What is Mastitis, How Do You Know if You Have it?

What is it?

• Mastitis is inflammation of one or both breasts. It usually occurs in only one.
• Mastitis is pretty common among women who are breastfeeding.
• The best thing to do is to call your OB doctor.

Causes:

• Mastitis occurs when a milk duct becomes blocked, or the skin around the nipple becomes cracked. Both scenarios allow bacteria to enter, leaving the breast tissue infected.
  
• Both of these situations allow bacteria to enter and infect the breast tissue.

Some of the Risk Factors are:

• Skipping breastfeeding, pumping helps with this
• Wearing anything on top that is too tight
• Too much pressure on the breasts caused by sleeping on your stomach, holding the breast too tight while feeding and doing active things without a supportive bra
• Yeast infection in the breast
  
• Previous mastitis
• Abrasion or cracking of the breast nipple
• Wearing a bra or clothing that is too tight
• A yeast infection in the breast
• Sudden weaning, weaning slowly can prevent this

*There are other risk factors, these are just common ones.