“Where is our new angel?” exclaimed Chaachi as she came to see the newborn baby.
Hearing the loud cry of the baby, she started scolding Meera “Poor baby….Look at her. She might not be getting enough milk from you. I have my own four kids. I know the reason for their crying just by taking a single look. Why are you not feeding her properly?”
“Yes yes, I have been telling the same thing to this Meera for a few days. Look how thin her child has become.” Said the grandmother giving a stern look.
“Why don’t you understand my situation too daadi?” shouted Meera, with tears rolling down her cheeks. “Do you even know what I am going through? Everybody takes care of the baby well. I am happy that the entire family is there for my child. But I am the one who went through a whole process of pregnancy and delivery. I am the one whose mental and physical status has undergone a topsy turvy ride. Why don’t you try to understand my problems too?”
Nobody noticed that Dr. Naina had entered the room, to see her best friend and baby. She tried to manage the situation by hugging Meera out of nowhere and politely asked the elders “Is it okay, if I can have a private chat with my friend?”
Like most Indian families, where your best friend is trusted more than you, the family members slowly left the room. Naina could hear Meera’s mom telling others “Maybe, Meera will understand things better when a doctor explains to her”. Naina turned towards Meera and asked “What happened girl? What is the real problem?”
“I am a bad mother Naina… I can’t even feed my baby. My breasts hurt a lot while feeding her. It has cracks too. When I latch the baby on my breast and she starts sucking the nipple, I feel an excruciating pain, which is unbearable for me. One of my breasts has now become really hard and forget pressing it, touching the part itself gives me chills down the spine. The guilt of not feeding her properly, the cry of her due to hunger, along with the scoldings of these family members, has begun to affect my mental health as well.” Meera was crying on the shoulders of Naina.
“Meera, You have a fever too…” said Naina touching her forehead. “I think you have developed Lactational Mastitis.”
Meera’s eyes widened… She asked “Is that a serious condition? I haven’t heard about it. What is it?”
Naina started to explain:
“Inflammation of the breast is called Mastitis. It is of two types. Lactational mastitis and Non-Lactational Mastitis. Among these two, lactational mastitis is the common one, also known as ‘Puerperal mastitis’”.
“Why does it happen, Naina?” asked Meera, wiping away her tears.
“Hey, don’t be afraid. It is common in new mothers. Almost 2% to 30% breast feeding mothers are found to be suffering from lactational mastitis. It occurs due to engorgement of milk ducts, or when bacteria enters the breast through breaks in the skin. Patients often come to the OPD, with complaints of oedema, pain and hardness of breasts. Another main symptom they explain is fever. Lactational mastitis is mainly seen in the first 6 weeks after delivery and is often found to decrease after 3 months. Risk factors are a previous history of mastitis, nipple cracks and fissures, inadequate milk drainage, maternal stress and lack of sleep, tight-fitting bras, and the use of antifungal nipple creams.
Usually, not feeding frequently in a specified time interval often leads to clogging of milk in milk ducts. Sometimes, excessive feeding, or a sudden weaning of the baby, or any diseases in mother or child can also lead to clogged ducts. Bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Bacteroides species, and coagulase-negative staphylococci, start to colonise in such clogged ducts and cause inflammation leading to symptoms like pain and swelling.”
“Naina, what should I do now? Is it curable? You have been talking about bacteria too. Should I stop breastfeeding her? Will the infection spread to her too? O God…” panicked Meera.
“Hey, don’t panic. I am not finished yet.” continued Meera. “Do you know what is the first and foremost thing that you need to do in such a condition? Just the opposite of what you just talked about. Breast feed more.”
Seeing the surprised face of Meera, Naina said “Yes, you heard that right. You need to first empty your breasts. It can be either through directly breastfeeding your child, or through expressing by hands. It will be painful initially. But if you stop expressing out the milk, it will further leading to stagnation of breast milk, which can aggravate the symptoms.”
“Are there any medicines in Ayurveda, which can cure this?” asked Meera.
“Definitely, yes, my dear. Whenever a mother starts to experience a nipple crack, it is ideal to apply Yashtimadhu taila over that part of the breast. This can help in healing of the crack easily, and can prevent further infection. If the patient is suffering from hardness or swelling of the breast, we often ask them to massage the area of hardness using Yashtimadhu taila and simultaneously express the breast milk.”
“You mean, one medicine can help me in such a condition?” asked Meera.
“Since it is a postpartum period, we don’t manipulate the mother and child much Meera. If a single drug can cure a particular disease, what is wrong in using only that? It is indeed a miracle herb. But if you are doing proper postpartum care soon after delivery, chances are that you are less likely to get such mastitis. It is because, in procedures like Sarvanga abhyanga (Full body massage) and Pinda sweda, trained therapists will be there to give you treatment, which ensures proper massaging of the whole body including the breast. Apart from that, the internal medications and diet which contain Vajrakanjika, Fenugreek porridge and Halim seeds enhances the production and expression of breast milk in proper consistency and quantity. This ensures the adequate flow of milk when the baby sucks the breasts. Last but not the least, making sure that the baby is properly latched onto the breast is important. The mouth of your little one should cover not just the nipple, but the areola too for it to get milk properly.”
“Naina, what would I have done without you? You are really a friend indeed.” Said Meera hugging Naina. “Now stop crying and just come with me to my hospital.” Said Naina returning the hug. Afterall, lactational mastitis is manageable and all it needs is proper treatment along with the love and care of family and friends.
