When I became a mother and started going to breastfeeding support groups, a fact that surprised me a lot was that mastitis was called the “disease of the veterans.” The term “veterans” was used to refer to mothers with babies from 3 months of age, those who never had great difficulties with breastfeeding but who, at that point and without warning, suffered from mastitis.

We used to say that these mastitis were caused by the mothers’ confidence: the baby slept one day too long, or they left the baby to go back to work and did not express milk, or they started mixed feeding….

And now, we are surprised that mastitis happens in veteran mothers who have well-established lactation and have been breastfeeding for months or years.

So what happens?

In reality, mastitis can occur at any time during lactation, at the beginning or at the end. There is no single time or time frame to place the onset of mastitis. Scientific evidence says that mastitis occurs more frequently during the second and third week of breastfeeding, and the sad reality is that many mothers stop breastfeeding because of lack of support, pain, or because they have to start paid work. This does not allow for collecting data on how mastitis affects mothers who breastfeed for more months or years.

Mastitis is an inflammation and subsequent infection of a part of the mammary gland that can be caused by poor emptying/drainage of the gland or by other situations that may surprise, for example, going to the dentist and having to take an antibiotic or suffering from a stomach bug, which can modify the gut flora and thus promotes the proliferation of certain bacteria in the mammary gland. The incidence of mastitis ranges from 3 to 33%, according to the scientific literature, and can affect only one breast or both at the same time. New episodes of mastitis can happen depending on whether or not the mother has received the appropriate antibiotic treatment when a fever appears that doesn’t go away.

For any mastitis with symptoms of joint pain, the appearance of a red spot on the breast, and pain when breastfeeding, then the guidelines on what to do are the same, as most mastitis can be solved without the need for antibiotic treatment.

As soon as there are the first signs of upcoming mastitis, then you need to control the situation by doing the following:

• Empty the breast as frequently as possible by feeding or pumping (remove breastmilk)
• Apply cold to the affected area
• And rest as if you would have flu.

With these self-help measures, you might be able to prevent the progression of mastitis. If you have a fever, a temperature of more than 38ºC (100ºF), and it does not disappear within 12-24 hours, you should see a doctor or contact your healthcare center so you can get a prescription for an appropriate antibiotic treatment. If you have just given birth, check out the other warning signs for your health.

Remember that the LactApp mobile app has a complete and personalized guide on mastitis. Just download the app for your Android or iPhone and use the search engine.