Does anyone know about an infant who has breast tissue?

Question

My nine month old daughter has had some breast tissue since she was about three months old. And I'm worried that it may be something serious.

Answer 1

After researching the web. This is what I found. I hope it helps if it does not let me know. Good luck.
Breast Problems
Pediatric breast problems can be categorized to those that arise in infancy and those later in childhood. They may manifest as nipple discharge, masses or lumps, with redness or swelling of the breast area. It is not uncommon for some children to have extra breast tissue or extra nipple tissue. This extra tissue rarely causes any physical symptoms but can be removed if it leads to emotional or psychological problems.

In the pediatric population breast cancer is extremely uncommon. Most breast problems are benign and many resolve without specific treatment. Operations on the breast of prepubertal girls should be carefully undertaken because of the risk of adverse effects upon future breast development.

Swelling or discharge in infants:
Many infants will have a normal fluid or discharge from one or both nipples which is usually clear or even milky. It has been referred to as “witch’s” milk and is seen both in males and females. Sometimes the breast bud underneath the nipple is enlarged and may stay enlarged for several months after birth as if the baby was developing early small breasts. This is normal and does not indicate anything wrong with the baby. It is not caused by abnormal care or feeding of the child.

Nipple discharge is a result of hormonal stimulation of the infant breast tissue by hormones that a mother normally makes during the last trimester of pregnancy. Some of these will cross into the infants circulation across the placenta. From there they travel to the baby’s breast tissue and stimulate the breast tissue to increase in size. Once the stimulation is no longer present the breast tissue will stop making fluid and usually shrink back down to normal over several weeks although this may persist over a few months.

Some infants will have a palpable lump right beneath the nipple up to 2 or 3cm. across. This lump may be felt for weeks or even months and in some baby’s may be palpable throughout the childhood years. For most babies the breast bud is not palpable.

The presence of nipple discharge in the infant is not a reason to stop breast feeding. Occasionally stimulation of the nipple by manipulation or squeezing may prolong the production of fluid. Some babies will have redness and swelling around the nipples and most times this will resolve spontaneously. Occasionally the tissue becomes infected and requires antibiotics.

A child with fever, swelling or tenderness of one breast more than the other may have a breast infection called mastitis. Antibiotics usually clear up the infection although on occasion the infection progresses to an abscess that may require aspiration or surgical incision and drainage. Bloody discharge from the nipple is rare and is usually benign.

In the adult, where bloody discharge warrants immediate attention and can indicate abnormal growth in the breast, in a child it is usually the result of transient growth of ducts beneath the nipple. Usually the discharge resolves spontaneously. If the drainage lasts for months sometimes surgery is indicated to remove the abnormal duct. However, it is not always simple to isolate the duct and since most cases of bloody discharge are not cancerous, surgery is recommended only for those cases in which the drainage lasts for a prolonged time.

Occasionally an adolescent who has gone through or is undergoing puberty will have clear nipple discharge. This is rarely a cause for concern and is the result of drainage from the gland just beneath the nipple. This drainage usually stops spontaneously in three to five weeks.

Small glands beneath the nipple that help lubricate the nipple are called Montgomery glands. These are sebaceous or sweat type glands and are a normal part of a woman’s nipple. Sometimes a lump can be felt in the skin at the nipple. Thin nipple discharge in a healthy non-pregnant girl should resolve spontaneously and is usually not treated with medication. Surgery or biopsy should be avoided.

Occasionally a young girl or adolescent will suffer a traumatic blow or fall on her breast. She may then develop a bruise or a hematoma and injury to the underlying fatty tissue that may break down to necrosis or death of the tissue. This can develop into an abscess especially if the skin overlying the injury is cut or scraped. A red tender area that was injured but now appears to be fluid filled, may indicate an abscess that requires drainage.

