Mastitis: home treatment with traditional methods. Ointment for external use by Vishnevsky - “We treat mastitis without surgery. Symptoms and treatment

Mastitis or so-called mammary gland is an inflammation of the mammary gland. A similar disease arises and develops very quickly against the background of infection entering the mammary gland, usually during lactation. The main causes of mastitis are cracked nipples, non-compliance with hyena rules in breast care before and after feeding, as well as lactostasis (milk stagnation). This disease manifests itself in the form of sharp pain in the mammary gland, increased body temperature, and the appearance of edema inside the gland with redness of the skin above it.

When the slightest sign mastitis, you should immediately seek help from a doctor who will prescribe appropriate treatment. basis therapeutic therapy is to take drugs to suppress lactation (if necessary), antibiotics in combination with warm compresses for the stomach (alcohol-based or using Vishnevsky ointment). If mastitis has passed into the purulent stage, then the only solution in this situation is surgical intervention.

During periods of weakening protective properties(immunity) of the body (spring, summer, postpartum period), it is recommended to take vitamin complexes.

Traditional medicine has many recipes for the treatment of mastitis. But before using them, it is still recommended to consult a doctor.

Folk remedies for treating mastitis.
Apply a piece of kombucha to the diseased gland, on top of which place a piece of gauze or cotton wool (they allow air to pass through). This action must be carried out within five days.
directly at night.

To relieve mastitis, you can apply a fresh cabbage leaf to your chest.

Apply coltsfoot and burdock leaves to the sore breast. fresh, immersed in boiling water.

Apply baked onions and honey to your chest as a compress. To do this, chop the baked onion (two tablespoons of gruel) and mix it with a tablespoon of honey or flaxseed oil. Apply the resulting mass to the sore chest for three to four hours, twice a day, until the disease subsides.

It is effective for this disease to wipe the chest with tincture of Sophora japonica. To prepare it at home, pour one part of sophora beans with two parts of vodka. Leave the mixture in dark place to infuse for three to four days. After this, strain the resulting infusion and use it daily until full recovery.

Use the infusion of sweet clover as a compress on the chest. To prepare the infusion, you need to pour half a glass of dry sweet clover herb into one and a half glasses of boiling water, close the lid, wrap it in a towel and leave for fifteen minutes, then strain the resulting infusion. Apply compresses every two hours. At the end of each procedure, apply propolis ointment to the chest.

To treat mastitis, it is good to use an ointment from the following herbs, taken in four tablespoons: sweet clover, eucalyptus globulus, Japanese sophora. Then take three tablespoons of the resulting herbal mass and pour a glass of boiling water, put on fire for five minutes, cool and strain. Then add 100 g of butter to the resulting broth. Apply the prepared ointment to the affected area using a sterile napkin, while covering healthy areas of tissue.

Dilute rye flour with milk and add melted butter. The proportions should be such that you get a soft dough. Leave the resulting dough overnight and then apply it to the sore breast. It is recommended to carry out this procedure several times. In the purulent stage of mastitis, it is better to consult a doctor.

When hardening or inflammation of the mammary gland occurs, it is necessary to apply steam compresses to it; to do this, fold a cotton cloth into eight layers and soak it in a hot but tolerable infusion of chamomile. Instead of chamomile infusion, you can use half-cooked barley, slightly hot, which is filled into a cotton bag and applied to the sore area of ​​the chest for twenty to thirty minutes. After the procedure, it is necessary to empty the mammary gland of stagnant milk using a breast pump.

In cases acute form diseases require special treatment herbal baths for breast temperature 45°C. For baths, prepare a decoction of St. John's wort, chamomile, and yarrow flowers, taken in equal proportions. Fifteen tablespoons of the resulting herbal mixture pour three liters of boiling water, put on low heat and cook for five minutes. Then cool the broth to 50°C and strain. It is very important to maintain the temperature of the broth at the same level during the procedure, constantly adding hot water. The procedure takes no more than half an hour. After the bath, apply a cotton bag filled with the following composition to the sore breast: five tablespoons of chopped parsley, a tablespoon flaxseed flour and half a glass of fresh village milk. The mixture should be simmered over low heat until it thickens. Just before applying the bag, add two tablespoons of sugar to the mixture.

Dilute rice starch with water until you obtain a consistency reminiscent of sour cream. Apply the mixture to a bandage and then apply it to the sore chest. In a few hours everything should resolve.

When areas of the breast become hard, lubricate them with a mixture of potato starch and sunflower oil (1:1).

Combine peeled and chopped daffodil bulbs with rye flour. Lubricate the sore breast with the resulting pulp. Every three hours, wash off the mixture and apply a new one.

If the breast is inflamed, but without an abscess, it is recommended to wipe the breast with vodka, suck out the milk, and then apply a vodka compress. This procedure prevents the formation of an abscess. If, nevertheless, signs of an abscess are evident, a warming compress based on a two percent solution of hydrogen peroxide should be applied.

Tangerine peel effectively inhibits the growth of staphylococci, which are often the cause of mastitis. A decoction from it can be prepared as follows: divide a mixture of 50 g of tangerine peel and 10 g of licorice roots in half. Prepare the water decoction in two doses and drink in two doses. The resulting decoction can be used as a lotion for sore breasts.

To treat cracked nipples, it is effective to use an ointment made from a finely grated apple mixed with butter.

Mix three tablespoons of fresh beetroot mass with a tablespoon of honey and apply to the sore area of ​​the chest and leave overnight. The next morning, remove the mixture and put it in the refrigerator; it can be used again overnight, and then made fresh. After the procedure, the breasts should be washed. The course of treatment is twenty days.

Mix 100 ml of beet and carrot juice, add a tablespoon of radiola rosea root powder and four tablespoons of sea buckthorn oil (or St. John's wort oil). Apply the mixture as a compress to the affected area. Change compresses every five hours. The course of treatment is two weeks.

If signs of lactostasis are observed, it is good to use hot compresses or steam baths, especially if it is a decoction of marshmallow, chamomile, or fenugreek.

The following herbal preparations are effective for compresses: mix two tablespoons of St. John's wort, ivy or catnip herbs, calendula, chamomile and add a tablespoon of leaves walnut and lilacs. Then pour two tablespoons of the resulting herbal mass into 400 ml of boiling water. Put the mixture on the fire and boil from the moment of boiling for three minutes. Cool the broth and strain. Take one third of a glass four times a day before meals. It can also be used as a warm lotion on the sore area of ​​the chest, but before this it is recommended to wipe the chest with a cut onion.

In the same way, you can use a collection of herbs: burdock, thyme, taken two tablespoons each, burdock roots (3 tablespoons) and lavender leaves (1 tablespoon).

Linden blossom is also used in the treatment of this serious disease. To do this, you need to pour five tablespoons of linden flowers into 400 ml of boiling water and leave for half an hour. Use the infusion in the form of compresses.

Recipes traditional medicine There are a huge number of medications available for the treatment of mastitis and they are all considered to be very effective. Still, consult a specialist before using them. After all, purulent forms of the disease must be treated under the supervision of a doctor.

