By Elizabeth Narins, Dr Oz The Good Life:
Plenty of women love breastfeeding
— after all, it's a one-of-a-kind experience exclusively reserved for
parents, and it releases special chemicals that help you feel extra
close to your baby. But even the most enthusiastic advocates are
susceptible to a common, scary condition that can affect up to 20 percent of breastfeeders a year: mastitis, an infection of the breast that can cause inflammation and redness. And it can be painful.
[post_ads_2]Breasts Behaving Badly
Lindsey Bliss is a Queens, New York-based mother who breastfed all six of her biological children, including two sets of twins
that she nursed in tandem. She didn't experience mastitis until nursing
her youngest child and recently posted the photo below featuring her
inflamed breast to raise awareness about the condition.
"It literally feels like someone kicked me in the breast," says Bliss, a birth doula
and co-director at Carriage House Birth, an organization that fosters
community among birth doulas and postpartum care providers. Despite her
training, she didn't know what hit her.
"No one really warns you about how powerful mastitis is," she says. "Your boob can cause a full body shutdown."
As
it happened, Bliss' symptoms were so severe she almost went to the
emergency room: The infection affected her entire body, complete with a
swollen, red-hot breast and milk duct discharge, plus full body shakes and uncontrollable teeth chattering.
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Flu-like
symptoms, Bliss soon learned, are a telltale sign of mastitis, which
occurs when milk clogs a woman's milk duct and leads to a bacterial
infection, according to American Congress of Obstetricians
(ACOG). It can be caused by anything from stress and fatigue to
pressure on the breast from a bra that's too tight, missed feedings, or
poor hand or breast pump hygiene, according to the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. And even though it's most common during the early days of breastfeeding, it can hit at any time — even among women who aren't pregnant or breastfeeding.
Sweet Relief
Although
emptying the affected breast can help with mastitis, antibiotics are
your best line of defense if symptoms last for more than 12 to 24 hours —
one sign your mastitis is caused by a bacterial infection and won't
clear up on its own. Waiting can prolong your discomfort and potentially
worsen your infection.
For the pain, you can pop an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen, or apply a warm, wet cloth for 15 to 20 minutes a few times a day. (Bliss says she also swears by hot Epsom baths.)
Because draining the inflamed breast is the best way to manage discomfort, you can and should continue to breastfeed your baby (or pump) despite the infection — even while taking antibiotics. There's no evidence
that breastfeeding will spread the infection to your child, though you
should always consult your doctor and pediatrician if you're concerned.
[post_ads_2]Why Breastfeeding Moms Shouldn't Freak
Bliss is not trying to scare women away from breastfeeding; rather, her goal in posting the photo above is to spread awareness.
"You always see these flawless goddess photos of breastfeeding,
and no one discusses or shows when shit gets crazy," she says. "Yes,
[you might think] breastfeeding is the best thing for your child, but it
isn't always unicorns and rainbows. Sometimes it just sucks."
If mastitis happens to you while breastfeeding,
following the protocol described above should clear things up within a
few days. It's a pain for sure, but a small price to pay if you're set
on nursing — trust us.
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