Re-Occuring Mastitis

[Kazar]

Hello Everyone,

This is my first ever post and I'm hoping someone has some advice worth sharing.

Due to a really bad experience in hospital with breastfeeding I decided to formula feed my baby (unfortunately too late to be given medication to dry up my milk).

In the first week back at home I was sick with Mastitis, I went on antibiotics and also went to a Lactation consultant to help me deal with it. As I became better I felt fantastic, however I then came down with it again.

I'm expressing every 4 hours day and night plus looking after a baby who never wants to sleep. I have just got over it but I feel like I'm about to get it again.

Please help! Has anyone else had this problem?! It's really making me quite depressed and I'm struggling from day to day to enjoy my new baby.

I've tried cabbage leaves, Ice packs, Heat packs and also massaging in the shower. I'm at breaking point..is there anything I can do?

I'd appreciate any feedback as I'm desperate.

Thankyou.

[DeeLee]

I have had two bouts of mastitis and it is horrible, and it makes you depressed which doesn't help!

I had some sessions of ultra-sound treatment which helped a lot. It breaks up the blockage, you then need to express or feed ASAP to clear the breast.

With the times I got the mastitis I didn't have any lumps until I already had the red marks, heat and sickness so had to have the antibiotics.

Recently I noticed some hardness so used heat on that area before I fed my baby and then I expressed after each feed as well to make sure that my breast was empty. I managed to stop the mastitis from coming back.

[OurLittleBlessing]

I sympathise, I had it three times with DD1. Horrible hey.

Will your bub drink from the breast? Babies are much more efficient at removing the milk than a pump. If you position your bub so that his/her chin is in line with the lump you will get the best suction. Then you can gently stroke downwards with your thumb towards the nipple. HUGS.

[Bex]

I got mastisis constantley when i was expressing and freeding with a bottle for my first 2. My third fed till 13 1/2 months and and my 3 months old is still feeding. so thats 16 1/2 months of feeding with only one mild case that was mixed with tonsilitis so cant tell how much was each problem lol.

So maybe try reatching ur bubba. the best way to do that is to sit in a warm bath and try feeding.

[MilkOnTap]

Oh wow! I'm so sorry to hear about the recurring mastitis...

I know this would only be a short term solution (up to 2yrs) but have you considered trying to breastfeed again? Reason I make this suggestion is because a baby can always get every last drop of milk out of a breast, but a pump is no where near as efficient. You might be getting full bottles when your expressing, but there will most likely be some left over - and its these left overs that are making you get mastitis - because your breast isn't being truly emptied.

Also, the number 1 mantra when breastfeeding is Supply and Demand. Whilst you are allowing the pump to continue demanding milk, your body is going to continue supplying it. If you want to dry out, then I would recommend to slow down on the pumping and continue with the AB's and cabbage leaves. Though I'm not a qualified LC either...

Do you mind me asking what the horrific breastfeeding experience was? Perhaps some knowledgeable hubbers could help you out in re-establishing bf'ing your baby?

[AM]

I've had it quite a few times over the years.

I keep a bottle of homeopathic phytolacca in my drawer to take at the very first sign, and it seems to work wonders.

One thing which seems to be true is that you will tend to get Mastitis if you are generally run down, so make very sure your diet is tip top, and you are getting as much rest as is humanly possible (sleep or just rest at minimum, EVERY time your baby sleeps, to heck with the housework!) make sure you are taking lots of liquids as well.

I always do lots of really painful deep massage of my mastitis lumps as soon as they appear, from the lump out to the nipple, hurts horribly, but really helps to clear them.

You seem to be expressing a LOT, personally i'd be expressing ONLY to relieve pressure, as little as possible, 'cos your boobs are getting confused, and making more milk.

As someone else mentioned, you definitely can resume breastfeeding if you want to, the Australian Breastfeeding Associaiton can provide a lot of support and practial pointers for this if it is an option.

Also, I have been known to get a bucket of warm/hot water and kneel over it with my boob submerged into it and massage/express into it... sounds so glam, hey?

I hope you don't get too many more bouts of it, shouldn't be TOO long before your milk dries up completely, I guess....

But seriously, make sure your GENERAL health is looked after, as I think it is the foundation to keeping Mastitis away.

All the best

[Kazar]

A big thank you to everyone who replied.

Although Mastitis isn't very nice, I'm glad to here that others have had it more then once and I'm not the only one.

I went to my 6 week appointment with my OB and informed him that I thought I was getting it again. One of my boobs is red and hard on once side. He checked it and told me it's possible it's just engorged and not necessary to take antibiotics (which I've had 3 rounds of in the past 5 weeks). He did give me a script just in case I need them in the future.

My bad experience in hospital was I guess the usual for some first time mothers. I wanted to breastfeed from the beginning however things just went downhill when I did try. I think I was a little stressed which didn't help my bub with the feeding, I had trouble latching her on properly but once I did she'd get sleepy and slip off again. My nipples were so sore and every time I'd inform the staff at the hospital they'd just force her back on and say that's ok, it'll pass. I think I was an emotional wreck so from this I felt I was a bad mother from the get go and decided right then to put my bub on formula. I believe it's been the right decision as she's thriving and at her 5 week weigh in she was 4.9kg.

So now my Doctor gave me a plan to dry up my milk which fingers crossed will work without me getting mastitis again. He informed me to express every 5 hours for 48 hours, then 6 hours for 48 hours, 7 hours for 48 hours and so on. So far so good. It's only been a day but my boobs aren't painful like they were for the past couple of days.

So a big thank you again.