Lactation (postpartum) mastitis is an inflammatory disease of the mammary glands that occurs during breastfeeding. Most often, the disease occurs in primiparous women in the first weeks of lactation, as well as during weaning. Mastitis during breastfeeding is caused by pathogenic microorganisms ( Staphylococcus aureus and streptococcus).

Causes of lactation mastitis

1. Microcrack of nipples. The entry point for microbes that cause mastitis is the nipple. Therefore, any inflammatory diseases with microcracks in the nipples (for example, breast thrush) can lead to the spread of infection into the mammary gland. (read an article about breast cracks).
2. Unprepared nipples for feeding.
3. The postpartum period in women is accompanied by: a) hormonal changes, b) a decrease in immune strength - which can also lead to mastitis.
4. Failure to comply with basic breast hygiene standards.
5. Hypothermia.
6. Presence of tumors in the mammary gland.
7. Lactostasis. After childbirth, the breasts swell greatly as the first flow of milk occurs. In this case, the baby may still eat little or not breastfeed at all, which leads to stagnation of milk in the mammary gland - THIS is the most common cause of mastitis in a nursing mother. Reading about lactostasis

Symptoms

The disease is manifested by the following symptoms:

• Induration, swelling and pain in the entire breast or some part of it (nipple, areola, mammary gland).
• Redness of the skin at the site of inflammation.
• Difficulty in milk flow, problems with feeding.
• Elevated temperature up to 380C or more. Headache, chills, weakness.
• Enlarged axillary lymph nodes.

Redness Induration

Mastitis is difficult to confuse with another disease of the mammary glands, so if you have the above symptoms, you should definitely see a doctor within two days. At the same time, during the first days you do not need to stop feeding the baby with a healthy breast, and you should express milk from a breast with mastitis until you are convinced that there is no infectious process in it.

In case of purulent mastitis, which is determined by ultrasound, you should stop feeding the baby and the healthy breast, since pus can also enter the healthy mammary gland through the blood. Resume breastfeeding It will be possible only after recovery and testing for the presence of infection in milk.

What not to do if you suspect mastitis

• Mastitis during lactation is not a reason to immediately stop breastfeeding your baby. It is strictly forbidden to use any means or drugs to suppress lactation, and limit fluid intake for this purpose.
• Under no circumstances should the area of ​​inflammation be heated: do not take hot baths or showers, or apply a heating pad.
• Do not do it on one's own choose antibiotics for yourself or test folk remedies.

Treatment of mastitis

The effectiveness of treatment is directly related to the timeliness of the necessary therapy. If mastitis began to be treated in the first 2 days after its onset characteristic symptoms, then surgery most likely will not be necessary. The operation is prescribed only if purulent mastitis. Most often, treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis, since the mother continues to breastfeed the baby, and this is an important factor in the treatment of mastitis. Stopping breastfeeding during mastitis can only complicate the disease.

Treatment for mastitis includes:

• The most important thing at the beginning of the disease is to continue to stimulate the outflow of milk from the mammary glands. First, you need to put the baby on the sore breast, since maximum emptying is more important for her. Expressing should be regular, as it is important to reduce the load on the gland and prevent the appearance of new congestive lesions. The only contraindication to feeding from mastitis breasts is the use of antibiotics, which are prescribed only if other conservative (non-surgical) methods do not help.
• Conducting regular manual massage from the edges of the mammary gland to the nipple promotes the outflow of milk.
• After feeding, ice or a heating pad with ice should be applied to the sore breast through the tissue for 15 minutes.
• For better milk flow and relief of spasms in the mammary gland, before feeding, take a solution of oxytocin, 4 drops, 5 to 6 times a day.

All of the above (pumping, cold and oxytocin) should be done every two hours, including at night.

• It is important to treat the external source of infection: if there are cracks or inflammation on the nipple, then you should smear it with Bepanten, Purelan - 100 or other anti-inflammatory and healing ointments that your doctor will prescribe.
• If the temperature rises above 380C, you need to take antipyretics.
• In case of a protracted infectious inflammatory process, the doctor prescribes antibiotics, which are selected depending on the pathogen and are taken for a course of 5 to 10 days. In parallel with antibacterial drugs Prescribe medications that suppress lactation. During this period the child is transferred to artificial feeding mixtures. After recovery, breastfeeding can be resumed.

Folk remedies

Apply a cabbage leaf to your chest

At the first signs of mastitis, in parallel with the main methods of treatment, some folk remedies can help:

1. The cabbage leaf is applied to the sore breast all day and under the bra at night.
2. Compresses and alder and mint leaves. You can take dried leaves and, after soaking them in boiling water for 2 minutes, apply them in gauze to the sore breast for 15 minutes before each pumping or feeding.
3. Apply burdock (coltsfoot) leaves, scalded with boiling water, to the chest for 10 - 15 minutes.

Prevention

When breastfeeding, mastitis is doubly unpleasant, since it brings discomfort not only to the mother, but also to the child. Therefore, it is important to constantly monitor the prevention of this disease.

Firstly, in the first weeks after childbirth, you must express milk that the baby has not eaten. Expressing will not only prevent milk stagnation, but also stimulate its production. The most convenient way to express is with a breast pump; it provides better and more complete suction of milk from all ducts of the gland and will save your time. Useful article on how to choose a breast pump and how to express breasts with it.

How to express breasts with your hands >>>

Secondly, it is important to attach the baby to the breast correctly and change feeding positions to ensure an even flow of milk. Read how to apply to the breast correctly

Thirdly, it is necessary to treat cracked nipples, which often occur in novice nurses. You can smear the nipple with Bepanten before and after feeding or use special breast attachments for feeding.

It is very important to maintain hygiene: Take a shower once a day and change your bra. Make sure that there are no drops of milk left on the nipples after feeding. You should not wash your breasts after each feeding, as this will only damage the protective layer of the skin. It is enough to dip the remaining milk with a clean napkin or wipe the nipple with a cotton pad soaked in boiled water. For showering, it is better to use gels with neutral pH rather than soap.

Don’t panic or be overly nervous if you suspect mastitis, your emotional state is transmitted to the baby and affects lactation. Spend everything calmly therapeutic measures, do not delay visiting the doctor. Almost all nurses experience congestion in the chest, but not everyone develops mastitis.

Read useful articles on the topic of breastfeeding:

• All about breastfeeding: advice for mothers and WHO recommendations.
• Why do breasts hurt when breastfeeding?
• Breast massage during feeding.
• Basic and main rules of breastfeeding.

Quite often, the first months of motherhood are overshadowed by an ailment called mastitis. This is an inflammation of the mammary glands, provoked by bacteria and stagnation of milk in the breast. However, the disease occurs not only in nursing mothers, but also nulliparous women, the elderly, even men and babies.

Therefore, it will be useful for many to know how to eliminate mastitis. Treatment at home for this disease is possible and effective, but only in collaboration with official medicine.

Home physiotherapy against mastitis

We are not talking about visiting a physical therapy room at a clinic. There are several effective and simple methods, which are available for use at home and are equally useful in women with lactation mastitis and those of hormonal origin.

Water massage

With mastitis, hygiene takes on special importance. After all, the disease is caused by bacteria, for which sweat and skin secretions are a favorable environment.

