Be your own nurse

Author: Sun Nianyun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: This book focuses particularly on the quality of life for women, divided into five parts: nursing for pregnant and postpartum women, prevention and treatment of common gynecological diseases, daily health care, and common knowledge of female beauty and body care. It helps women improve their quality of life and taste, addresses daily life doubts, eliminates embarrassing issues, and corrects life misconceptions with a rigorous and scientific attitude, enabling them to become confident and beautiful women.
Breast abscess in postpartum women: How to breastfeed? A breast abscess, also known as acute mastitis, is more common in first-time mothers and is often caused by milk stagnation, cracked nipples, and weakened postpartum immunity leading to infection. Breast abscesses are generally divided into three stages. In the initial stage, the breast becomes swollen and tender, milk secretion is poor, and a lump can be felt when touched. The skin may appear slightly red, and the body may feel cold or feverish. At this stage, it is important to expel the stagnated milk as soon as possible to reduce swelling and pain. Common methods include hand expression or using a breast pump. Alternatively, fermented flour or herbal remedies like dandelion or purple ground-ivy can be mashed and applied externally, which usually leads to quick recovery.
If the milk continues to stagnate without dispersing, the local symptoms of redness, swelling, heat, and pain become more pronounced, and the body temperature rises, indicating the progression to the middle stage, which is the purulent stage. Later, the abscess matures, the skin breaks, and pus is discharged, marking the final stage.
How to breastfeed with a breast abscess depends on the specific situation. If the milk has not yet changed and the mother has no fever and has not taken any antibiotics such as tetracycline, kanamycin, or gentamicin, she can still breastfeed directly. However, if the breast abscess has reached the purulent stage (including the final stage) and the mother has a fever and needs antibiotics, breastfeeding is not advisable. These medications can also be excreted in breast milk, potentially causing harm to the newborn's bones, teeth, hearing, kidneys, and overall health. In such cases, alternative milk sources like cow's milk can be used for several days until the abscess heals, after which breastfeeding can resume. However, it is important to continue expressing milk with hands or a breast pump during this period to maintain stimulation of the breasts, ensuring that breastfeeding can continue after recovery.
Six precautions when drinking yogurt:
1. Identify the type: Currently, there are many varieties of "yogurt-like drinks" on the market, made from milk, (powdered milk), sugar, lactic acid or lemon acid, malic acid, flavorings, and preservatives. These do not have the health benefits of real yogurt and should be carefully identified when purchasing.
2. Drink about 2 hours after meals: The ideal pH level for lactobacilli to grow is above 5.4. On an empty stomach, the stomach acid pH is below 2, and drinking yogurt may kill lactobacilli, reducing its health benefits. After meals, stomach acid is diluted, and the pH rises to 3–5.
3. Rinse your mouth immediately after drinking: With the development of lactic acid-based drinks, the incidence of dental caries in children has also increased, primarily due to certain bacteria in the yogurt.
4. Do not heat yogurt: The active lactic acid bacteria in yogurt will die if heated or diluted with boiling water. This not only destroys its unique flavor but also reduces its nutritional value.
5. Avoid taking certain medications with yogurt: Antibiotics like chloramphenicol, erythromycin, sulfonamide drugs, and astringents such as succinate for diarrhea can kill or damage lactobacilli in yogurt.
6. Do not feed yogurt to infants: Yogurt has a low calcium content, and infants require large amounts of calcium for growth. Additionally, yogurt contains antibiotics produced by lactobacilli, which can inhibit and eliminate many pathogenic microorganisms but also disrupt the growth of beneficial bacteria and affect normal digestion, especially for infants with gastroenteritis or premature infants.