Patient's question:
A child who is three days away from one week old had spicy food for lunch yesterday. In the afternoon, she noticed some pain and hardness in her breasts! She applied hot water compresses last night and this morning, and the pain has subsided, but the hardness remains. Yesterday, some yellowish milk was vomited, but it's normal today! What could be the reason?Doctor's answer:
Based on your condition, consider that consuming spicy and irritating foods may have caused acute mastitis. Avoid foods that cause stomach upset and eat more high-protein foods, especially high-quality protein. It is generally not recommended to stop breastfeeding, as stopping can not only interfere with the baby's feeding but also increase the risk of milk stagnation. However, breastfeeding from the affected breast should be stopped, and a breast pump should be used to extract all the milk to promote smooth milk flow. Local cold compresses can help reduce early inflammation. Breast patients should eat light yet highly nutritious foods, such as tomatoes, green vegetables, loofah, cucumbers, chrysanthemum leaves, edible chrysanthemum, fresh lotus root, water chestnut, and red bean soup.