What does purulent breast milk look like?

New mothers often feel discomfort in their breasts after giving birth, so there is no special reaction at first. However, after a few days, they will find that there are often some purulent secretions in the breasts. They went to the hospital for examination and found that the breast milk was festering. To judge whether the breast milk is festering, you need to smell the breast milk, look at the shape of the breast, and observe the color of the breast milk. Try to be careful not to give purulent breast milk to the child.

How to judge milk suppuration

Many new mothers experience breast pain after giving birth, but they think it is a normal reaction to physical discomfort after delivery, so they ignore it. Little did I know that a few days later, lumps began to appear in my breasts, they started to feel hot and painful, and the color of my milk changed. I went to the hospital for a check-up and found out that my breast milk had become festered.

How to determine if breast milk is festering

1. Smell the breast milk. Normal breast milk has a milky smell, and some say it has a milky flavor, which varies from person to person. But the festering milk has a slightly foul or rotten smell.

2. Look at the shape of the breast. The root cause of milk suppuration is acute mastitis, which is usually caused by milk accumulation in the breast. It is not discharged in time and becomes cheese-like, blocking the mammary gland. If the breasts become red, swollen and painful and you start to have a fever, then you may have mastitis.

3. Look at the color of breast milk. Normal breast milk is white or off-white. The color of purulent breast milk will change and it will contain some pus.

How to deal with suppuration of breast milk

1. Stop breastfeeding. The suppuration is caused by mastitis. It is best not to feed the baby with milk containing pus.

2. Hot compress and massage. Hot compress and massage are mainly used to relieve milk congestion, dissipate lumps, and relieve symptoms of breast inflammation.

3. In severe cases, surgery and drainage are required. Acute mastitis can cause a high fever, which requires medication or intravenous infusion to reduce the fever. However, blocked breast glands can only be drained through surgery to promote the discharge of milk and lumps.

Every mother hopes that her breast milk can feed her baby well and provide adequate nutrition, but her own health cannot be neglected either. If postpartum care is neglected, resulting in breast blockage and inflammation, you will not be able to take good care of the baby while suffering from the illness. Breasts are not only a symbol of femininity, but also an important part of our body. We should take good care of them.