What causes breast pain when having a fever?

Fever itself is beneficial to the body. When there are too many germs in the body, the body will activate protective measures, raise the body temperature and kill the viruses. Sometimes fever is accompanied by breast pain, especially in women who have just given birth. At this time, women's breasts will produce milk because of the need for breastfeeding. If there is too much milk accumulation, the breasts will become hard and swollen, which can easily cause a fever. Let’s find out.

Can breast tenderness cause a fever?

Many new mothers experience breast pain and fever in the one or two weeks after delivery. There are generally two reasons for this. One is breast engorgement, which is caused by too much breast milk accumulation or swelling that is too hard in the early stages and causes a fever. The other is postpartum weakness and fever caused by catching a cold.

3 reasons why breast pain causes fever

1. The first type of fever is generally related to milk stasis. If the mother's breasts are too swollen and hard during colostrum engorgement, the baby cannot suck them, the breast pump cannot suck them out, and the family members blindly apply hot compresses and rub the breasts, which leads to increased swelling and causes fever or breast diseases such as mastitis! In this case, the method of reducing fever, swelling and milk discharge is generally adopted. If the fever is mild, it will get better even after the milk is discharged, so new mothers should not worry too much even if they have a fever.

2. Another reason is related to fatigue. It is generally believed that it is related to breast swelling, but it is not. Some mothers are too tired from breastfeeding after childbirth and do not get enough rest. In addition, being exposed to the wind will cause cold symptoms, most of which are fever or a little pain in the breasts!

3. The mother does not pay attention to keeping warm while breastfeeding. It may seem like it’s okay in the summer, but new mothers sweat too much and can easily catch a cold if they’re not careful! So the key is prevention.

What should I do if I have a fever after breast pain?

1. After the fever occurs, first determine whether it is caused by milk stasis or a cold. In short, no matter what the cause of the fever is, the most urgent thing is to reduce the fever. At around 38 degrees, the baby can drink milk. Even if the fever is not too high, let the baby suck more. Don't do it! Otherwise, storing milk after a fever will be even more troublesome!

2. It is recommended that mothers with colds soak their feet in hot water after the fever comes on, and drink more water. The fever will go away easily after sweating, and the recovery will be faster if the accumulated milk is discharged.

3. If the cold is serious, you still need to see a doctor, don’t delay. In addition, after seeing the doctor, you will basically be given an IV or take medicine. It is important to note that the breast milk must be discharged on time. Even if you suck out the milk and throw it away, you have to maintain the milk supply. Otherwise, when the cold is recovered, the milk supply will be less and it will be troublesome to increase the milk supply.

Therefore, as long as the breast signal is eliminated on time, milk production will continue, and the amount of milk will not decrease when the baby is breastfeeding after stopping the medication!

Don’t panic if you develop a fever after breast pain. As long as you take appropriate measures, everything can be solved.