Mammary glands in newborns

The mammary glands in newborns develop in a special way in utero and after birth, therefore it is very important to distinguish the features of the physiological process and the onset of the development of the disease. Parents are always worried about the health of their young child, so any changes in the breasts worry them. But this is not always so serious, therefore, first of all it is the parents who need to know when exactly it is worth turning to the doctor.

Features of mammary glands in newborns

When a child develops inside the tummy, regardless of whether it's a boy or a girl, many factors of the mother's body act on it. If the future child is a boy, then he has a certain amount of testosterone, the male sex hormone secreted in a small amount by the adrenal glands of the baby itself, and also by the woman's body. These hormones ensure the development of genitals according to the male type and the formation of brain structures. If a girl is in the womb of the mother, then the main part of the sex hormones is female. But both the boy and the girl are affected by the sex hormones of the mother - estrogens and progesterone, which are synthesized by both the adrenal glands, and the ovaries, and the placenta. Therefore, the mammary glands and genitals of a newborn child in the first month of life can have some features of structure and development.

The anatomy of the mammary glands in newborns is such that they continue to develop after birth. The gland itself in girls and boys has the same structure. It consists of glandular tissue, loose connective tissue and milk ducts. In newborns, the mammary gland lies on a large "fat pad", which consists of a connective tissue that has a loose structure. The milk ducts themselves are not developed very much, but they have a slight branching in the radial direction.

The physiological changes in the mammary glands in newborns are developing due to the fact that my mother had many estrogens that affected the fetus. It can be just because their number is more than required, or for the boy they are superfluous. Then estrogens are able to influence the milk ducts and the number of muscle fibers increases. Due to the peculiarities of such a large interlayer, which acts as a "cushion", the ducts can not grow and go deep, and they increase "under the skin". This phenomenon is a normal physiological change.

The peculiarities of the effect of estrogens in utero on the fetus can also be the allocation of colostrum. Some milk ducts are able, under the action of a surplus of hormones, to secrete a secret that is colostrum in its composition. Therefore, if a newborn child has a secret from the mammary glands in the period of the first month of life, then this can also be a physiological phenomenon.

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]

Diseases of the mammary glands in newborns

In order not to harm the child, it is necessary to clearly understand when changes in the mammary glands of newborns are considered normal, and when this is already a disease.

Problems with the mammary glands in infants usually begin in the second week of a child's life. Symptoms that appear in this case, and indicate a physiological change, do not change the general condition of the child. The main criterion is that the child's appetite is preserved, the sleep is not disturbed, it adds weight, the stool is normal, and there are no signs of intoxication. The increase in mammary glands in newborns and their engorgement occurs gradually, usually from two sides. This increases the breast evenly to three centimeters. This swelling of the breast is not accompanied by redness of the skin and it does not bother the child. If you try it with your mom's hands, then such a tightening of the baby's breast is not dense, even and the child does not scream and react when palpating. Allocations from the mammary glands in newborns can be in this case in the form of a serous clear or slightly whitish liquid. Such symptoms are not characteristic for the disease, but for the normal process of sexual crisis in a child, which can develop in all children. This process does not last more than two weeks, and by the end of the first month of life all these symptoms are gradually passing.

Speaking about the physiological engorgement of mammary glands in newborns, one must understand that this pathology occurs in 75% of all children. More often it is certainly girls, but also 50% of newborn boys are subject to such processes. Therefore, do not panic if there are such phenomena, you just need to consult a doctor and make sure that everything is fine.

But the symptoms of diseases that can be also at this age need to clearly know and conduct differential diagnosis.

The first symptoms that should alert you are the appearance of a child's anxiety, screaming, or rejection of the breast. If the child had breast engorgement and everything was fine, but suddenly he began to lose weight or to give up his breast with a shrill cry, you need to think about the disease. Often the disease develops at the end of the first month of the child's life, when the physiological swelling should pass, then infection can be attached and mastitis can develop. Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland in a baby, which equally happens in girls and boys. Given the same anatomical features of the breast of a small child, loose connective tissue contributes to the instant spread of inflammation deep, so the child's condition during the development of mastitis instantly worsens. The child is not inclined to limit the inflammatory process as an adult is inclined. Therefore, the main symptom of a newborn breast inflammatory disease is a very high temperature. It rises very sharply with mastitis and may be accompanied by cramps. When examining the mammary gland, the mother can see not only her enlargement, but skin changes, redness or even a blue tint. If you try the breast of a child, it will react immediately, because it is accompanied by severe pain. If an abscess formed, you can feel how the pus moves under the fingers during palpation. This process, as a rule, is one-sided. The discharge can also be from the nipple on the side of the lesion in the form of green or yellow pus. But you should not seriously torment the baby and check all the symptoms, in case of any doubts, it is better to consult a doctor. Therefore, the main diagnostic sign is not the physiological state, but the disease of the mammary gland in newborns is a change in the state of the child.

[7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12]

Treatment of mammary gland diseases in newborns

The main treatment for physiological engorgement of the mammary glands is rest. Do not interfere with the use of any alternative remedies, ointments or tinctures, as this is a normal process that will pass by itself. On the contrary, persistent intervention can lead to the development of complications. Often parents to speed up the process of resolving swelling of the mammary glands carry out a massage or squeeze colostrum from the nipple. This in no case can not be done, because additional intervention is a risk factor for skin lesions, which, even if small, can be the gateway to infection. Therefore, the main recommendations for parents with this physiological consolidation of the mammary glands are as follows:

1. ensure the maximum rest for the child;
2. feed, bathe, walk, as with a healthy baby;
3. Do not rub or use any ointments on the area of the breast;
4. Do not massage or use a heating pad.

If everything is normal, the symptoms will go away by themselves in a week or two.

If it is a case of breast disease in newborns such as mastitis or abscess, then the tactic is completely different. Immediately after determining the diagnosis, the child immediately hospitalized in the children's surgical department. To date, given the speed of the spread of the infectious process in the body of a newborn child, the tactics of treating mastitis or an abscess are active. No ointments or medicines for conservative therapy are used. The main principles of treatment in this case is the extraction of a pathological focus as soon as possible and active antibiotic therapy. Therefore, first of all, the child is promptly intervened. Under general anesthesia, in an urgent order, an operation is performed. The volume of the operation is to make incisions on the skin of the affected area of the breast in a checkerboard pattern. They can be a large number, depending on the volume of the affected gland. The incisions are made in such a way that they are located on the verge of healthy and affected skin. Next, drainages are installed, through which an active washing of such a site is carried out. Then drainage is left for a better outflow of pus. The dressings should be done after the operation several times a day and the mother should monitor this. Feeding such a child continues in normal mode with breast milk, which provides better protection for the child.

Against the backdrop of such a surgical intervention, massive antibiotic therapy must be performed. Now it is recommended to use even three antibiotics with different action spectra for treatment, with two of them used parenterally (in a vein), and one is enteral (reception in suspension). Only with such active actions it is possible to avoid complications of mastitis.

These are the main approaches to the treatment of physiological engorgement and inflammation of the mammary glands in newborns.

Mammary glands in newborns are always exposed to the action of sex hormones still in utero, so often in infants it is possible to note the normal state of breast tightening. This does not cause any other symptoms on the part of the child, and therefore does not require additional interventions. But we must remember that there may be inflammation, so every mother should be attentive to her child.