A breastfeeding woman has a red, painful, wedge-shaped area on her breast, fever and malaise. There is no abscess. What does the advice include?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Continue to breastfeed or express, and give flucloxacillin if symptoms persist
- Step 1: This is mastitis.
- Step 2: Effective milk removal is important, and antibiotics are used if no improvement or if infected.
Answer
Continue to breastfeed or express, and give flucloxacillin if symptoms persist.
Why not the others: Prescribe doxycycline in all cases: Doxycycline is not recommended in breastfeeding. Stop breastfeeding immediately for two weeks and express nothing from the breast: Stopping worsens engorgement. Apply a tight breast bandage and restrict her fluid intake to reduce milk production: Binding and restricting fluids are unhelpful.
Practise more Labour, delivery and postpartum.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed PLAB 1 (GMC, international medical graduates) mock tests.
More Labour, delivery and postpartum questions
- A woman gives birth vaginally and loses 800 mL of blood in the first hour with a boggy, soft uterus. She is tachycardic. What is the first a…
- During delivery, the fetal head delivers but then retracts against the perineum (turtle sign) and the shoulders do not follow. What is the f…
- A woman in labour has a cord palpable in the vagina after her membranes ruptured. The fetal heart shows bradycardia. What is the most approp…
- A woman delivers and bleeds heavily. Her placenta has not been delivered after 45 minutes despite active management. What is the likely diag…
- A woman 5 days after delivery is agitated, confused, has delusions about her baby and has not slept for two nights. What is the likely diagn…