Why did the mammary glands swell in a newborn girl?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

A newborn is a great joy for every mom and every dad. But besides that, it is also a big responsibility. After all, after his birth, parents should take care not only about their own lives, but also about the life of a little man, which is full of surprises and many phenomena that are incomprehensible to adults. For example, what to do if a newborn girl has swollen mammary glands. Is this normal or is it a reason to visit a doctor? And if this is really an alarming signal, then which specialist do you need to contact? It is worth looking into this matter.

Some statistics

According to statistics, this problem appears in approximately 70-75% of newborns. Only he althy children who were born with normal body weight fall into the risk group. For 9months the baby was in the womb and received food only through the umbilical cord. Now he has entered a new environment for him and receives nutrition in a new way in the form of breast or artificial feeding. Against the background of these events, the hormonal background of the baby changes and this provokes the onset of the first sexual crisis, one of the symptoms of which is swollen mammary glands.

Possible causes

As it turned out, the most common reason why newborn girls swell mammary glands is hormonal changes. Pediatricians say that this is an absolutely normal physiological phenomenon that can occur not only in girls, but also in boys. It does not need to be treated, but the baby's condition should be carefully monitored so that there are no complications and associated symptoms.

But hormonal failure is not the only reason why this can happen. Provocateurs of breast enlargement in a little girl can be other factors, for example, hypothermia or infection entering the body. In this case, it can be argued that mastitis develops.

When swelling is normal

Every parent should clearly know how to distinguish the normal phenomenon from the primary symptoms of the disease. When a newborn girl has swollen mammary glands, then in certain cases the help of a specialist is not needed. Let's list them:

1. If the child continues to feel well: eat fully, sleep peacefully.
2. When both mammary glands swellednewborn baby girl symmetrically.
3. The diameter of the resulting edema does not exceed 3 centimeters.
4. Skin continues to be clear and free of any redness or swelling.

On the 6-18th day of a girl's life, the crisis usually ends, so the mammary glands should return to normal by this time.

When do I need to see a specialist?

If a newborn girl has swollen mammary glands and has associated symptoms, then you need to see a doctor immediately. You should first visit a pediatrician, and after the examination, he may refer you to another specialist. Associated symptoms include:

• Increase in body temperature. Do not be afraid of temperatures up to 37.5 degrees. Infants have not yet formed a heat exchange in the body, so this temperature is normal for him or appears if the child is dressed too warmly. But an increase in temperature over 37.5 degrees should alert parents.
• Redness and swelling. There is a bright pink or reddish tint around the areola of the nipples.
• Mammary glands increased unevenly.
• Secrets of a transparent shade appear from them or from the genitals.
• Abscesses form.

In addition to the appearance of accompanying symptoms, the behavior of the child may also change. He will start crying in his sleep, he will lose his appetite. The girl will cry loudly if the parent took her in his arms, she will constantly spin, feeling discomfort.

The fact should also be alert if the mammary glands do not return to normal when the child has already reached the age of 18 days. It is required to see a doctor, even if there are no accompanying symptoms and the child is in good he alth.

Statistics and causes of mastitis

Fortunately, childhood mastitis is quite rare. Mastopathy is also often referred to as the named condition due to the similarity of clinical manifestations. But their causes are different. Mastitis appears only when hypothermia or virus enters the body.

Methods of diagnosis and treatment

If a newborn girl has swollen mammary glands and associated symptoms, then only an experienced specialist can make a diagnosis after a diagnostic examination. Perhaps because of the sexual crisis, the baby’s immunity weakened, and against this background, he developed a viral disease. Perhaps he is worried about colic, which is why he behaves capriciously. Parents may take this behavior as an accompanying symptom of breast swelling, but, in fact, it has nothing to do with mastitis. The specialist will make the most accurate diagnosis after a diagnostic examination, which includes several stages:

• compiling anamnesis according to parents;
• visual examination of the child;
• laboratory examination - blood and urine tests;
• Breast ultrasound;
• examination of discharge patterns, if any.

If, nevertheless, it is confirmed thatthe mammary gland is swollen due to mastitis, then the baby will be prescribed a course of medical therapy, which includes antiviral drugs and the application of special compresses.

Depending on the patient's condition, antipyretics and painkillers may be additionally prescribed. If, as a result of a diagnostic study, mastitis is confirmed, then the child, together with his mother, will be sent for treatment in a hospital. At home, such a disease is not treated.

Mainly medical specialists adhere to conservative methods of treatment, in rare cases there is a need for surgical intervention.

But most often it turns out that it was because of the hormonal crisis in the newborn that the mammary glands swelled. What to do in this case? No therapeutic measures are required, it is enough to provide the baby with care and proper care.

Care

For swollen mammary glands in newborns, you need:

1. Provide a calm environment for the baby, he should be as comfortable as possible in the house.
2. Choose loose clothes for your baby that will not fit to the chest. If mom uses diapers instead of clothes, then free swaddling should be preferred.
3. Required to change clothes several times a day.
4. It is mandatory to bathe your baby every day.

Strictly prohibited:

• try to squeeze out liquidfrom mammary glands;
• touching breasts with unwashed hands;
• self-medicate with ointments and compresses;
• put baby on stomach.

It is also mandatory to monitor the well-being of the baby and periodically measure body temperature.

Preventive measures

So, much has already been said above about why the newborn has swollen mammary glands. Of course, this is an unpleasant phenomenon that will cause severe discomfort in a little girl. Therefore, many mothers are concerned about the question of whether it can somehow be prevented. Unfortunately, if the cause of its appearance is precisely the physiological factor, then nature cannot be deceived. You just have to be patient and wait for this phenomenon to disappear on its own.

But it is quite possible to prevent the occurrence of such an unpleasant phenomenon as mastitis. All it takes is dressing the child appropriately for the weather at all times and limiting contact with infected people.

It is also required to follow the basic measures of caring for a newborn girl, namely:

• wash hands before each touch;
• regularly bathe the girl;
• wash the genitals after every bowel movement;
• change clothes daily.

Compliance with preventive measures will give the child good he alth, and parents a he althy sleep and a smile of the dearest little man.

Opinion of Dr. Komarovsky

Evgeny OlegovichKomarovsky is the most famous pediatrician in Ukraine and Russia. He has created several television and radio programs in which he gives advice to young mothers on raising children and talks about the most common childhood diseases. In one of his programs, he told parents what to do if the mammary glands of a newborn girl swelled.

A well-known doctor claims that this phenomenon very often occurs due to hormonal changes in the body and absolutely no treatment is required. The only help that a young mother can provide to a baby is to save him from tight swaddling.

Also, Komarovsky noted that it is possible to distinguish a physiological process from mastitis by only two main signs: an increase in body temperature (more than 38 degrees) and the formation of purulent discharge.

Conclusion

Swollen mammary glands in a newborn girl? This is no cause for concern! This phenomenon is absolutely normal and most babies experience it. But it is worth showing maximum vigilance and carefully monitoring the condition of the baby in order not to lose sight of the beginning mastitis.