Health
Itchy Breasts While Nursing: Do You Need to worry?

Itchy Breasts While Nursing: Do You Need to worry?

Itchy Breasts

Are you a nursing mother who struggles frequently with itchy breast? Is your breast looking red, tendered, or have a painful sensation? Yes! Don’t fret! You are not alone in the loop. Many new moms may experience a lot of changes in the body and one among a few problems is an itchy breast. Itchy breast can be caused due to minor cut or infection in the nipple, plugged milk ducts, engorgement, or infections. Sometimes itchy breast can be managed with home remedies, but others might need medical attention to fix the issue. Let’s read through the article to find out what causes itchy breast, symptoms, and a few home remedies to treat the itchy breast.

What causes itchy breast in lactating mothers?

Itching can be in the breast or the nipples. One of the primary causes for the itchy breast is when your newborn sucks milk forcefully; the breast tissues become dry, sensitive, and sometimes end up tearing the area around the nipple. The tiny cracks can also cause bring infection in the nipple. Here we have listed out a few other causes for the itching breast:

1. Thrush:

Thrush is a yeast infection that occurs in breastfeeding moms causing itching and pain in the nipple and the breast.

2. Contact dermatitis:

Contact dermatitis occurs when the breast skin is frequently in touch with the baby’s mouth or due to the application of cream by new moms to help with breastfeeding. The irritants in the cream can bring itching in the nipples.

3. Incorrect latching and wrong positioning:

Wrong positioning and incorrect latching usually happen during the early weeks of feeding the baby. Due to this new mom’s breast, skin irritates and causes itching or damage in the nipple. Positioning your baby well to latch milk correctly requires some time for both the mother and the baby.

4. Mastitis:

Mastitis is a bacterial infection, which infects breast tissue. Usually, mastitis develops during the first few days after the baby takes breast milk. Fever may also be accompanied by inflammation and in such a scenario, make an appointment with the gynaecologist immediately. Sometimes, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics to ease the inflammation. Order your medicines from any trusted online medicine site at your doorstep.

What are the symptoms seen in new moms with itchy breast?

Women with itchy breast often have the urge to scratch the skin. Due to this red swollen, soreness, cracked, and inflamed nipple develops.

Home remedies to ease itchy breast:

Here are a few tips to take care of your breasts to prevent itchy breasts while breastfeeding:

  • Change your latching position. Ask the midwife or your gynaecologist to help with the correct positioning to prevent the damage to the nipples.
  • Apply lanolin cream to manage the nipple pain
  • Check with your doctor about the use of all-purpose nipple ointment cream as it helps to ease severe nipple pain
  • After a shower and after feeding your baby, dry your nipples with a clean towel to lower the risk of cracking and infection.
  • Apply coconut oil to the nipples as it can moisturize the skin at the same time prevents the nipples from cracking
  • Applying a warm compress over the infected nipples or breast can soothe inflammation and irritation
  • Regular breast exams should be carried out while breastfeeding to check for any lumps. If lumps are present, then keep a track on the size and if the size increases or doesn’t go away, then schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider and get the lumps properly checked.

When to schedule a visit to the doctor?

Breastfeeding is an amazing experience to have a close bonding with the newborn. Though we are so busy handling and taking care of the just born, we often forget to care for ourselves. Breast itching while breastfeeding usually goes on its own and it doesn’t require any formal diagnosis or treatment. But, if you are suffering from the itchy breast for a long time or the symptoms get worse day-by-day, then visiting the doctor is a must. Also, if you have any of the below symptoms, then visit the doctor immediately.

  • Discharge of blood and pus
  • Painful breasts and nipples
  • Change in the colour of the nipples

If you find any changes in the breast size or colour of the nipple, book an appointment with your doctor immediately. Your healthcare provider may prescribe medicines or over-the-counter pain-relievers to fix the issues. Pick your OTC creams by ordering it from the best online pharmacy store in India.

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