Treatment of cystitis in breastfeeding: the basic principles and characteristics

After giving birth, the body of a woman is more often exposed to various infections. Because of decreased immunity, overwork or stress, inflammatory diseases occur. The most common of these is cystitis. Infection in the genitourinary tract can penetrate during and after childbirth, with hypothermia or non-compliance with hygiene rules. This is especially dangerous for those women who breastfeed, because together with the mother's milk the child receives all the substances that have penetrated her body. Therefore, the treatment of cystitis in breastfeeding should appoint a doctor, taking into account that the selected drugs do not hurt the child.

What is cystitis?

Inflammation of the walls of the bladder because of getting into it an infection or under hypothermia is a cystitis. Pathogens penetrate into the ureters from the intestine, from dirty hands or underwear. This is most often E. coli, but can also be staphylococcus, chlamydia, enterobacteria, mycoplasmas, fungi or parasites. Getting into the bladder, they multiply and cause inflammation of its walls. It can also develop when traumatizing the mucous, with a decrease in immunity and even with an incorrect lifestyle.

Causes of cystitis

After delivery, 70% of women develop cystitis. In addition to the usual causes that cause the disease, nursing mothers have many reasons for the development of inflammation.

• Often the bladder is injured during childbirth. When passing through the birth canal, the fruit can press it against the bones of the small pelvis.
• For the same reason there is a violation of blood circulation in the bladder. This over time can lead to inflammation.
• Sharp hormonal failures during pregnancy and childbirth affect the woman's immunity.
• Often to stop bleeding after childbirth, put on the stomach a hot-water bottle with ice. This hypothermia is the most common cause of cystitis.
• When the urinary catheter is staged, the woman in labor can be infected.
• Many breast-feeding women, because of fatigue, neglect the rules of personal hygiene. This contributes to the penetration of the infection into the bladder.

Symptoms of the disease

At the initial stage, cystitis can be cured in a few days. And serious medicines may not be required. Therefore, in order for the treatment of cystitis in breastfeeding to be safer for the child and mother, it is necessary to start it on time. For this, a woman should know what symptoms the disease accompanies:

• Frequent urge to urinate;
• Burning in the urinary canal;
• Pain in the bladder;
• Small volume of urine, it is cloudy and dark;
• Possibly a fever and a general malaise.

Treatment of cystitis in breastfeeding: basic principles

Everyone knows that during breastfeeding with the mother's milk the child receives both beneficial and harmful substances that could be found in the woman's body from medicines. No mother will want to harm her child, so many women postpone the treatment of cystitis for later. When breastfeeding features of therapy are that many drugs are contraindicated. Therefore, it is necessary to visit a doctor as soon as possible so that he recommends safe therapy. How often is cystitis treated during breastfeeding? Doctors give such advice:

• Be sure to take medicines: antibiotics, herbal extracts;
• Drink more fluids, especially with a diuretic effect, to flush out the bacteria from the bladder;
• Keep intimate hygiene, take a shower every day and change clothes;
• It is necessary not to stop treatment after the disappearance of pain, since in a weakened organism inflammation can occur again.

Antibiotic therapy

Since the disease is caused by an infection, antibiotics are prescribed necessarily. Nursing women can not take many drugs, which most often treat cystitis. Therefore, the doctor must choose the drug. After the urine is analyzed and the pathogen is determined, the specialist prescribes the medicine. Most often, these are antibiotics of the penicillin group. They least penetrate into the milk and do not harm the child. The most common are "Amoxicillin", "Amoxiclav," "Augmentin."

Antibiotics from the group of cephalosporins are also prescribed: "Cefazolin", "Cefuroxin" or "Zinnat". If chlamydia or mycoplasma are found in the urine, stronger drugs should be drunk: Nitrofuran, Monural, Erythromycin or Ofloxacin. But in this case, breastfeeding will have to be stopped. Absolutely forbidden during the lactation sulfonamides, for example "Bactrim", and preparations of the group of quinolones, for example, "Nitroxoline".

It is very important to take antibiotics in the correct dosage and the required number of days. You can not stop treatment when symptoms have disappeared. The infection can return. Therefore, the duration of antibiotics should be at least 5 days.

Herbal preparations

Treatment of cystitis in women with breastfeeding should be carried out in a complex manner. Antibiotic therapy should be supplemented with drugs that are of vegetable origin. The most effective and safe are "Phytolysin" and "Kanefron". They do not harm the baby, but can affect the taste of breast milk. The duration of treatment with such drugs is at least 3 weeks. After consultation with a doctor, they can be taken for prophylaxis.

