  An important – and serious – keynote of this remedy is swelling in the axillary lymph glands of the armpits.

Other Possible Remedies for Mastitis

Belladonna

The keynote of Belladonna, in any situation, is the suddenness of the onset of the condition.  Other keynotes include bright redness and extreme burning heat.  In mastitis, there will be red streaks radiating from the nipple.  The breast will feel heavy, hard, and very hot.

Bryonia alba

Includes the classic mastitis symptoms of a stony, hard, hot, and painful breast.  The mastitis that fits the Bryonia picture tends to move into the more serious abscess phase very quickly.

Carbo vegetabilis

The symptom picture of Carbo Veg includes hard, swollen breasts with obviously impending abscesses forming.  The axillary glands will be tender and, perhaps, swollen.  Anxiety, confusion, depression, and indifference to things once found to be enjoyable make up the mental picture of this remedy.

Chamomilla vulgaris

Mastitis in which the nipples are very tender and inflamed.  A rather unique keynote of this remedy is that the nursing mother’s milk appears spoiled.  The baby refuses it.

Cistus canadensis

Mastitis with a particular sensitivity to cold air.  This describes my own bouts with mastitis.  If I was nursing through the winter and a door to the outside of the house was opened and I could feel the cold air, I would get mastitis.  The sensitivity to cold is accompanied by being cold.  Particularly the feet and the nose.

Croton tiglium

Breast hard, swollen, inflamed and painful.  Nipple very sore when touched.  Pain moving from the nipple to the back whenever the infant nurses.

Other Possible Solutions

Lecithin

Lecithin is recommended for nursing moms as a way of preventing blockages in the milk ducts.   It increases the polyunsaturated fats in breast milk.  This makes the milk healthier for the baby.  It also makes the milk less viscous and easier to be expressed.  As a midwife, I recommended that my expectant mothers take Lecithin from the 20th week to the end of their pregnancies.  Lecithin aids the development of the fetal lungs.  If the baby should happen to be born early, the infant’s lungs will have a far better chance of working without assistance.

Heat and Cold

Heat is a very good way to loosen the blockage in the ducts.  Applied before nursing, heat relieves the pain and makes nursing easier for the baby.  Cold, if you and your type of mastitis are not badly sensitive to cold, can help with swelling and inflammation.

Cabbage Leaves and Potatoes

A visit to the past.  Raw, green cabbage leaves and sliced potatoes have been used for generations by new mothers to relieve both the uncomfortable symptoms of engorgement and to break up inflammation and infection with mastitis.

Potato Slices

Soak thinly cut potato slices in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes.   Fresh, wet potato slices stay cool for a long time.   Place the wet potato slices on the affected breast for 15 minutes or so.  Discard the slices and replace them with fresh ones that have been soaking in the bowl.  Do this at least three times.  Wait a couple of hours and repeat the process.  Potatoes have anti-inflammatory properties.  They contain enzymes that can help to reduce redness and swelling.

Cabbage Leaves

Simply place a cabbage leaf inside your bra.  Keep the cabbage leaf in place as much as possible.  Replace the cabbage leaf every few hours.  A cool leaf can be quite soothing if nothing else.  Cabbage leaves reportedly worked well for our pioneer ancestors.

Mastitis – A Treatable Condition

Treating mastitis with alternative methods usually works very well.   Treatment should start the very first moment that a problem is suspected to be coming on.  Although it always seemed strange to me, continuing to nurse the baby while the mastitis is clearing up is always advised.

Please remember that mastitis is an infection.  Expect to feel extra tired.  It is important that you get plenty of fluids and plenty of rest as you recover.  If alternative methods do not work quickly for you or if the methods you are using do not contain and eliminate any abscess that might form, please see a doctor.  While mastitis is usually easily dealt with, it can become serious if not treated promptly and properly.

If you are reading this article because you have mastitis, I wish you good luck.  Even after all these years, I can remember the pain of it.  Please get right on your recovery methods of choice.