How Long Does It Take for Mastitis to Heal During Lactation?

Update Date: 2024-06-26 Source: Network

The recovery of mastitis during lactation is still related to the severity of the illness. If the condition is mild, it can be cured in about three days. If the condition is severe, it may take about one to two months. If the condition is mild, with only fever, tenderness, and a hard lump in the affected breast, the mother can recover in about three days as long as she actively treats the condition by receiving intravenous infusions at the hospital, frequently applying hot compresses to the affected breast, massaging the lump, and eating more fruits and vegetables that can reduce internal heat. If the mother has already developed suppuration and a hard mass, it may take longer. Surgical drainage can be used to remove trapped milk in the breasts, combined with medication, which may take about one to two months, depending on the size of the incision and the abscess cavity.

Acute mastitis begins with a full and painful breast, especially during breastfeeding, with poor milk secretion. There may or may not be a lump in the breast, and the skin may be slightly red or not. It may also be accompanied by general discomfort, poor appetite, chest tightness, irritability, and other symptoms. During the suppurative stage, the local breast becomes hard, and the lump gradually increases. This may be accompanied by high fever, chills, general weakness, dry stool, accelerated pulse, enlarged lymph nodes on the same side, and increased white blood cell count. An abscess can usually form in 4-5 days, causing throbbing pain in the breast, redness and transparency of the local skin, softening in the center of the lump, and a fluctuating sensation when pressed. If it is a deep abscess in the breast, there may be swelling, pain, and high fever in the entire breast, but the redness and fluctuation of the local skin are not obvious. Sometimes, several abscesses can exist simultaneously or sequentially in one breast.

In the later stages of ulceration, superficial abscesses often rupture the skin, forming ulcers or milk leaking from the wound. Deeper abscesses can penetrate the fat between the breast and the pectoralis major muscle, forming a posterior breast abscess. In severe cases, septicemia can occur.