Normal breast development first appears shortly after birth and then again at the beginning of puberty. Boys as well as girls will have a small breast bud that can be felt for a few weeks after they are born. Thelarche is the term for mature breast development and may begin in girls as early as eight or nine years of age. The timing of breast development varies greatly from one person to another and in some girls may not occur until well into the teenage years.
http://www.eapsa.org/parents/resources/breast_disorders.cfm

Answer 2

Some babies after childbirth, both males and females might lactate, this is rare and attributed to the rising hormones in the mother during pregnancy which might have some effect on the newborn.
These are called breast buds and it is strictly advisable not to squeeze them,since it can lead to an abscess formation!
I recently came across one case during my ward rounds in the paediatric department

Heres some additional information regarding breat buds:

breast buds in an infant is A burst of your hormones passed to your daughter shortly before delivery is one of the finishing touches in preparing her lungs to breathe air when she is born. These hormones include estrogen and androgens, and can have several transient side effects. Real, mature breast tissue forms, creating firm lumps under the nipples. Some babies even leak some real milk from their breasts. This is colorfully named witch's milk, a term which captures the magic of the situation, but inappropriately attributes sinister and supernatural overtones to this natural wonder. Breast buds commonly occur in children of both sexes.

Many little girls develop a cloudy vaginal discharge. Some little girls will even have mini-periods -- with blood appearing at the vagina during the first week as estrogen levels fall rapidly. Some boys and girls will have genitalia swollen by the hormones. Many boys and girls will have their first experience of teenage acne, with real pimples appearing on the face and upper chest at around three weeks and lasting for three or four weeks. Sometimes this is severe enough to require treatment with a prescription baby form of benzoyl peroxide -- the common over-the-counter acne medicine used by many teens.

All of these changes disappear gradually, usually over the first several months of life, as your hormones and their effects vanish. Typically, the breast buds are the first to form and the last to go. Unless the breasts become red, hard, or warm (indicating possible mastitis, or breast infection), savor the weeks the firm lumps remain.

Budding breasts, a face full of pimples, and her first period are all visible reminders of a moment not long ago when she was still inside your uterus. They might even remind you that not terribly long ago, you were inside your own mother and receiving these same hormones. And these same little bumps are a glimpse of a future that seems so far away right now (especially on those sleepless nights), but will come all too soon -- when your teenage daughter becomes a woman.

Cherish moments like this when they occur. It might be when she stands in front of a mirror putting on make up, or delights to play with a briefcase, or it might be her graduation from kindergarten. Notice those junctures where, for a fleeting moment, she looks grown-up -- and appreciate the brief double-exposure of the future and the past.

Hope this helps and remember not to squeeze the breat tissue to prevent an abscess formation!

Answer 3

Infants are commonly born with breasts, sometimes even lactating BUT it should go away before the baby is 1 month.

If it isn't just fat have a doctor look into it and keep bugging them until you get an answer.

Answer 4

My boys both had breast tissue when they were born and it kind of freaked me out. I was told it was because of the hormones they were receiving through the umbilical cord. My boys are both now normal looking with no breast swelling at all.

Answer 5

This happened to my first daughter, as a result of my breastfeeding she obtained some hormones through my milk and she also had a bloody discharge for a couple of days. first child for me so of course I freaked out and rushed her right back to the hospital where I was told that it was pretty common and not to worry about it. They explained to me that some of my hormones were transferred to her through breastfeeding. I should say that this happened right after delivery with me and by 2wks. it had cleared up, now I don't know if you have been breastfeeding or not but I would see a doctor anyway just for peace of mind....

Answer 6

I read something about this. Aparently, from what I have read anyway, this is not that uncommon. It is caused by residual hormones from you. Some baby girls even get a little period sometimes.
I thought it was supposed to be with newborns, though. I'd check with the doc just to be sure.

Answer 7

my mother just told me about a study done recently. they found out that lavender oil has been causing breast tissue to grow on babies (boys and girls). the first answer was right about newborns and hormones... but this should have gone away by 3 months i think. do you use any lotions or soaps on your baby that contain lavender oil? i would try switching to something else, and see if that fixes the problem.

i just found this article: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/145763/tea_tree_oil_and_lavender_linked_to.html

Answer 8

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