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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you have mastitis, it's safe to continue breast-feeding. Continuing breast-feeding offers the added benefit of helping clear the infection in your breast.
To relieve your discomfort:
- Maintain your breast-feeding routine
- Get as much rest as possible
- Avoid prolonged overfilling of your breast with milk (engorgement) before breast-feeding
- Use varied positions to breast-feed
- Drink plenty of fluids
- If you have trouble emptying a portion of your breast, apply warm compresses to the breast or take a warm shower before breast-feeding or pumping milk
- Wear a supportive bra
If breast-feeding on the infected breast is too painful or your infant refuses to nurse on that breast, try pumping or hand-expressing milk.
References
- Non-cancerous breast conditions. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003180-pdf.pdf. Accessed June 6, 2012.
- Dixon JM. Lactational mastitis. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed June 6, 2012.
- Spencer JP. Management of mastitis in breastfeeding women. American Family Physician. 2008;78:727.
- Cusack L, et al. Lactational mastitis and breast abscess: Diagnosis and management in general practice. Australian Family Physician. 2011;40:976.
- Gabbe SG, et al. Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-4/0/1528/0.html. Accessed June 6, 2012.
- FAQ on mastitis. La Leche League International. http://www.llli.org/FAQ/mastitis.html. Accessed June 6, 2012.
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