Our site uses cookies to make your experience on this site even better. We hope you think that is sweet.
What Causes Itchy Breasts While Breastfeeding And How To Deal With It
Breastfeeding develops a strong connection between the mother and the baby. It is a clasped thread of love, closeness, bonding, and healthy growth and development. The first-time mothers experience many issues when they start nursing, the itching in nipples, or the breast area, being the common one. This, however, is not the real problem, though, but it does hinder the process of breastfeeding. The mother’s milk is significant for the nourishment of the baby. You have to make sure your baby is getting enough breastmilk. Therefore any interferences with breastfeeding should be solved instantly.
Going ahead, we will get an insight into the real causes behind itchy breasts when to consult a doctor for the same, its treatment, and prevention.
Itchy breasts are one of the common and disturbing problems that can hamper the breastfeeding flow. It causes problems both for the mother and the baby. Few reasons for the breasts to get itchy while nursing is listed as under:
Thrust (nipples getting affected by a specific fungus and referred to as Candida), does no harm. Thrust can be found in any part of the body, yet this fungus can thrive in the damp body parts, especially around the nipples. It is a major cause of itchy breasts in nursing mothers. The following symptoms characterize it:
Mastitis, or that is also referred to as breast engorgement, cause when the milk gets retained as the bacteria enter these ducts due to the nipple being cracked that infects the ducts as well as the tissues. The following symptoms characterize it:
Eczema, which tends to cause burning or redness in the skin, also affects the nipples and the breast skin. A class of eczema, also known as dermatitis, happens due to persistent skin chafing that can greatly impact the breasts as well due to repetitive sessions of breastfeeding. The following symptoms can characterize it:
Since the breasts are loaded with milk while breastfeeding, the skin surrounding these parts starts to expand and result in stretch marks, which cause itchiness. The following symptoms can characterize it:
Skin infections can even cause itchiness. Some examples of skin infections that cause itchy breasts are the ringworms and scabies. It can be characterized by the following symptoms:
When To See A Doctor For Itchy Breasts
Itchy breasts are the common issues that are faced by most of the pregnant women. There are several tips to soothe the itchy breast during pregnancy. Most of the time, itchy breasts get cured with time, but in some instances, proper treatment or diagnosis is essential. Some situations which need medical intervention are as below:
The itchy breasts can be treated depending on the condition they are in. In most cases, there is very little interference and can heal on its own. Though, some cases would need medical consultation and some options for treatment of itchy breasts comprise of:
Manage And Prevent Itchy Breasts At Home
Itchy breasts are a cause of concern for the mother. It makes them irritated, helpless, and, at times, not able to feed as well. There are, however, ways and means for the prevention of the itchy breasts.
Some of the measures to prevent itchy breasts are as follows:
Following the above steps can help to reduce threats of catching breast infection leading to breast itchiness that results due to skin marks that happen due to stretching of the skin.
Thus, the itchy breasts at the time of lactation could be a botheration which could be caused by parasites or fungal though these circumstances can be treated. Apart from these, the causes behind the itchiness of breasts can easily be cured with appropriate treatment. The baby needs nourishment, and that should not come with any hindrances, so it is important to treat the itchy breast on time.
Come on, sell the idea of signing up with us in two lines so well that they HAVE to sign up.
Get regular updates, great recommendations and other right stuff at the right time.