Mastitis is an inflammation or an infection that is caused on the breast of a woman who breast feeds a child. This type of an infection is followed by chills and fever. Though this infection happens only to breast feeding women, there are cases reported in non-lactating women as well.
The symptoms of this infection are intense pain in breasts, redness and swelling in breasts, fever reaching to 101 degrees, cracks on the nipple and shivers in body. Mastitis is caused by the bacteria known as staphylococcus aureus which develops generally in first three months after delivering the child. In some cases it even blocks the milk which leads to a considerable discomfort to the women having the infant.
Home Remedies For Mastitis
Cold Treatment
This treatment is best to bring down the inflammation. In between your feeding sessions, you can try to apply some ice or cold pack on the affected breast.
Use this for 15 minutes and you can witness relief immediately. You can also use a wet towel or cold water for this purpose.
Wet Warm Sponge
Before feeding the mother should sponge the breasts with warm wet cloth or sponge. This will have two advantages. The warm water will act as a disinfectant and it will also improve the blood flow in the body. The flow of blood is important as it washes all malignant bacteria from the body. This needs to be repeated at least 3 to 4 times in a day.
Drink Lots Of Water
Water is considered to be the best medicine any person can afford. Whether it is throat or breast problems, it works in every situation. In the day to day life this is the only thing people forget.
Every day, each woman should drink at least ten to twelve glasses of water. This helps in flushing out the malignant objects or infections from the body. It also keeps the milk flow steady and avoids the infection.
Cabbage Leaves
It sounds strange but is true, cabbage leaves is one such remedy that can be used to cure many skin diseases and infections. It also helps in reducing pain and inflammation. The extracts of cabbage leaves are also used in many cosmetic products. The leaves should be washed thoroughly and cooled in the refrigerator for some time. Then these should be applied on the affected area. Once the leaves reach the room temperature these should be removed.
Ensure Proper Milking
The infection can be caused by improper milking by the infant. One can check this through the nursing position while feeding. If the babies don’t milk in an efficient manner the breasts can have inflammations.
At times the babies don’t latch the breasts properly leading to making the breasts enlarged. Therefore, the mother should observe that the infant is milking properly and the area which is around the nipple is also covered by the mouth.
Rosemary
A rosemary infusion can be prepared by taking 2-4 teaspoons of dried rosemary leaves and immersing it in boiling water. Allow it to steep for about 10 to 15 minutes, after which it can be applied on the breast. To increase the effects and reduce the inflammation, this can be used along with ice as well. Results can be experienced almost instantly.
Photo Credit: https://myhealth.alberta.ca/health/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=tp13147
Caution: Please use Home Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.