Hygiene procedures will perfectly solve the problem of cleanliness and help get rid of mastitis faster.

To do this, during the shower you need direct a gentle stream of warm water onto the mammary glands.

After a minute, you need to switch it to a cooler mode, and alternate for several minutes.

This procedure is especially effective for breastfeeding women. Water massage dilates the milk ducts, helps remove infected discharge from the breast and restores milk production. It is important to remember that hot liquid in in this case contraindicated. It provokes the spread inflammatory process on other tissues and its strengthening.

Physical exercise

Those who are friends with sports know how to cure mastitis at home. Records, exercise until you drop and complex technical devices are not needed.

It will take a little time and available tools in any home. Physical activity helps to increase blood circulation in the mammary glands and lymph outflow, which means eliminating congestion.

Exercises will be equally effective for a non-breastfeeding woman and a young mother:

• Take a small ball, maybe a tennis ball, or just a rubber one, and squeeze it between your palms, holding your hands in front of your chest. You need to feel the muscle tension in this area, then relax;
• Do a few push-ups. The torso should be parallel to it. If this is too difficult, you can do push-ups from a bench or sofa. You should always start with a small amount of exercise so as not to overload the chest muscles, causing additional pain.

Salt for mastitis

It is important to reduce its consumption in food, since salt provokes swelling in women, which will be especially felt in the chest area. This will intensify the pain and delay recovery.

But as an external remedy, salt can work wonders for mastitis. For compresses, use sea or regular cooking water, the effect is the same. The water must be boiled, then cooled to 45-50 degrees. For 1 glass of liquid, 1 tbsp is enough. salt.

You need to wait until it dissolves. After moistening a cotton napkin with the resulting product, it is placed on the chest, avoiding the nipples and areolas.

It is best to make slits in the fabric for them. On top of the one soaked in saline solution a napkin is covered with plastic film and a warm scarf. Keep the compress until it cools down. To avoid irritation on the skin, you can lubricate it with a rich cream before applying it.

How to get rid of mastitis using salt has been known for a very long time, because it promotes the discharge excess liquid, restores blood flow, relieves inflammation.

Cold treatment

In women, a common cause of mastitis is hypothermia. But low temperature can also be used against illness if done correctly.

Cold strengthens capillaries, promotes the resorption of stagnation and inflammation.
You can freeze water or decoctions of medicinal plants and rub the mammary gland with them for a few seconds, do this 3-4 times a day.

Cold compresses are equally effective. The napkin is moistened with water and applied to the chest, holding until it warms up.

It is more advisable to use such methods in a non-lactating woman, since cold slows down milk production in a lactating woman. In the latter case, this method can be used if the mastitis is infiltrative or purulent, when the woman cannot feed the child.

Medicinal plants for mastitis

Since the disease has been known for a long time, treatment of mastitis with folk remedies is widely practiced. Recipes that helped great-grandmothers have now received scientific substantiation. Most of the herbs used have a bactericidal effect, which is very valuable in the fight against mastitis of any origin. Medicinal plants also have a resolving effect, and also an analgesic. A significant part of them is used externally. But there are means for internal use.

Sage

In nursing women, formulations based on this herb prevent lactation, which is necessary for infiltrative and purulent mastitis.

In these forms of the disease, breastfeeding will harm the baby, and the mother needs to reduce milk production to reduce congestion in the mammary glands.

Sage contains many useful acids, tannins, coumarin, which provide the plant with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial properties . Due to their composition, flowers and leaves also reduce secretory activity. The infusion of the plant is taken orally hot, like tea.

For preparation take:

• 1 tsp raw materials;
• 1 cup boiling water.

The infusion should last 1 hour, after which the product is filtered and drunk. For the desired effect, you need to do this 3 times a day, one glass at a time, for a week. Usually during this time all signs of mastitis in women disappear completely.

Sweet clover

Presence in the plant essential oils, tannins, flavonoids allows it to effectively relieve tissue swelling and improve the functioning of lymphatic vessels. In women with mastitis, sweet clover relieves pain and a feeling of fullness in the mammary gland if you use its infusion for compresses:

• ½ cup of raw materials;
• 200 ml boiling water.

The mixture is kept for 10-15 minutes in a sealed container, cooled, and filtered.

A napkin is soaked in warm liquid and secured to the chest for a couple of hours. The cooled compress is removed and a new one is made. If you use this treatment for 2-3 days, the symptoms of mastitis will become significantly weaker., especially for nursing mothers.

Alder and mastitis

How to get rid of mastitis is known to those who are aware of healing properties alders If the tree does not grow near the road along which cars drive, dousing it with gasoline exhaust, then a couple of medicines for illness can be prepared from its leaves.

One of them is ointment. To prepare, take sticky black alder leaves and a glass jar from baby food. It is filled with raw materials to the neck and melted butter is added there in such an amount that it completely covers the plant.

Keep the jar in a water bath with the lid on for 20 minutes. You can use it immediately after cooling, spreading the product onto your chest. 2-3 times per day is enough.

The product is effective for a nursing mother, as well as if the cause of mastitis is hormonal disbalance.
Alder infusion gives a similar result if prepared from:

• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh leaves;
• 1 cup boiling water.

After mixing in a closed container, it is wrapped in a thick scarf. After 20 minutes, the infusion is ready; a cotton napkin is soaked in it and applied to the mammary gland.

Chamomile

The antibacterial properties of this plant are not in doubt even among official medicine. That's why chamomile is so widely used where there is a risk of infection.

In a non-breastfeeding woman with bacterial mastitis Its infusion will help relieve pain and reduce swelling, for which they take:

• 3 tbsp. flowers;
• 200 ml boiling water.

After 30 minutes of infusion, the product is filtered and, moistening a cotton cloth with it, applied to the chest. The compress is changed 3-4 times within an hour.

Cabbage treatment

This vegetable is credited with the ability to enlarge breasts. Whether this is true is unknown, but cabbage helps very well with mastitis in women. You can squeeze out the juice using kitchen equipment, which you then smear on your chest.

But you don’t need much of it for one use, and next time you’ll have to make a new portion, because it’s useful when fresh. So for a compress it is better to use a cabbage leaf. Its concave part is beaten with a wooden hammer so that the juice appears on it.

This side of the sheet is applied to the chest and secured with a bandage. The medicine can be applied in the evening and removed in the morning. Several procedures combined with drug treatment will get rid of mastitis in a matter of days.

In a non-lactating woman, the product will cause the same effect as in a lactating woman, that is resorption of compaction and reduction of pain. There are other methods of using vegetables in the treatment of diseases:

• You can get rid of mastitis with a cabbage leaf if you grind it into a pulp, add curdled milk and fix the mixture on your chest with a cotton napkin. The compress can be kept constantly, replacing it with a fresh one from time to time. While this external treatment lasts, it is worth supplementing it with dill infusion. It requires 100 grams of plant seeds and half a liter of milk. The product is boiled for 20 minutes, left for 2 hours. You need to drink ¾ cup of the decoction 3 times a day before meals, half an hour. In 3 weeks the disease will go away;
• Mastitis is treated with cabbage leaves if you spread it with beetroot juice before applying it to the breast. The remedy is also tied at night with a bandage and a scarf. A few drops beet juice can also be taken orally. But before that, it is kept in the refrigerator for 2 hours;
• Another way to treat mastitis in older women is to spread fresh butter on a cabbage leaf. It is pre-kept at room temperature to soften. After this, pour on the oil table salt, a cabbage leaf is fixed on the chest with a cotton bandage in the evening and kept until the morning;
• In nursing women, mastitis is often caused by stagnation of milk. Therefore, in this case, applying a cabbage leaf scalded with boiling water will be effective. Before the procedure, you will have to pump as much as possible. The softened sheet, being warm, is tied to the chest until it cools. It helps reduce swelling and eliminate pain in the mammary gland.

