I have had a very unusual case this month: mastitis during pregnancy. I did 
not see the client during pregnancy; by the time she came to me, the baby 
was 6 days old and the client had an abscess in her left breast - the worst 
I've ever seen. Truly horrifying; never in my 19 years in this field have I seen 
a breast that looked like that.  She says, however, that "the lump" started in 
the 7th month of her pregnancy. She showed it to her doctor on multiple 
occasions because it was getting larger and larger. According to her he 
dismissed it each time. It got so bad - still during the pregnancy, mind you - 
that it abscessed and had to be drained approximately 3-4 weeks prior to birth.

When I saw her on postpartum day 7 she was no better - worse, in fact, as 
that breast was now openly oozing from 6 or 7 different (slightly larger than 
nickel-sized) places on the breast at the same time, all of which developed 
after the abscess was drained.  These were open wounds. The affected 
breast was approximately twice the size of her other one. (An ARNP was 
visiting her daily in her home). Finally this week she was hospitalized; an 
infection specialist is now involved in the case and they expect to go back 
into that breast again.

My question to the wise-ones here is probably obvious: have any of you heard 
of such a thing before? It was new to me. Any theories on what actually 
happened to her?

And before you ask: at one point I asked for permission to take a picture but 
the most she could commit to was that she'd take a picture herself and send 
it to me. I did not pursue the matter further....


Regina M. Roig-Romero, BS IBCLC
Sr Lactation Consultant
Miami-Dade County Health Dept WIC/Nutrition
7785 NW 48 ST #300
Miami FL
786-336-1333 x16219

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