"Breasts" are so beautiful, let us protect them with love

"Breasts" are so beautiful, let us protect them with love

Author: Ren Yangguang and Wang Zhizeng

Dear friends, hello, today we are going to talk about a very important part of our body - breasts! Breasts are superficial organs of the human body, hanging outside the body. They are located under the skin and are composed of glandular tissue, fibrous connective tissue and adipose tissue. The areola and nipple are covered on the surface of the skin. The glandular tissue that constitutes the main part of the breast is a series of mammary lobules (about 15-20) that converge along the mammary ducts to the nipple opening. The specific structure can be understood through the following figure:

In addition to having an aesthetic function, women's breasts are also the "granary (milk secretion)" that babies rely on for survival and health during special periods. Great mothers begin to develop their breasts during pregnancy, with the glands enlarging and thickening, and the skin color of the areola and nipples darkening, in preparation for lactation after the baby is born. And after delivery, with the baby's first cry and the baby's first suck, the emotional bond between mother and baby continues from this moment on.

The breasts of postpartum mothers appear to be relatively “fat and strong” on the surface, but they are indeed very precious and “delicate”. If you are not careful, they may “go on strike”, causing lactation mastitis, which is a headache for the mother. Research results show that 33% of lactating women have suffered from mastitis, and the incidence of mastitis in primiparas can be as high as 50% [1]. Acute lactation mastitis is mostly caused by blocked mammary ducts, bacterial infection or inflammation of breast tissue [2]. The typical symptoms of acute lactation mastitis mainly include breast pain, redness, swelling, fever and difficulty in milk discharge. Some symptoms may appear in one or both breasts at the same time. If not treated in time, it may even cause complications such as abscesses and fistulas in severe cases, which not only bring great pain to the mother, but also may affect her breastfeeding function and affect the health of the baby [3]. These physical pains often bring great mental pressure to the mother, and may even become the main reason for the mother to give up breastfeeding [4,5]. The Implementation Plan for the 2021-2030 Outline for the Development of Chinese Women and Children[6] issued by the National Health Commission clearly states that the basic treatment principles for acute lactation mastitis are: combining prevention and treatment, and giving equal importance to traditional Chinese and Western medicine. The specific treatment methods are as follows: ① Timely emptying of breast milk to avoid large-scale milk accumulation; ② When the indications are clear, sufficient antibiotics should be used for a sufficient course of treatment (whether to stop breastfeeding during antibiotic treatment depends on the type of antibiotics used and the patient's wishes); ③ Use invasive treatments such as surgery when necessary; ④ Symptomatic treatment to relieve symptoms; ⑤ Traditional Chinese medicine treatment; ⑥ Try not to stop breastfeeding.

Instead of spending a lot of time and energy on treatment, let’s take a look at the preventive measures. The preventive measures recommended by “Experts in Diagnosis and Treatment of Lactation Mastitis” are as follows [7]:

(1) During breastfeeding, keep a happy mood, talk and communicate with your family more often, and get their understanding and support. Do not be too stressed or overworked, or even develop postpartum depression and anxiety, which can easily lead to mastitis.

(2) Eat more protein, fresh vegetables and fruits, reduce the frequent intake of irritating or high-fat and high-sugar foods, and advise the mother to drink more water to promote smooth milk discharge.

(3) Breast diseases should be treated as early as possible. ① Inverted or flat nipples: Perform nipple lifting and squeezing exercises several times a day, or use a breast pump to pull the nipples; ② Nipple fissures: Guide the baby to latch correctly and practice the correct breastfeeding posture. Applying egg yolk oil can prevent and treat nipple fissures. The wounds caused by teething should also be treated in time; ③ Milk duct occlusion/chronic milk duct inflammation: Guide the baby to perform the correct breast examination method to detect any breast nodules, local erythema, etc. at any time. Once milk stasis is found, discharge the milk in time to clear the blockage.

(4) Avoid breast trauma: avoid the baby kicking, squeezing the breasts when lying on the side, etc.

(5) Actively treat infectious diseases in other parts of the body: Ask the patient in detail whether he or she has undergone cesarean section, episiotomy or other surgery. If there is an infection, actively treat it.

Knowing these little common senses, our mothers may get along better with their babies! Let us be the "guardians" of breasts with love, and don't let the "breasts" be so beautiful that they make countless mothers "bow down".

References:

[1] Zhu Qianhua, Zhou Xiaoyu, Chen Meimei. Effect of breast specialist nursing clinic intervention on patients with acute mastitis during lactation[J]. Journal of Nursing, 2018, 33(17): 35-37.

[2] Zhang Ning, Li Yufeng, Zhang Jinghua. Research progress on diagnosis and treatment of mastitis[J]. Medical Clinical Research, 2023, 40(04): 596-599.

[3] Hao Huiqin, Wang Junying, Wang Liwen, et al. Effect of systematic nursing intervention on negative emotions and complications of primiparas with acute mastitis during lactation[J]. Healthy Women, 2022(21):148-150.

[4] Wang Hongmei, Huang Xiaoxi, Chen Zhuangwei, et al. Analysis of related factors for the development of acute mastitis during lactation[J]. Journal of Fujian Medical University, 2016, 50(6): 423-427.

[5] JIN LH, ZHENG HL, LIN YX, et al. Lactation breast abscess treated with GuaIou Xiaoyong Decoction and painless lactation manipulation: a case report and review of literature[J]. World Journal of Clinical Cases, 2023, 1l(8): 1847-1856.

[6] National Health Commission. Implementation plan of the National Health Commission on implementing the Outline for the Development of Chinese Women and Children from 2021 to 2030[J]. Chinese Rural Health, 2022, 14(5): 3-7.

[7] Gu Yueshan, Ye Jingming. Expert recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of mastitis during lactation[J]. Chinese Journal of Clinicians, 2019, 47(11): 1276-1281.