Breast abscesses are a common occurrence in lactating mothers and are rarely seen in those who are not lactating as well.
What is a Breast Abscess?
These are pus filled hollow spaces inside the breast, formed as a result of a bacterial infection. The infection alerts the immune system to gush white blood cells to the site to fight bacteria.
The symptoms include increasing pain in the breast, reddening (erythema), swelling and induration (hardening) of the tissue. The breast feels very hot and there could be pus like nipple discharge as well. Additionally, enlarged lymph nodes are seen in the armpit on the affected side.
Why Does an Abscess Occur?
Bacteria Staphylococcus aureus reside in normal skin. During breastfeeding, nipples often crack or get bruised due to improper latching, due to the baby’s gums pinching the nipple or rubbing of the nipple against the roof of the baby’s mouth. This makes way for the bacteria to enter the breast and cause infection.
Another reason is due to Mastitis, which is inflammation of the breast due to stacking up of milk in the milk ducts.
Very rarely, non-lactating mothers present with breast abscess. This is caused due to periductal mastitis i.e., inflammation of tissues surrounding the milk ducts. This condition, although rare, is seen in women over 30 years of age.
What is the Treatment Protocol?
Usually, abscesses are treated with antibiotics that bring down the infection or if diagnosed early, prevent the formation of an abscess. The treatment is continued for about seven days and does not affect breastfeeding the baby.
For a larger abscess, surgical intervention is needed to drain the pus out. A local anaesthetic is administered before this procedure.
Whom to Approach and What are the Preventive Measures?
If you notice any swelling or pain in either of your breasts, contact your local healthcare practitioner immediately. It is best to start on antibiotics immediately and prevent an abscess from forming.
Secondly, it is important to continue breast-feeding as this allows the infected milk to flow out and is not harmful for the baby either. The bacteria in the infected milk are killed in the baby’s stomach.
If the pain is unbearable and feeding impossible, a breast pump may be used to empty infected milk. Also try placing a warm cloth over the breast and gently massaging it before breast-feeding as this soothes and eases the flow of milk.
