Breast Abscesses are fairly common in nursing mothers in the first few months after delivery. It is usually the complication of a Breast Infection, also known as Mastitis.
This can happen if
- Mastitis was not treated
- There was a delay in starting treatment for Mastitis.
- The mother stops nursing during a breast infection
- The nursing mother is Fatigued or Anemic
Breast Infections happen in nursing women when bacteria from the baby's mouth pass through cracked or sore nipples into the breast. The reason for this is that after the first few days, an infant's mouth gets colonized with bacteria, just as in adults.
Other causes of breast infection include
- Skipped feedings
- Use of tight bras
- Infrequent changing of soaked nursing pads
- Use of unclean towels to wipe the breast
A breast abscess should be suspected whenever the symptoms of mastitis are prolonged beyond a couple of days and /or a breast lump persists. The lump may be hard or soft. It generally does not change in size with nursing.
If you have any of the above symptoms, you must see your doctor immediately. The reason for this is that if a pus collection in any part of the body is left untreated, it can cause complications in the affected area and elsewhere in the body.
Once an abscess has developed, oral antibiotics alone are not effective in treating infection. This is because the infection and pus are walled off by fibrous tissue which does not allow medicines to enter. The pus needs to be drained by a competent surgeon. This procedure, known as "Incision and Drainage", must be done under sterile conditions in a hospital setting.
Once the pus is drained out, recovery is rapid. The incision may ooze fluid or leak milk for a short period but will soon heal and close over. The pain and treatment of a Breast Abscess can be a very traumatic experience.
You need not abandon nursing completely during this period. You can continue nursing from the unaffected side. it may be suggested that you do not nurse on the affected side for a few days after surgery.
In the meantime, if you are able to do so, you can use a good breast pump to maintain milk flow on the affected side until the baby can nurse from it. The rationale behind this suggestion is that the breast makes milk only if it receives a signal to do so. The suckling of the nipple by a baby is the signal needed by the breast to make the required amount of milk. If the baby does not suckle from the breast for more than a day, then that breast will stop making milk and this will be permanent. By pumping intermittently, you may therefore be able to salvage breastfeeding for your baby. This pumped out milk can be discarded.