Honey against mastitis

Treatment of mastitis with folk remedies cannot be done without apitherapy, which is effective for many diseases. It is a pity that honey is prohibited for a nursing woman due to the danger of allergies for the baby. But its external use is allowed.

There are several known products that contain it:

• Flower-honey ointment. It is made from equal parts of aloe and Kalanchoe juices, of the same volume corn oil, which are mixed and left for 12 hours in the refrigerator. Then add honey in such an amount that the product thickens. The finished ointment is applied to a napkin made of natural fabric and applied to the chest. In addition to the absorbable effect, women will also notice a pain reliever;
• A mixture of baked onions and honey. The whole vegetable is baked in the oven without water. The onion will produce a liquid that is mixed with honey and used for compresses;
• Honey cake. The product is mixed with flour 1 to 2 to form a dense pancake. It is fixed to the chest at night.

Camphor oil

Another well-known, very effective remedy for mastitis in women is camphor oil. Used as complementary therapy externally, it provides lasting antiseptic and anesthetic effects.

There are several possibilities for this:

• Vodka is diluted with camphor oil. The mixture is used for a 15-minute compress. Here it is important to get the doctor’s blessing for this, since in some cases heat is contraindicated for mastitis, and camphor in combination with alcohol causes warming;
• Oil ointment with baby cream. They are mixed in a ratio of 1 to 2 and applied to the chest for half an hour;
• A combination of cabbage juice and camphor oil. You can apply it to a cut vegetable leaf and fix it on your chest overnight;
• Cream from 1 tbsp. honey, 1 tbsp soft butter, 1 tsp. camphor. It can also be used at night, covering the chest with polyethylene and a cotton bandage;
• Sea buckthorn oil is diluted with camphor oil. For medicinal mixture take them in equal proportions and hold them on your chest all night;
• Honey-garlic-camphor mixture is made from 1 tbsp. first product, 1 tsp. chopped vegetable and 10 drops of oil. Within a few nights, this remedy will relieve pain and swelling;
• 10 drops of camphor oil, 2 tbsp. cottage cheese, 1 tbsp. honey is mixed and the resulting pancake is applied to the chest, fixed overnight;
• Coat a baked onion cut in half with camphor oil. The product can be used all night, tied to the chest with a bandage.

Peppermint oil

This remedy is an essential extract of mint. It has a positive effect on blood circulation in tissues, increasing the flow of oxygen, which means it normalizes metabolic processes.

Peppermint essential oil will be more effective in a non-breastfeeding woman who has developed mastitis due to hormonal imbalance. It is mixed in a few drops with 1 tbsp. olive or sunflower and gently rub into the chest. The product can be used until complete recovery and some time after, as a prevention of mastitis, which tends to return sometimes.

Mint leaves are also useful, but not for external use, but in tea. The plant is known for its soothing properties, which is extremely important for mastitis at the age of menopause. It can be added to tea or made into a drink based only on mint. Brew a teaspoon of crushed fresh or dry leaves with a glass of boiling water and leave for 3-5 minutes. It is better to drink warm, during the day or at night.

Even if you are confident in your knowledge of how to treat mastitis at home, a woman should always consult her doctor before using home remedies. And you cannot use all known recipes at the same time. Each of them is quite effective, and its regular use will give results if you are patient and do not grab all the possibilities at once.

Video: Personal experience in treating mastitis

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Inflammation of breast tissue is a problem well known to all women, especially those who have given birth and are breastfeeding a child. The symptoms of mastitis have specific characteristics, so there are no problems with diagnosing the disease.

Seeking qualified medical help when the first signs of an inflammatory process in the mammary glands appears is considered mandatory. Only a specialist will be able to assess the woman’s condition and select effective treatment and make some predictions. But official medicine does not exclude the use of folk remedies in the treatment of mastitis - they really have healing effect, help maintain lactation and continue breastfeeding.

Treating mastitis at home

Our ancestors were also “familiar” with the disease in question, so it is not surprising that there are dozens of recipes that can be used to prepare remedy. There are also some rules that should be followed if a woman notices the first signs of inflammation of the mammary gland.

If a lump appears in the breast, the skin over it has acquired a red tint and becomes hot to the touch, then the woman should follow the following recommendations:

1. Breast that is affected pathological process, you definitely need to tie it up. It should be treated with ichthyol ointment at least 2 times a day, but do not rub it into the skin, but simply apply a thin layer.
2. Apply a gauze pad soaked in alcohol to the area where the lump forms. Leave the napkin on your chest until it dries completely, then repeat the procedure.
3. You should not put the baby on the affected breast, but you must express the milk to the last drop. Even if such manipulation is painful, the woman must endure - full expression of milk prevents the development of an abscess.
4. If an abscess has already formed in the affected breast, and there is an admixture of pus or blood in the expressed milk, then you need to apply a compress made on the basis of a 2% solution of hydrogen peroxide to the area of ​​the lump.

Note: If a woman has a lump with purulent contents (abscess) in her breast, then under no circumstances should she feed her baby even with a healthy breast! Milk should be expressed and poured out regularly - this will prevent the progression of the purulent-inflammatory process and maintain lactation in order to continue breastfeeding after recovery.

Traditional treatment of mastitis: compresses

As soon as a lump appears in the breast, or pain in the mammary gland is noted during feeding (these are the first signs of mastitis), you need to use one of the following compress recipes:

