31/05/2022
If using massage on an already very angry and inflamed breast its so important to be super gentle as vigorous pressure can make things worse. If you are suffering with mastitis you need to get expert help quickly.
A common self help suggestion for mastitis is massage.
The idea being, that milk is backed up and needs dispersing, and that massage may help to break down any thickened blockages and allow milk to flow.
Recently, at the Lactation Consultants of Great Britain conference, we received a talk from fellow IBCLC and Breast Surgeon Katrina Mitchell, who encouraged us all to think very differently about this.
Mastitis, she reminded us, is largely about inflammation. Swelling that's in the breast tissue. This may have come from a blockage, infection, or both.
We often focus on the blockage and the infection, but not enough attention is given to the inflammation, which actually is a major part.
When we massage the breast, often vigorously and with implements such as specially designed devices, electric toothbrushes or vi*****rs, we're actually causing MORE inflammation.
If you think about it, if you sprained your ankle and it swelled up, you're unlikely to vigorously massage it because you'll cause pain and damage.
What you'd do is rest it, deal with the pain, and try and bring down the inflammation.
So rather than massage the breast down toward the ni**le, Dr Mitchell suggests very light touch fingertip massage toward the armpit to try and assist with lymph drainage. Alongside other mastitis treatment too.
This got a lot of us thinking, and it definitely makes sense. As with a lot of things breastfeeding related, we could do with more research!
What do you think? X
