Mastitis treatment
The 2022 Academy of breastfeeding protocol has totally changed the way mastitis is treated. This is still relatively new so there’s often confusion and incorrect info.
The first signs of mastitis-
Feel a hard sore lump in your breast.
Feel that the skin on your breast is warmer to the touch.
Feel achy and run down.
Feel feverish with a temperature.
Notice areas that have changed in appearance, which might show as redness or darkening on your skin tone. Colour changes in your breast may be harder to notice in darker skin tones.
And remember that most cases of mastitis can be treated at home and DO NOT require antibiotics.
How to treat Mastitis? (this is true for engorgement also)
Ice
Ibuprofen
Feed less/as usual (Don’t try to pump or “empty” the breast
Gentle sweeping massage towards the armpit and pectoral stretches
Gentle sweeping massage towards the armpit and pectoral stretches:
Another option:
Therapeutic Ultrasound is used to reduce inflammation in the breast and clear compressed ducts (usually up to three treatments are advised).
How to reduce the chance of it happening again:
Sunflower lecithin as a preventative supplement:
Sunflower or soy lecithin 5–10g daily by mouth may be taken to reduce inflammation in ducts and emulsify milk.
Some resources:
Pages to share with GP;
This is the full version of the ABM protocol
This is a summary from Sarah Oakley IBCLC
I’d love to hear what worked for your family.
If you have any questions regarding anything mentioned in this post, please feel free to get in touch.