1. Cabbage leaves need to be beaten with the blunt side of a knife until softened and juice appears. They are then applied to the affected breast, and a cotton bra is placed on top. Keep the cabbage leaves until they become wilted and dry. This compress will help relieve fever and swelling of the breasts.
2. Mix honey with wheat flour to form a soft dough. Then the resulting mass should be rolled out into a thin layer with a rolling pin and applied to the affected breast. This compress is placed at night, and any warm material must be tied on top - a scarf, a scarf. Honey with flour perfectly dissolves the seal and stops the progression of the inflammatory process.
3. You need to moisten a gauze napkin or any cloth in camphor oil, squeeze it until it is damp, but you should not drip oil from it. Then the fabric is applied to the affected breast, everything is covered with gauze or a fragment of a sheet, and the compress is left for several hours (2-6). Camphor oil promotes rapid resorption of the seal.
4. Prepare baked pastry onions– just chop the ready-made onion, mix it with milk and honey in equal proportions. The resulting paste is applied to the affected breast at the location of the lump, covered with gauze or polyethylene on top, and wrapped in something warm. This compress ensures the resorption of the seal and helps reduce the intensity of inflammation. A compress of three components is applied for 3-4 hours, then a break is taken for 2-3 hours and the procedure is repeated.
5. Take 2 tablespoons of dry clover, pour a glass of boiling water and leave for 60 minutes. Then a napkin is moistened in the resulting infusion and applied to the affected breast for 2-3 hours. You need to do 3-4 such procedures per day. This compress does not need to be insulated with anything, but wearing a bra made of natural material would be appropriate.
6. Boil the pumpkin in milk until tender (pulp), then knead it into a homogeneous paste and apply it to the breast at the site of the lump. Cover the top of the pumpkin pulp with gauze and then make all the layers of a classic compress. If you add a little sugar to the finished pumpkin pulp puree, then the compress from this pulp will “pull out” the pus from the abscess, according to at least, it will speed up the process of its release.
7. If the problem of mastitis occurs in the summer, then you need to apply fresh coltsfoot leaves to the affected breast. You need to pick large and fleshy leaves from the plant; it is better to knock off the thickenings on them a little. Coltsfoot has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, so the healing process will proceed in a short time.

Note: All compresses can be applied only after a doctor’s permission has been received. In any case, when elevated temperature any warming procedures are contraindicated for a woman’s body, which means compresses are prohibited.

Ointments for treating mastitis at home

Ointments for the treatment of mastitis have a certain popularity - they are easy to prepare and apply without any effort. A woman should remember that ointments should not be rubbed into the skin of the affected breast; they should be applied with light circular movements. In fact, there are many recipes for such remedies for the treatment of inflammation of the mammary gland. We offer you to familiarize yourself with only a few of them:

1. Take cumin seeds and dry mint leaves, mix in equal quantities and grind. Now you need to add a little rye flour and water to the mixture - the “output” should be a creamy mass. The finished product is applied to the affected breast and left there until completely dry, then washed off with warm water. Before next application The ointment made from caraway seeds and mint just needs to be heated in a water bath. You need to use the ointment 2-3 times a day until complete recovery.
2. Rice starch needs to be sifted through a sieve (to remove debris), add to it vegetable oil in such quantity as to form a viscous mass. It is applied to the affected breast and left until completely dry. Rice starch can be replaced with potato starch, but it is not advisable.
3. Take celandine leaves (they can be fresh or dry), chop them and add to the ghee. Proportions of ingredients: a teaspoon of vegetable raw materials to a tablespoon of ghee. Mix everything thoroughly and apply a thin layer to the affected breasts at least 3 times a day. The ointment is stored in a cool place.

The above describes the most popular methods of treating mastitis, which are known not only traditional healers, but also to official representatives of medicine. But there are also not entirely traditional methods that deserve attention, especially since they are approved by official medicine.

Extraordinary methods of treating mastitis

As soon as the first signs of inflammation of the mammary gland appear (redness of the skin, thickening or pain while feeding the baby), you need to take an isotonic solution, moisten a gauze pad in it and apply it to the problem breast until it dries completely. Such applications must be made at least 5 per day. Instead of an isotonic solution, you can use a strong saline solution prepared from 200 ml of water and 2 tablespoons of regular salt.

From ordinary beets you need to “extract” 150 liters of juice, mix it with 50 ml of vegetable oil (preference should be given to sea buckthorn), 1 tablespoon of chopped golden root and 100 grams of grated carrots. The resulting mass should be applied to the skin of the affected breast, focusing on the location of the inflammatory process.

If mastitis occurs in spring and early summer, then you need to find potato flowers (they can be white or purple), collect them in the amount of 1 tablespoon and pour 200 ml of boiling water. The product is infused for 20-30 minutes, then consumed ¼ cup 2 times a day.

Note: potato flowers can provoke an exacerbation chronic diseases organs gastrointestinal tract, so you need to be extremely careful when using this product.

If mastitis is just beginning, and there is no lump yet, and a woman only feels stagnation of milk in her breasts, then a pulp of boiled beets, black bread crumb (in equal proportions) and 3-5 drops of sesame seed oil will help her. This remedy is applied to the problem chest, left for 2-3 hours and then washed off with warm water.

If the disease is already actively progressing and is in an advanced stage, then you will need to prepare the following remedy:

• melted wax in the amount of 30 grams mixed with 5 drops of camphor oil, 4 drops of rose oil and 10 grams of wood ash;
• mix everything thoroughly and heat in a water bath so that the mass is “good, but tolerably hot.”

The mass is applied to the sore breast three times a day.

Mastitis is a well-studied disease that can be easily cured with folk remedies. Here it is important to understand that you will first need to visit a specialist and only after that use some of the folk remedies for therapy. You should not change the remedy every day - the therapeutic effect is unlikely to take place in this case, but it would be appropriate to consult with your doctor about the choice. Our article describes proven ones. safe and approved by official medicine for the treatment of mastitis from the category of “traditional medicine”, so they can be used without fear of the development of complications and/or undesirable consequences.

Tsygankova Yana Aleksandrovna, medical observer, therapist of the highest qualification category

Mastitis is a disease that develops in the mammary gland. It mainly affects women in postpartum period, when the production of mother's milk has begun, and a newborn baby is not yet able to suck it completely. Milk stagnation begins and, as a result, an inflammatory process develops. This is a primitive explanation of the mechanism of mastitis. If you look at the problem deeper, it should be noted that mastitis is caused by microorganisms - streptococci, staphylococci and others. Getting into the breast through cracks, which very often form on the nipples of a nursing woman, pathogens affects the breast tissue and mastitis begins to develop.

Treatment of mastitis with folk remedies

Types of mastitis

Acute postpartum mastitis. Everything is clear with him; we talked about this at the very beginning of the article.

Plasma cell mastitis. This form of mastitis is quite rare. Plasma cell mastitis develops after the end of the lactation period in older women who have given birth repeatedly. It is very easy to confuse it with breast cancer because these diseases share common visual features.

Neonatal mastitis. It occurs due to the presence of residual maternal sex hormones in newborns. It is very common in both girls and boys. In most cases, symptoms disappear after a few days. If not, simple surgery solves the problem.

Neonatal mastitis

Symptoms of mastitis

Pain in mammary gland, breast enlargement and thickening. Soreness to touch, redness. Body temperature often rises and chills appear. You may notice pus and blood in the milk. In this case, feeding should be stopped.

Sometimes mastitis is mistaken for lactostasis, which causes blockage of the milk ducts. Its difference from mastitis is that with lactostasis the lump can be felt in one segment of the breast, but with mastitis the entire breast hardens. Lactostasis, if you express milk regularly, will go away, mastitis will not.

