The short explanation
Breast la sivappa oru katti, kooda kaichal irundha adhu mastitis aaga irukkalaam. This is inflammation of the breast, sometimes with infection. Fever is a reason to see a doctor the same day rather than manage only at home. She can usually continue breastfeeding or expressing from that side, which helps the breast drain and heal.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Rest, enough fluids, frequent feeding and help with positioning are useful while waiting to be seen. Avoid hard massage or applying home pastes on red skin.
- If the katti stays hard and very painful, a doctor may check with an ultrasound for an abscess, a collection of pus that may need to be drained.
- You can support her by handling other tasks so she can rest and feed often.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This answer cannot tell whether she has infection or an abscess. Only an examination can show that.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Is this mastitis or an abscess?
- Does she need treatment, and is it safe for breastfeeding?
- Should she keep feeding from that side?
- What should make us come back quickly?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department if you have a high fever with shivering, feel confused, very drowsy or breathless, or feel extremely unwell.
- Call 112 also if she feels faint or the redness spreads quickly.
Get help the same day
- Take her to a doctor today because she has fever with a red, painful breast.
Book an appointment soon
- Return within a few days if she is not clearly improving.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Ask for latch support at her postnatal follow-up.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Mastitis NHS
- Breastfeeding MedlinePlus (NIH)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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