Breast Pathologies and Inadequate Breastfeeding Practices: A Survey Among a Group of Newly Delivered Women in Yaoundé, Cameroon

Abstract

Breastfeeding women may develop a number of breast disorders during the postpartum period. Such disorders could involve masses of varying sizes, breastmilk secretion anomalies and painful-inflammatory or infectious conditions. Though very few of these conditions may be absolute contraindications to breastfeeding, they are however a significant source of worry for newly delivered women and may disrupt the breastfeeding process. This survey aimed to investigate breast anomalies in women with inadequate breastfeeding practices. We conducted a cross-sectional study from December 2018 to May 2019 at the Yaoundé Gynaeco-Obtetric and Paediatric Hospital. Mothers with livebirth neonate infants weighing > 2000g and with no initial contraindication to breastfeeding were included. A total of 250 mothers were enrolled in the survey. Delivery was eutocic in 230 (92%) women and 199 (79.6%) had the intension to exclusively breastfeed their babies. The state of the neonates was satisfactory in 204 (96%) deliveries. However, inadequate breastfeeding was noted in 153 mothers (61.2%), with breast pathologies occurring in 85 women (55.5%), among which 24 (28.2%) had secretion anomalies predominated by quantitative disorders. Painful inflammatory and/or infectious conditions occurred in 58 women (69.4%) including nipple crevices, breast engorgement, inverted nipples, mastitis and abscess. All women with obvious or supposed breast disorders had inadequate breastfeeding practices. Therefore, painful breast pathologies and secretion disorders should firstly be investigated in women with eutocic delivery, who are willing to breastfeed, but unable to do so adequately. More so, these pathologies are essentially benign and may be prevented by good hygiene, adequate breastfeeding techniques such as proper nipple and areolar positioning into the baby's mouth.

OEIS complex: A case report and literature review of a rare polymalformative syndrome

“…Antenatal diagnosis offers several advantages, such as a better understanding of the condition by the parents with psychological, financial and moral preparation for treatment as well as in utero transfer to facilities able to manage cloacal exstrophy. This makes perinatal and maternity accommodations feasible for the mother and the baby [9,[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] The clinical diagnosis of cloacal exstrophy may be obvious at birth. However, in this patient, its four classical components were contested with spina bifida occulta of lumbosacral location.…”