Breast Abscess- My Journey Post Pregnancy

Submitted by Hansa Kajaria

In November 2013, I delivered a little angel, however, sadly I could not feed her my milk, as my body was not producing milk yet. I use to however sit with her trying to feed for hours at stretch only to realize later that she is still hungry and she would gulp a top-feed down in no time.

I could feel milk being formed in my breast but is it was not coming out and hence the milk formed within turned to puss, making matters worse for me.

Gradually my breast started turning red, hard as stone and painful so much so that even my clothes use to hurt me. I use to cry in my room and only informed my mother in law when pain got unbearable for me.  She insisted that I visit a doctor, which I again procrastinated because I was feeling shy to do so.

However, when it got extremely unbearable, I finally landed up at the doctor. The doctor diagnosed me with mastitis and on checking he told me that due to my delay, the puss has grown and the only way to get rid of it is through surgery. I burst into tears as I was still recuperating from my C-section as it had just been around 2 months to my delivery.

I had no way out and I had to go under the knife to get rid of the puss. The surgery went well but the most difficult time started after that. The dressing is the most painful one specially the first few. They had dug out a scoop of my breast and also dug a deep tunnel type to reach the other end. So to fill that up, they had to keep a medicated cloth inside and then do the dressing. They don’t stitch as it can cause more puss. So I was told the mass and skin would come in a month or so naturally and I would have to get my dressing done every second day.

Every time they removed the cloth while doing the dressing, I use to yell and cry my heart out and listening to me my husband would cry waiting outside. It almost led me into post partum depression and I faced one of my lowest lows.

New moms should always feed their baby as soon as its out and incase you cant due to some reason, make sure you express that milk as that’s where it all begins. Don’t allow milk to form and stay inside. As you feel that your breast is heavy with milk and your baby doesn’t need milk, express it. Store it, Donate it if your body makes excess milk which is above your babies requirement. But do not keep it in you.

Breast abscess is mainly formation of puss in breast and mainly affects women who breastfeed. Here are some signs you should look out for:

-Tenderness and redness in breast area.

- Swelling that feels hard under the skin causing pain 

Abscess can be removed in initial stage by draining it with injections if it’s not too much. A small cut is other way out. But when matters get worse, surgery is the only way out.

Lesson learnt. I now always check my body for any signs of abnormality or pain to avoid any sort of issues later.  My laid back attitude made me go through a lot of pain. By this article, I by no means am trying to scare any new mom. Its better to be informed. I was not and hence I suffered.

Happy Motherhood. 

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mom Store

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Based in Thane, Mumbai, Hansa Kajaria is a mom of two. MBA Finance by qualification, she is currently a stay at home mom and also runs a brand Aayera's Nest. She loves reading books and that has driven her to start writing blogs and small articles.