On Friday, one of my prenatal patients came in a few days postpartum with a seriously engorged left breast. It was 2 and 1/2 times it’s normal size and shiny with stretching. It looked outrageously painful.
We helped express a lot of the milk and even got the baby to nurse from it. Well, I’m not sure what happened over the weekend... but she came in today with open erosions on her skin. Engorgement has progressed to Abscess ridiculously fast.
Or had it? It is guessed that her family in an effort to help with the engorgement continued to express the milk very aggressively. They made things worse. Now she has three large erosions on her breast. It is still just as engorged. I can barely imagine the pain she must be in.
Thinking that it had become an abscess, Dennis incised it today. No pus was removed but a drain was placed in and we’ll be caring for her daily until it improves. I honestly don’t know what to think.... other than ouch!
I’ll keep you posted.
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Hi Stephanie my name is Jodie n I am midwife in Australia, following your blogs. Im in awe of your courage and praying for you often... what you r doing is inspirational.Dont stop writing. If you want to chat you can find me on facebook as Jo Baldry. God bless ya heaps as you serve him.
ReplyDeleteJodie Baldry