Symptoms
- The breasts are swollen and edematous, and the skin looks shiny and diffusely red.
- The whole of both breasts are affected, and they are painful.
- Fever that usually subsides in 24 hours.
- The nipples may become stretched tight and flat, making it difficult for the baby to attach and remove the milk.
Cause
- Failure to remove breast milk, especially in the first few days after delivery.
- Common reasons include delayed initiation of breastfeeding, infrequent feeds, poor attachment, and ineffective suckling.
Management
- The mother must remove the breast milk.
- If the baby can attach well and suckle, then she should breastfeed as frequently as the baby is willing.
- If the baby is not able to attach and suckle effectively, she should express her milk by hand or with a pump a few times until the breasts are softer, so that the baby can attach better, and then get him or her to breastfeed frequently.
- She can apply warm compresses to the breast or take a warm shower before expressing, which helps the milk to flow.
- She can use cold compresses after feeding or expressing, which helps to reduce the edema.