Treatment of mastitis with folk remedies Compresses

Compress from cabbage leaves

• The easiest way to help yourself at the first manifestations of mastitis is to apply a cabbage leaf, beaten until the juice appears, to your chest and secure it with a cotton bra.
• Mix one part honey with two parts flour and knead to form a dough. Roll into a cake and apply to your chest overnight. This compress will have an anti-inflammatory and absorbable effect.
• A compress of camphor oil dissolves the seal. Soak a cotton cloth in oil and apply it to the mammary gland for several hours.
• A compress made from a mixture of honey, milk and baked onion pulp, mixed in equal proportions, has an anti-inflammatory effect.
• If you have kombucha, separate one plate from it and apply it to your chest, securing it with waterproof material.
• During the day, at intervals of two hours, apply compresses with sweet clover decoction to your chest. Decoction recipe: steep half a glass of dry herb in a glass of boiling water for a quarter of an hour.
• Boil pumpkin pulp in a small amount of milk, grind it into puree and apply pumpkin compresses to your chest. If you sprinkle a little sugar on the pumpkin before applying it, you will get a compress that draws out the pus.
• Crush the Kalanchoe leaves to a pulp, add the same amount of honey and vegetable oil. Leave it in a dark closet for a week. Stir and wait until the oil rises to the top. Moisten a wide bandage, folded in three, with the oil infusion and apply to the sore chest. Change the compress every two days.
• The following recipe is from folk healers of Azerbaijan. Compresses with a hypertonic solution, purchased at a pharmacy or prepared in a glass of water, in which a spoonful of salt should be dissolved. Prepare a piece of fabric that fits your breast size and cut out a hole for the nipple. Heat the solution and soak the prepared cloth in it. Wrap her chest and apply an insulating bandage. Leave until cool, then soak again in the heated solution and apply again. They promise a very quick recovery.
• A simple recipe if the illness occurs in the summer. You need to pick the leaves of coltsfoot, wash them and apply them to the sore spot.
• If you have Indian onion growing at home, its leaves can also be applied to your chest. Almost immediately you will feel warmth and less pain.

Pumpkin treatment

• Cut the pumpkin pulp in small pieces and heat them in a frying pan. Immediately apply to your chest for a quarter of an hour, then use the next piece.
• Bake the onion and mash it. Add honey or flaxseed oil to exactly half the volume of onion pulp and apply as a compress for 3 hours. Change it thrice a day and you will feel relief very soon.
• If cracks appear on your nipples, a poultice of flaxseed will help. Crush the seed into flour, pour a little milk into it and bring to a boil. Add a spoonful of sugar, stir until dissolved. Cool slightly and coat the breasts with the resulting paste. Such compresses should be done in the morning and evening.
• In the evening, knead the dough from rye flour, milk and melted butter. In the morning, roll it into a cake and apply it to your chest, leave until evening.
• Finely chop the parsley, you should have five tablespoons. Add a spoonful of flaxseed flour and pour in half a glass of milk. Place on the fire and cook until thickened. Cool slightly, add a spoonful of sugar and stir. Apply the compress to your chest throughout the night.
• Grated carrots, which should be used as a compress, help with mastitis.
• Make compresses from legume flour with the addition of soapy water and stirred until mushy. Such compresses dissolve seals well.
• A compress made from rice starch diluted with a small amount of water dissolves lumps in the chest very quickly. It is applied to a bandage and applied to the seal areas.
• Lotions made from tangerine peel and licorice root. Boil fifty grams of peel and ten grams of roots in half a liter of water, cool slightly, soak a cloth in the broth and apply it to your chest. Helps with purulent mastitis.
• Recovery is promised in two days if you change compresses from a water infusion of sweet clover every two hours. Take half a glass of herb, pour in half a liter of water and leave for a quarter of an hour. Soak the cloth in the infusion and wrap it around your chest. On top is a warming bandage.
• Infusion linden color also use for lotions. Brew five tablespoons of flowers with half a liter of boiling water and let it brew for half an hour.
• Grate the beets on a fine grater. Mix three tablespoons of beets with a spoon of honey. Before going to bed, apply the mixture to your chest, apply a bandage and leave until the morning. The course of treatment is 20 compresses. By the way, one mixture can be used twice if you put it in the refrigerator for a day.

Mastitis ointments

• Apply an ointment made from rice starch to which vegetable oil is added and stirred until it becomes sour cream. sore spot daily.
• A medicinal ointment can be made from potato starch and sunflower oil. It also promotes the resorption of hardness in the chest.
• Dig up a daffodil bulb, wash it and chop it finely. Stir in cooked rice or rye flour. Lubricate your breasts three times a day and leave until completely dry.
• Make a powder from equal parts of cumin seeds and dry mint. Add rye flour and knead the batter with a little water. Before use, warm slightly and apply to chest several times a day.
• Cracks in the nipples are well healed by an apple grated with the addition of butter.
• Celandine ointment will definitely help you. To prepare it, thoroughly chop the celandine leaves. Pour one spoon into two spoons of melted butter, rub everything well and smear the sore spots.
• Treat cracked nipples with celandine juice. Lubricate fresh juice nipples four times a day.

Treatment with rabbit skin

We don’t know how you’ll feel about this, but it is claimed that the cure even severe mastitis guaranteed. Take the processed rabbit skin and cut it in half. Spread one half with natural sour cream on the flesh side and place it on the chest, securing it with a bandage or bra. After some time, the sour cream will dry, you will feel it, smear your other half and also apply it to your chest.

How Vanga treated mastitis

Recipes from Vanga

• Mastitis at the beginning of the disease will be cured by a wax plaster. Melt sixty grams of olive oil, thirty grams of wax and one hundred and twenty grams of spermaceti until the ingredients combine. Cool, apply to a canvas rag and apply to your chest. Leave for a day, then change the compress.
• The recipe will require a lot of burdock, from which squeeze two glasses of juice. Combine it with a glass of vodka and store in the refrigerator. Take one spoon three times a day with water.
• Squeeze half a glass of juice from beets, add half a glass of grated carrots, a spoonful of golden root crushed into powder, four spoons of sea buckthorn or sunflower oil. Make compresses from the resulting mixture for two weeks, changing them every four hours.
• Pick a few potato flowers, chop them finely and pour a glass of boiling water into one spoon. You should drink a quarter glass three times a day before meals.
• If stagnation of milk in the breast begins, a bandage of boiled beets with the addition of bread crumb and sesame oil guaranteed to help you.
• A dressing made from bread soaked in water with the addition of olive oil, wine and honey is effective.
• Sesame with honey and ghee with the addition of flour also perfectly treats mastitis.
• It must be borne in mind that all chest bandages must be repeated at least twice a day, and preferably three.

Plantain for mastitis

• A swelling of the nipple can be treated by applying a plantain leaf to it.
• At the onset of the disease, rice soaked in wine will help if you apply it to the sore chest.
• If the disease is advanced, prepare a wax ointment. For it, melt the wax, add rose oil, camphor and tree resin. To enhance the effect, pour in a small amount of bile. Apply ointment to hardened areas.
• Take country milk and softened butter. Knead on rye flour dough and form it into a flat cake. In the evening, tie it to your chest and leave it until the morning. Do these compresses for a week.
• A bandage made from crushed peach tree leaves and rue leaves dissolves knots well. Apply the green paste to the mammary gland and secure with a bandage.

Video - Treatment of mastitis with folk remedies

Mastitis - inflammation of the mammary gland, which often occurs during breastfeeding (lactation mastitis).

According to the nature of inflammation, mastitis is:

• serous mastitis;
• infiltrative mastitis;
• purulent mastitis.

