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Health

Prevention mastitis

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.11.2021
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Prevention of mastitis is a measure that a woman takes to avoid complications during feeding as an infectious lesion of the mammary gland. Mastitis is an infectious disease with inflammation of the interstitium of the mammary gland, which is characterized by a violation of the normal function of lactation. This is accompanied by forced measures to transfer the child to artificial nutrition, which is not optimal for its normal growth and healthy development. Therefore, knowledge of the prevention measures of this pathology is very important for the prevention of the disease.

Prevention of postpartum mastitis

Postpartum mastitis is a process of inflammation of the interstitium and duct of the mammary gland that occurs in the postpartum period and has its own flow characteristics. During this period, the symptoms of mastitis can be very pronounced and the process is usually purulent. In the postpartum period the uterus begins to gradually contract and come to the original form, and the mammary glands only begin to function. Very often during this period in the maternity hospital in women there is postpartum mastitis, which is associated with many causes. First and foremost, the milk ducts start to produce milk, the amount of which can be more than necessary in the early days of the baby's lids, and its stagnation occurs. Incorrect feeding technique causes the formation of cracks, which are the gateway to infection, so secondary infection occurs. This is how postpartum mastitis develops. Very often such mastitis is difficult to correct, which can also cause inflammation in the uterus, which is undiagnosed. Therefore, insufficient uterine involution in the postpartum period or the onset of septic postpartum complications can cause postpartum mastitis.

Of these main reasons, measures to prevent postpartum mastitis come up:

  1. training in the proper technique of first breastfeeding;
  2. careful monitoring of the uterus in the early and late postpartum period and monitoring the general condition of the woman with the prevention of infectious complications;
  3. early application of the child to the breast in the ancestral hall in the absence of contraindications;
  4. Expressing milk at its surplus in the first days of a child's life to prevent stagnation;
  5. prevention of hypothermia and stressful situations with the purpose of preventing hormonal control disorders in the lactogenesis process.

All these rules are necessary not only for the well-being of a woman and prevention of mastitis, but also for breast milk to become an accessible constant food for the child to ensure normal development, growth and protection.

Prevention of lactation mastitis

Lactation mastitis develops more often than all other species due to the fact that the rules of proper breastfeeding are not known to everyone and not all moms adhere to them. True breastfeeding contributes not only to the nutrition and growth of the baby, but also to the further process of lactogenesis. Feeding a newborn baby should be done at his will, without night breaks. The interval between feedings should not be more than three hours. Such interval well influences not only the child, but also the milk secretion. At night, the formation of milk in the mammary glands occurs under the influence of the pituitary hormones, and under the influence of night feeding, the production of the hormone oxytocin increases, which in turn affects the muscle fibers of the dairy and normal milk is released into the dairy. This process is normal, but there are cases when there is not enough milk and the baby is fed with the formula. At the same time the normal process of formation and allocation of milk does not occur and this contributes to the disruption of lactogenesis. Then there are different pathological conditions in the form of lactostasis or in case of infection, there is inflammation of the mammary gland - mastitis. Therefore, it is important to know the basic principles of proper breastfeeding.

Preventive maintenance of a mastitis at thoracal feeding the following:

  1. feeding the child for his need, but at least eight times a day;
  2. Exclusion of use of other mixtures, bottles, nipple in the absence of indications, which excludes factors on the part of the child in the development of stagnation and further mastitis;
  3. the correct toilet of the breast before each feeding - do not wash, do not wipe the breast before each feeding, just a daily shower is enough - it reduces the chances of maceration of the nipple and the formation of cracks. Also before and after each feeding, the nipple must be wiped with a drop of milk;
  4. the correct diet and resting of the nursing mother prevents lactostasis and mastitis;
  5. correct technique of feeding a child;
  6. avoiding subcooling;
  7. timely correction of lactostasis and toilet at the appearance of nipple cracks;
  8. when forming the phenomena of a physiological lactation crisis, you need to put the baby to the breast more often.

Prevention of lactostasis and mastitis should be purposeful actions, since untimely cured lactostasis can be the cause of mastitis. Therefore, with the emergence of foci of milk stagnation, it is important to use therapeutic massage, physiotherapy and proper breast care.

Prophylaxis of mastitis during breastfeeding is a very important task for every young mother, because the health of not only her but her child depends on it. Preventive measures are not as complex as it seems at first glance, and provided that the baby and the breast moth are properly fed, this disease can be completely avoided.

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