The composition of "Kanefron" includes extracts of gold-bearing, rosemary and lover's root. The drug relieves spasms, reduces inflammation, has a diuretic effect. In addition, "Kanefron" improves kidney function and prevents the formation of stones.

"Phytolysin" is created on the basis of a large number of plant extracts: goldenrod, horsetail, mountaineer, lover, hernia, parsley and others. Also included in its composition are essential oils of mint, orange, pine. Due to the complex effect of all components, "Phytolysin" effectively removes pain and inflammation, has a diuretic and antibacterial effect.

Drinking regime

Treatment of cystitis in breastfeeding involves drinking a lot of fluid. This is necessary for washing the bladder, and for producing milk. The liquid should be at least 2-3 liters per day. And not only its quantity is important, it is necessary to choose carefully what to drink. First of all, it is necessary to abandon the sweet carbonated drinks, tea and coffee. The substances contained in them irritate the mucosa of the bladder.

It is best to drink pure water, alkaline mineral water without gas, decoctions of herbs, dog rose or green tea with cystitis. But the best diuretic and anti-inflammatory effect is possessed by cranberry and cowberry mors. When cooking them, do not add sugar, since sweet drinks can enhance the reproduction of bacteria. Sometimes to relieve pain, it is recommended to drink a weak saline solution. It is believed that it reduces the acidity of urine.

Treatment of cystitis in breastfeeding folk remedies

There are many recipes for relieving pain and inflammation in the bladder. But even folk remedies can harm a child. Therefore, they can be used only after consulting a doctor. For example, sage, often recommended to relieve inflammation, reduces lactation. It is recommended such treatment of cystitis by folk methods:

• Safe for the child are broths of chamomile, yarrow, echinacea, corn stigmas;
• The most effective remedies for cystitis are cranberries and cranberries, it is best to drink the fruit drinks from these berries, but you can brew them like tea;
• Two-thirds of a glass of pure millet pour 3 glasses of water and insist 10-12 hours, take 100 g of infusion 3 times a day;
• The decoction of cranberry leaves has a diuretic effect and helps with inflammation.

Diet for cystitis

Nursing mother and so should monitor the diet of their food. But if she developed cystitis after childbirth, treatment with breastfeeding requires a special diet:

• It is necessary to exclude salt, as it promotes fluid retention and can exacerbate inflammation and swelling;
• Give up fatty foods, smoked foods and spices;
• Is very useful in this disease, cranberries, it can be eaten simply or make fruit from it;
• In the diet should include carrots, parsley, asparagus, celery, watermelons.

Local cystitis treatment

Very often, breastfeeding women are recommended various external methods of therapy. Treatment of cystitis in breastfeeding in this way is safer than medications. But they must be used only according to the doctor's prescription.

• A hot-water bottle or a large plastic bottle must be filled with hot water and put between the legs. Take shelter and lie down for half an hour to warm the bladder. But this method can be used only with non-infectious cystitis.
• More often now, nursing mothers are offered the introduction of drugs directly into the bladder through a catheter. To do this, for example, "Protargol" is used. This procedure is effective and safe for the child, since the drugs do not penetrate into the milk. Just a two-time introduction is sufficient for a complete cure.

Complications of improper treatment

If you do not take measures at the appearance of the first signs of the disease, explaining this by the fact that drugs can harm a child, cystitis can go into a chronic form. And then it will become aggravated with any decrease in immunity. Such a chronic cystitis is very difficult to treat, as it leads to changes in the structure of the mucous membrane of the bladder. If improperly treated, the infection can penetrate the kidneys and cause the development of pyelonephritis. This disease is very difficult to treat, but for the body it is very dangerous.

Prevention of cystitis

To prevent inflammation of the bladder, a nursing woman needs to observe several simple rules:

• Wear comfortable underwear made of natural fabrics;
• To refuse wearing thongs and bikinis;
• It is necessary to dress in the weather and avoid hypothermia, especially the legs and lower back;
• Daily you need to drink at least 2 liters of water;
• to live an active lifestyle;
• Time to treat chronic and infectious diseases;
• To watch over the food, excepting from it salty, pickled and fried products, coffee and spices;
• Regularly empty the bladder.

To get rid of inflammation of the bladder can be means absolutely safe for the child. Therefore, do not delay the treatment of cystitis in breastfeeding. Comments of women who started therapy on time and followed all the recommendations of the doctor, note that the disease was swift and the child was not affected at all.