Promotes the development of mastitis milk stagnation And cracked nipples. Milk stagnation is possible when the baby does not suck all the milk produced by the mother's body. In this case, you must definitely express the remaining milk no matter how painful it is. Cracked nipples occur due to improper feeding technique, violation hygiene rules. More often, this situation occurs in the first days of feeding, or when the baby’s first teeth appear.

Symptoms of mastitis

• breast pain;
• fever up to 38°C, chills;
• the affected mammary gland is enlarged in size;
• the skin over the area of ​​compaction is hyperemic;
• subcutaneous veins are dilated, there are cracks on the nipples;
• axillary lymph nodes are enlarged and painful on palpation;
• initially the compaction does not have clear boundaries, later it becomes more distinct;
• if the lump does not resolve within 2-3 days, it festeres, which worsens the patient’s condition and requires emergency surgical intervention.

Treatment of mastitis

If pain or swelling of the mammary gland occurs, complete rest and a supportive bandage on the mammary gland are necessary; it is recommended to feed the affected breast and express milk from it (suction with a breast pump). Local application of dry heat and physiotherapeutic treatment are allowed. Warming compresses are contraindicated. Antibiotics may be prescribed for strict indications.

Breastfeeding can be continued only if there is a slight lump in the peripheral part of the mammary gland, and if the nursing mother is not taking antibiotics.

In case of purulent mastitis or taking antibiotics, breastfeeding is stopped and milk is expressed. If for some reason pumping is impossible, then medications that suppress lactation may be prescribed.

With the development of purulent mastitis, a surgical operation is indicated, which consists of opening and draining the abscess.

• after each breastfeeding, do air baths - leave the mammary glands for 10-15 minutes;
• before and after breastfeeding, wipe the nipples with chamomile decoction or antiseptic solutions;
• in case of cracks in the nipples, it is recommended to use antibacterial and anti-inflammatory medications in the form of ointments and creams.

Medicines for mastitis

Medications are taken as prescribed by a doctor and under his supervision:

• topical antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs: heliomycin, dexpanthenol, aethonium;
• antibiotics for oral administration: azithromycin, cephalexin, cefaclor, clindamycin;
• drugs that suppress lactation: cabergoline, bromocriptine, quinagolide.

Folk remedies for mastitis

• 1 tbsp. St. John's wort herb pour 0.3 liters of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain, drink 3 times a day, a third of a glass;
• 6 tbsp. horse chestnut flowers pour 1 liter of water, bring to a boil, leave overnight in a warm place, take 1 sip every hour during the day;
• in case of hardening or inflammation of the breast, it is necessary to apply a steam compress of 6-8 layers of cotton fabric soaked in a tolerably hot infusion of chamomile flowers, keep it on the chest for 20 minutes, after which it is necessary to express the stagnant milk;
• 3 tbsp. chopped St. John's wort herb, pour 3 cups of boiling water, cook for 10 minutes over low heat in a sealed container, cool, strain. Wash the cracks on the nipples with the resulting solution, lubricate St. John's wort oil, apply a dry compress of 4 layers of cotton fabric for 6 hours;
• mix fresh yolk raw egg with 1 tsp. honey and 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, knead a thin dough with rye or wheat flour, attach with gauze to sore spots, change 2-3 times a day, can be left overnight;
• crush and moisten plantain seeds with warm water to lubricate inflamed mammary glands.

ATTENTION! The information provided on this site is for reference only. Only a specialist doctor in a specific field can make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

For treatment inflammatory disease breast, such as mastitis, usually requires an integrated therapeutic approach, when it can be prescribed simultaneously whole line medications. Of course, except in cases requiring surgical intervention. Despite the fact that such cases when surgery is indicated, usually these are abscesses, infiltrates and phlegmons, occur infrequently, the mere fact that surgery on the mammary gland may become necessary requires us to treat mastitis as a dangerous disease that excludes self-medication and requiring medical supervision.

Therefore, everything that will be discussed below about the treatment of mastitis of the mammary gland with medicinal medical ointments...

is offered as a popular overview for a general understanding of the problem. Treatment of mastitis that occurs during breastfeeding with cracked nipples, stagnation of unexpressed milk - lactostasis, should be comprehensive and combine the use of several drugs simultaneously. These are antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, sometimes hormones when indicated, and almost always drugs for topical use, usually in the form of ointments. The use of such drugs during breastfeeding has contraindications and can only be used as an exception as prescribed by a doctor.

The prescription of certain drugs will be discussed in our other reviews, below about the local use of ointments for mastitis:

1. Traumeel– a local medicinal product with powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. In addition, Traumeel has a broad and complex effect on the body, combining anti-exudative, regenerating, and hemostatic effects. Traumeel can also be called an immunomodulator.
Traumeel, used to treat mastitis, promotes blood and lymph drainage and very effectively stops and resolves hemorrhages, relieves swelling of nearby soft tissues, while reducing pain.

Traumeel, as a medicine, is available in the following various forms:
Pills.
Isotonic solution for (injection) parenteral administration.
Ointments, creams, gels are the most common form of the drug.

2. Ichthyol ointment , colloquially Ichthyolka, is a disinfectant ointment for external use, a traditionally proven antiseptic. In addition to the pronounced antiseptic action Ichthyol ointment has an anti-inflammatory effect, soothes soft tissues and relieves itching and pain.

As a drug local treatment Ichthyol ointment has gained recognition among traditional medicine, since when applied topically to the mammary gland during mastitis, it does not penetrate the bloodstream and acts exclusively targeted at the site of impact, without saturating the entire body. In addition to its popularity among representatives of classical traditional medicine, Ichthyolka is one of the favorite drugs of traditional medicine. All kinds of healers value it for its naturalness and high efficiency in relieving inflammatory processes of various natures.

3. Heparin ointment- This medicine for local external use, containing heparoid (sodium heparin). Heparin ointment prevents the formation of lumps in the body of the mammary gland and perfectly resolves already formed lumps during mastitis. Thanks to the substances it contains, Heparin ointment locally slows down blood clotting and, being a stable and effective anticoagulant, prevents thrombosis.

In addition, the sodium heparin contained in the ointment has an anti-inflammatory effect on local tissues. Unfortunately, precisely because of the deterioration of blood clotting, the use of Heparin therapy is prescribed less often than the prescription of other ointments, since for some patients the risk of bleeding increases. Although the local use of ointment for mastitis practically does not involve the entire body in this process, and can really only be dangerous in cases with hemophilia.

4. Levomekol is a combined preparation for external use that has a characteristic anti-inflammatory and powerful antimicrobial effect, locally, on the inflamed affected area. For mastitis, Levomekol acts comprehensively and is equally effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative microbes. It is destructive to staphylococci, streptococci and other groups of microbes and bacteria. Levomekol stimulates regenerative processes in the body and is recommended for use as a postoperative drug for external local use. Most often, Levomikol is prescribed when mastitis develops with the formation of necrosis. Levomekol is available in the form of an ointment. (in the top photo).

