Swelling of mammary glands in newborns

A newborn baby may have a condition called mastitis - swelling of the mammary glands in newborns. This often causes some concern in parents - is it normal or a disease? Should you sound the alarm? Should you treat the baby?

Indeed, in some cases, swelling of the glands can actually mean illness. But, fortunately, this does not always happen: most children react this way to changes in hormonal levels. This condition usually normalizes during the first month of the child's life.

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Causes of breast swelling in newborns

After birth, the concentration of sex hormones in the baby's blood changes. This is a completely normal phenomenon, which is considered a physiological and natural process of adaptation of the child's body to independent life, outside the mother's womb.

Swelling of the baby's mammary glands is precisely due to the fact that during intrauterine development, the mother's hormones circulate in the baby's blood. That is, the excess of female hormones in the baby is the cause of temporary breast enlargement.

There is no need to worry: this condition will normalize within a few weeks.

The pathogenesis of this phenomenon is simple. The fact is that the mammary glands are extremely sensitive organs that instantly react to the slightest change in hormonal levels. As a result, this can affect not only the volume, but also the structure of the glands. Such sensitivity occurs during the birth of the baby, originating in the estrogen receptors in the third trimester of pregnancy.

In 85% of newborn girls, swelling of the mammary glands is observed from the 3rd to the 10th day after birth. At the same time, discharge from the milk ducts appears - this is the result of the neonatal synthesis of pituitary hormones.

Regression of the mammary glands can occur even before the age of one year, which is considered a normal variant.

Swelling of the mammary glands in newborn boys is somewhat less common and less pronounced. This condition appears approximately on the third day from the moment of birth and goes away on its own within a month.

However, sometimes glandular engorgement can be pathological. This happens when an infection gets into the milk ducts, both from the outside and hematogenously. In this case, we are talking, as a rule, about infectious mastitis of newborns.

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Symptoms of breast swelling in newborns

The first signs of this condition may include the following:

• swelling of the glands or areola (2-3 cm in diameter);
• swelling of the external genitalia;
• pinpoint white rash on the face;
• In newborn girls - vaginal discharge mixed with blood.

The skin of the glands does not change its color. There is no pain. Some children may have a light or grayish liquid coming out of their nipples, similar to colostrum.

This physiological condition can occur on one or both sides, and it is not considered a pathology.

Usually, within 1-2 months, the listed symptoms disappear on their own.

However, you need to carefully monitor the child so as not to miss the signs of a truly incipient disease:

• the baby's body temperature rises;
• the child becomes sleepy and capricious;
• You may lose your appetite and experience sleep disturbances;
• Diarrhea, frequent and profuse regurgitation are possible.

In the initial stage of a true inflammatory disease, the external condition of the glands practically does not change, but as the process progresses, the skin turns red, the area around the nipple becomes denser and swells, and discharge from the nipples may appear. If such symptoms appear, you should immediately visit a doctor.

Consequences and complications of breast swelling in newborns

Physiological mastitis is the medical term for swelling of the mammary glands in newborns. It usually goes away on its own, without any treatment.

When the glands are swollen, it is strictly forbidden to press on them, warm them up, apply lotions or compresses, or rub them with ointments - such actions can lead to infection and the development of secondary inflammatory diseases.

When bacteria penetrate the milk ducts, the following complications may develop:

• purulent mastitis;
• phlegmonous inflammation of adipose tissue;
• sepsis.

The listed complications are very serious and in the future may result in no less serious consequences. For example, in newborn girls, purulent mastitis can provoke blockage of milk ducts, up to necrosis of tissue structures of the gland. Subsequently, this can negatively affect women's health and the possibility of breastfeeding.

In some advanced cases, it may be possible to perform an operation to remove the part of the gland affected by the inflammatory process.

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Diagnosis of breast swelling in newborns

Diagnosis usually does not cause any difficulties. The doctor pays attention to the condition of the mammary glands, the degree of their enlargement, the presence of signs of an inflammatory process. Naturally, the child's age and general well-being are also taken into account.

Is instrumental diagnostics of the mammary glands performed? As a rule, when the mammary glands of newborns are swollen, this is not necessary. The doctor only needs to make sure that there is no inflammation - for this, it is often enough to examine the appearance of the breast and measure the temperature.

In rare cases, the doctor will order blood tests (a general blood test to determine signs of an inflammatory reaction) and an analysis of secretions from the milk ducts (to identify the possible causative agent of the disease).

Additionally, the child may need a consultation with a pediatric surgeon.

Differential diagnostics are carried out with mastitis of a non-physiological nature, that is, with an inflammatory process in the mammary gland.

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Treatment of breast swelling in newborns

Physiological swelling of the mammary glands in a newborn baby does not require special treatment. Therefore, do not immediately panic and run to the pharmacy, buying up all sorts of ointments and tinctures, or start treatment with herbs and lotions. The best way to help the baby is not to interfere with the natural process. Physiological mastitis without complications does not bother the child in any way. You just need to wait a little for the condition to normalize on its own. Of course, you will have to adhere to some preventive measures to avoid complications. We will talk about this below.

Medicines may be needed only when there is a suspicion of the development of purulent mastitis. In this case, a doctor's consultation should be mandatory, since mastitis in newborns requires hospital treatment. The doctor will immediately do a culture of secretions from the mammary glands for the sensitivity of bacterial flora to antibiotics in order to prescribe an effective antibacterial drug.

For the treatment of purulent mastitis the following is usually used:

• antibiotics;
• homeopathy (for example, the well-known Viburkol);
• anti-inflammatory drugs;
• local treatment with external preparations;
• surgical treatment (in advanced complicated cases, the purulent focus is opened) followed by rehabilitation and physiotherapy.

Folk treatment of physiological swelling of glands in newborns may also be unnecessary. In no case should you resort to the following folk methods of treatment:

• hot compresses and lotions (can aggravate the condition and provoke the development of true mastitis);
• massage, pressure on the chest, tight bandaging;
• application and application of ointments, tinctures, decoctions.

Prevention

Prevention of swelling of the mammary glands in newborns cannot be done initially, since changes in hormonal levels in children are a natural and organic process. However, it is important to prevent the development of complications of this condition - for example, the development of purulent mastitis.

What needs to be done to prevent unpleasant consequences:

• take good care of your baby and follow hygiene rules;
• bathe the newborn regularly, change the baby's diapers and clothes in a timely manner;
• perform all procedures on the child only with clean hands;
• do not allow people with colds, infectious or viral diseases near the baby;
• If suspicious symptoms appear, immediately contact a pediatrician, but under no circumstances begin self-treatment;
• Avoid trauma to the baby's chest, as well as excessive hypothermia and overheating.

Remember: mastitis is a serious disease, especially in early childhood. To prevent its development, do not try to treat the natural hormonal swelling of the mammary glands in newborns. It is enough to simply leave the baby's mammary glands alone, and the prognosis for this condition will be favorable. Within a short time, everything will return to normal, and the baby's breasts will take on a normal, healthy appearance.

ICD-10 code

• P 00 – P 96 – Some conditions of the perinatal period.
• P 80 – P 83 – Conditions affecting the skin and mucous membranes, as well as thermoregulation processes in a child.
• P 83 – Other specific changes in the skin and mucous membranes.
• P 83.4 – Swelling of the mammary glands in newborns.