Causes
Before starting treatment, it is necessary to establish what caused the disease. Only in this case is it possible to prescribe truly effective therapy. Most often, the disease is caused by the following factors:
- Infection. Relatively recently, it was discovered that gastritis can be caused by a bacterial infection. Infection occurs through household means, but the infection may not appear immediately. Often, gastritis begins to manifest itself only when the immune system is weakened. And pregnancy, childbirth and subsequent feeding are a lot of stress for the female body.
- Autoimmune. This type of disease is most often inherited. The disease is caused by a malfunction of the immune system, when immune cells begin to attack healthy cells in the body, which provokes inflammation.
- Chemical. The disease is caused by the negative effect of aggressive factors on the gastric mucosa. This may be poisoning, that is, ingestion of caustic substances. But reflux gastritis, caused by weakness of the duodenal sphincter, is more common. Because of this, the contents of the upper intestine flow back into the stomach. Bile acids negatively affect the mucous membranes, causing inflammation.
Symptoms
The symptoms of gastritis in women during lactation do not differ from the clinical manifestations of the disease in other people suffering from this disease. However, young mothers often do not pay attention to the discomfort for a long time, since they have enough other worries and concerns.
The inflammatory process in the gastric wall is manifested by the following symptoms:
- pain in the upper abdomen, which may get worse at night or after eating;
- the appearance of belching, it may be belching with a sour taste or an unpleasant odor;
- nausea, burning sensation along the esophagus.
Advice! You should not delay treatment for gastritis if it appears during lactation. The mother’s poor health cannot but affect the baby.
Gentle therapy
If test results show the presence of a mild inflammatory process, the following methods are used to relieve pathological symptoms:
- Maintaining a daily routine. A nursing woman facing gastritis needs to follow a work-rest schedule. If a young mother feels tired, then she should not deny herself a 30-minute rest;
- Diet. Diet plays one of the most important roles in improving the condition of the gastric mucosa. A nursing woman should avoid consuming sugar, fatty foods, table salt and various spices. Fermented milk products, vegetable and cereal soups, natural fruit and berry jelly without added sugar have a positive effect on the state of the gastrointestinal tract;
- Maintaining the pH of the stomach. For this purpose, medical experts recommend daily consumption of alkaline mineral water;
- Control of emotional state. Regardless of whether a nursing woman suffers from gastritis or not, she needs to control her psycho-emotional state, avoiding stress and nervous strain;
- Relief of discomfort and pain in the stomach. For this purpose, antispasmodic medications are prescribed. The selection of names and dosages of such drugs is carried out by the attending physician.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis of gastritis in nursing mothers is no different from the standard diagnostic scheme. Women need to see a gastroenterologist. The doctor will conduct an examination and collect anamnesis, and then refer you for tests and examinations. Required:
- take blood and stool tests;
- undergo an ultrasound to identify or exclude concomitant diseases (for example, cholecystitis);
- undergo an FGDS procedure, this is an endoscopic examination that allows for a visual examination of the gastric mucosa.
Advice! FGDS should not be performed in case of acute gastritis, since this examination can cause even greater irritation of the inflamed mucosa.
Treatment
After making a diagnosis, the specialist will prescribe the necessary therapeutic measures. How to treat gastritis for a young mother so that the baby does not suffer? There are two treatment options for gastritis during breastfeeding:
- With interruption of feeding. This method is used in cases of acute illness in the mother, when it is not possible to do without the use of medications contraindicated for breastfeeding. In addition, the doctor may recommend interrupting lactation if the child is already one year old. At this age, the child no longer needs mother's milk so much, so refusing to feed will not harm him.
- With continued feeding. In the chronic course of the disease, when there is no sharp pain, you can resort to methods that do not affect the quality of breast milk. It may not be possible to completely cure the stomach during lactation, but it will be possible to normalize a woman’s condition without taking antibiotics and other medications.
In any case, the question of how to treat gastritis for a nursing mother must be resolved with a gastroenterologist, rather than looking for treatment methods on your own. The fact is that treatment is prescribed individually, and the recommendations given to one patient may not be suitable for another.
Medicines
If the option of treating gastritis with GW is chosen, then antibacterial therapy is excluded. But, nevertheless, medications can be prescribed that do not affect the composition of breast milk.
Advice! There is no need to try to do everything perfectly; do not hesitate to shift some of the housework to your husband and other relatives. Do not forget that a young mother needs proper rest.
To normalize acidity and relieve pain, it is recommended to use:
- Mineral water. For high acidity, it is recommended to drink Borjomi and Smirnovskaya. With reduced acidity, Essentuki No. 4 and 17 will help.
- Vitamins. Taking multivitamin preparations for general strengthening of the body is indicated.
- To relieve pain, you can use Smecta; it is safe during breastfeeding;
- If the pain is very severe, you can take No-Shpu once; you cannot use this drug constantly.
Folk remedies
You can try to cure gastritis during breastfeeding with the help of medicinal herbs. A gastroenterologist may recommend taking a gastric collection. The choice of collection option is carried out taking into account the type of disease:
- Collection No. 1 is universal; it can be used for any form of gastritis.
- Collection No. 2 is recommended for hypoacid and erosive types of gastritis.
- Collection No. 3 is indicated for reflux gastritis and the hypoacid form of the disease.
Diet
When treating gastritis, a nursing mother is advised to follow a diet. You need to eat 5-6 times, it is recommended to eat porridge with water, puree soups, dairy products, jelly, and dishes made from minced lean meat. In addition, you need to try to adhere to the regime. It is clear that it is difficult to follow this recommendation with a small child, but you need to try.
What daily routine is needed?
For proper rest, a nursing mother must create a daily routine; it is important to compare it with the needs of the baby. Between feeding intervals, you can sleep with your baby to gain strength and energy. Stress causes stomach contractions and irritation, hence should be avoided.
If you resort to treatment with folk remedies, then various herbal infusions are an effective remedy, before taking which you need to consult a doctor, because some herbs can have negative effects on the child. If your stomach has high acidity, herbs such as chamomile and celandine will be helpful.
For low acidity, the following are recommended:
- fennel;
- sagebrush;
- caraway;
- parsley.
For cooking, take 3 tbsp. l. herbs, pour 1 liter. hot water, infuse for 30 minutes, take 1/2 cup orally before or after meals.
Prevention
Preventing stomach diseases is much easier than treating them. The main preventive measure is proper nutrition. In addition, it is very important to get proper rest. In case of chronic gastritis, it is recommended to undergo a preventive solution even before planning a pregnancy. This will reduce the risk of relapse of the disease during pregnancy and feeding.
So, gastritis can develop at any time, including during the period of breastfeeding the baby. The disease must be treated under the supervision of a gastroenterologist. If you plan not to interrupt breastfeeding, then it is necessary to use means that do not affect the composition of breast milk. Women are advised to follow a diet, drink mineral water, get proper rest, and take safe medications.
After breastfeeding
Superficial gastritis during breastfeeding does not require treatment, as does acute gastritis caused by Helicobacter pylori. Treatment of bacterial gastritis must be started after finishing feeding.
If the pain is unbearable, you can begin treatment by switching the child to complementary foods. During treatment, if a woman plans to breastfeed in the future, every effort should be made to preserve milk supply. To maintain lactation, you need to take vitamins for nursing mothers, massage your breasts, express milk regularly, and drink plenty of fluids.
Medicines should not be used without a doctor’s recommendation, since only a physician can determine the type of gastritis after examining gastric juice and ultrasound results. Before treatment, you should find a good gastroenterologist and follow his prescriptions.