5. Vishnevsky ointment. Perhaps Vishnevsky’s ointment is best known as an ointment that helps with mastitis. This is the most traditional ointment, known back in the last century as effective remedy during resorption of inflammatory processes accompanying cracked nipples and mastitis. Vishnevsky's ointment, for its availability, with impressive effectiveness in the treatment of various inflammations, and mastitis in particular, deserves to be recognized as ointment No. 1 in medicine, despite the fact that in more complex cases treatment with ointments containing antibiotics may be required.

Hypotension takes away a woman's strength.

Pumping

A breast pump may not help remove milk due to lactostasis and mastitis. If you can’t attach your baby often, we use it (minimally painful - see point 4). The pumping regimen is usually individual. Expressing “to the last drop” is not necessary (and difficult to do) - it is important to eliminate discomfort in the chest (bloating, pressure, tingling, etc.). The first option (if breastfeeding) is to remove the available milk and then introduce the baby. The second option (if the mother is feeding with expressed milk) is to express after removing the easily passed milk with gentle pressure on the compacted area.

Heat and compresses

Any heating and prolonged compresses activate blood flow in the area of ​​stagnation, which leads to an increase in the inflammatory process. Everything that is recommended to be kept on the chest (cabbage leaves, ointments, cakes with cottage cheese, saline solutions etc.), it is permissible to leave it for no more than 40-60 minutes. If the use of cabbage leaves is according to scientific research does not harm the flow of lactostasis, then honey and onions can have irritant effect on the skin of the chest. A salt solution (any one, not just magnesium sulfate) can reduce swelling, but only with short-term use so that there is no heating. Do not use plastic films, bags, etc. - this causes heating. Often, for better milk separation, it is recommended to take a warm shower before feeding or pumping - this does not help everyone. Putting the baby to the breast or taking a couple of sips of warm liquid is usually effective. Showering can only be used if you are sure there is no inflammation.

Physiotherapeutic treatment

Ultrasound therapy and other interventions can alleviate the condition, but are only auxiliary means of treatment. Physiotherapeutic procedures are not recommended, in particular, when the temperature rises above 38 ° C and the formation of acute purulent process. Therefore, before physiotherapeutic treatment, it is advisable to undergo an ultrasound scan from a competent specialist with experience working with lactating women. The most common treatment is with ultrasound (UT), which acts using thermal, mechanical and physico-chemical factors - it increases the temperature in the tissues affected, activates metabolic processes, and promotes biological release active substances. With lactostasis, such consequences are not always useful. Some services offering medical care for lactostasis and mastitis, they advertise physiotherapeutic treatment at home at the first visit, while a small number of women have a real need for this service. In addition, if adequate recommendations are followed correctly and consistently, there is no additional treatment not required. Physiotherapeutic effects are not indifferent to the body and must be carried out by a certified specialist licensed for this type of activity. Certificates and licenses are issued only by state accredited bodies.

Pain with lactostasis or mastitis

Any impact on the mammary gland should be as painless as possible! You can't pump through pain. If the pain syndrome is severe, pumping is done with less intensity and pressure, which is less traumatic for the mother. “Pumping”, especially painful ones, is not necessary either at the beginning of lactation or during the process and is not a guarantee that lactostasis will not occur. On the contrary, injured, swollen breasts with impaired emptying (imperfect attachment and ineffective latch) have the prerequisites for milk stagnation. If you do a massage, do it only with gentle, light touches, vibration or tapping. No pressure, no rubbing, much less kneading is applied to the delicate breast tissue.

Limitation

Limiting feeding or pumping leads to impaired milk flow, further blockage of the duct, and an increase in milk viscosity.

Liquid

Fluid restriction aggravates lactostasis, and the viscosity of milk also increases.

"Help" from relatives

It is better to prevent a child from sucking milk. Firstly, adults have a completely different sucking mechanism; they cannot suck out “stuck” milk. Secondly, oral cavity an adult is the most germ-contaminated place and there is no need to transfer these microbes to the nipple of a nursing mother.

Alcohol or alcohol

Compresses with alcohol (alcohol, vodka, alcohol-containing medications) lead to difficulty in the outflow of milk, encapsulation of the inflamed area, that is, they lead to an abscess. In addition, it is known that alcohol and camphor sharply reduce the sensitivity of breast cells to prolactin. A compress with alcohol will reduce the amount of milk by a long period time. In addition, alcohol is absorbed through the skin and causes tissue heating.

Medications

Antispasmodics - for example, no-shpa . Antispasmodics work in the presence of smooth muscle spasm. With stagnation and mastitis, there is no spasm, but there is swelling that interferes with the release of milk. The viscosity of the milk may also be increased. In addition, no-spa (drotaverine hydrochloride) is generally used abroad extremely rarely, especially in nursing women.

- Vishnevsky ointment - has a pungent odor that disturbs the baby. Leads to encapsulation of the inflamed area and promotes the formation of an abscess.

- Arnica ointment - causes tissue heating, has a local irritating effect, and activates blood circulation.

- Dostinex, bromocriptine - serious drugs with severe side effects occurring to one degree or another in every woman who takes them. Make sure that the prescription is made by a doctor who supports lactation (that is, it is really necessary). Suppression of lactation is not a way to treat lactostasis!

- Dimexide - a drug with a pungent odor, can cause skin irritation, is contraindicated for children under 12 years of age and during lactation.

- Progestogel - hormonal ointment, reducing lactation. Use incompatible with breastfeeding

- Antipyretic drugs - you should start lowering the temperature with physical methods- remove clothes, wipe skin cool water and so on. It is acceptable to take only ibuprofen (preferred) or paracetamol if your general condition is poor ( headache, weakness, dizziness, etc.) at a temperature above 38-38.5

- Antibiotics , incompatible with breastfeeding - used to treat mastitis modern drugs that do not have a harmful effect on the child. You can check whether the prescribed drug is compatible with breastfeeding on the website of the Spanish hospital "Marina Alta"In extremely rare situations, with persistent disease and in serious condition The patient may be prescribed treatment that is incompatible with feeding. In such cases, it is necessary to ensure that the doctor prescribing the drug supports breastfeeding and the prescription of a specific drug is necessary. In addition, it is necessary to obtain recommendations, if possible, to continue lactation after completion of treatment and support lactation during treatment. Systemic antifungal therapy is usually not required after antibiotic treatment.

It's important to remember that successful treatment does not depend on the abundance of drugs, manipulations and influences, but on the frequent (every 1.5-2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night) application of the child in a suitable position with correct grip and effective sucking. Directing the baby's chin towards the seal helps many - in the position of the mother "reclining on her back (biological relaxed feeding) with the baby on her tummy, any position of the chin is simulated.

The use of cold relieves swelling and pain well; you can use ointments that relieve swelling and are safe for the baby.

Various practices will help to relax the breasts and improve milk flow, including vibration and effleurage massage, and osteopathic treatment.

Sometimes it is necessary to express the diseased lobe (as minimally painful as possible). All other recommendations are of auxiliary value and only work if you use the basic methods of getting rid of stagnation.

Pay attention to the abundance of useless, and often, bad advice. Unfortunately, sometimes they come medical workers who do not understand normal and pathological physiology lactation.

Take care breast milk and breast health!

Lykova Polina Petrovna, doctor, lactation consultant, teacher of the WHO breastfeeding course, mother of three children.