What is Mastitis?
- Infection of the breast usually resulting from invasion of nipples by pathogens.
- Prevention of mastitis comes with the prevention or management of sore nipples.
Assessment:
• Usually involves only one breast.
• There is positive localized pain, swelling, and redness.
• Mother may be febrile and milk production may be scant.
Management:
• Administration of cephalosporins (broad-spetrum antibiotics) as ordered.
• Breast feeding can still be and should be continued because emptying of the milk in the breast eliminates a good medium for bacterial growth.
• Breast feeding for women with mastitis may be too painful. Manual expression of milk from affected breast is encouraged.
• Ice compresses and good supporting brassieres relieve women from discomfort.
• Warm compresses can reduce inflammation and edema.
• If untreated, it may progress as a local abscess. In the presence of abscess, breastfeeding is discontinued but they are still encouraged to manually empty breast.
• Assure women that neither abscess nor mastitis leaves any permanent breast disease. It is not associated with the development of breast cancer and does not interfere with future breastfeeding potential.