Breastfeedingmastitis.com  Breastfeeding Mastitis Causes | About Breast Feeding Mastitis

After breast feeding mastitis is quite uncommon, as mastitis occurs during breastfeeding. Mastitis is the infection of the breast that occurs commonly within the two to three postpartum months, while the mother breastfeeds her baby. Infection may develop inside the milk ducts as a result of bacteria that have been passed to the ducts through the opening of the nipple from the skin or from the baby’s mouth. This is the main cause of lactation mastitis and it is the main reason why the disease is not so common in women who stopped breastfeeding their babies.

Breast feeding after birth is the very common process. Breast feeding after birth is always recommended over formula because the breast milk contains everything the baby needs in order to develop healthy and strong. The breast milk contains many ingredients that could not be reproduced artificially in formula. So mothers are recommended to prolong breastfeeding their babies as long as possible and avoid formula.

But the main concern for mothers is how the breast after breastfeeding looks like. When breastfeeding is no longer done, the milk-producing structures of the breast shrink to the size they had before pregnancy. But nursing however can stretch the skin and tissue of the breast and in some cases, this may result in an empty or stretched out look of the breast. Although this is not a medical concern, this matter often worries mothers.

Several studies showed that more factors contribute to the change of the appearance of the breast in women who stop breastfeeding. They include the body mass index (BMI) meaning the fat percentage of the body, the numbers of pregnancies a women had, age, and a large pre-pregnancy breast size and not least, a history of smoking. In some cases, one of the breasts may remain slightly misshapen. Most women can notice a certain asymmetry between their two breasts mainly because after breastfeeding the breasts become independent. So, while one of the breasts may return to its initial size and shape, the other may stay larger or it may droop or flatten. In some women, the difference between the two breasts may reach even one cup size.

Commonly, the breast problems that arise after breastfeeding are cosmetic and not medical. However, women should stay up-to-date with their regular breast screenings and continue having self-examinations that could reveal lumps in the breasts, examinations by a specialist and mammograms. These are the ways women can protect themselves from many types of diseases that affect the breast, and especially breast cancer. It is however believed that women who breastfeed have a low risk of ever developing breast cancer.

Mastitis can still occur, even though it is not very common after breastfeeding. Women who experience any signs of infection such as pain, fever and general malaise or dimpling, unusual nipple discharge or a lump in the breast should contact their doctor.

So, after breast feeding mastitis can still occur and that is why women should always be aware of any abnormal changes that may happen with their breasts.