Mothers who choose to breastfeed often do so with great willpower and sacrifice and handle the hurdles one at a time, day by day. What these new moms rarely think about is weaning and one of the difficulties that await them at the finish line is something I know oh too well. It is something that sneaks up on you when you least expect it, even if you gradually wean and do everything by the book, there is always a chance you develop the dreaded mastitis.
You might have heard of mastitis but what is it really? It is when the breast tissue becomes inflamed and is accompanied by an infection. Is it caused by either a bacteria from the baby’s mouth when he is nursing or by a plugged duct. The latter is what happened to me when I was weaning both my babies, and although I did it gradually and was making sure to empty each breast properly during each feeding session, I couldn’t prevent it.
The dangerous thing about mastitis is when you aren’t aware that you have it. That’s what happened with my first baby and I used my experience to detect it early with my second child. I was in the process of weaning towards the end when I had constant burning like pain in my breast. I would have trouble lying down; it intervened with my sleep and my general wellbeing. Come to think of it, I have no idea why I didn’t consult my doctor sooner. When I did visit him he diagnosed me with mastitis and told me I was lucky I didn’t wait another day or the infection would have spread to my entire breast and would follow with a high grade fever. Antibiotics did the trick and he warned me from wearing tight bras and assumed I might have disrupted a duct by sleeping in a manner that wasn’t good for my breast. I don’t know why I expected it the second time around, I felt that it would be too good to be true to wean peacefully, and there it was waiting for me at the corner. I repeated the steps and was safe within a couple of weeks, and when I think of what might have been had I not paid attention both times I am thankful that I did.
Since then I have made it a point in parallel with my breastfeeding advice to new mothers, to reveal the early signs of mastitis to help control the pain and damage done without surgical intervention. So please mamas, take care of yourself and don’t ignore the warning signs your body is sending you!
Maria Najem
Photo: scarymommy.com
-190102104233327.jpg)
