HELP! Mastitis or Plugged Duct and I Don't Take Antibiotics

ibuprofen, and lots of it, it helps inflammation. Lots of liquid

you can get a systemic bacterial infection from an untreated bout of mastitis. that is when you take antibiotics.

Congratulations on the girls ...
One thing you can do that will be preventative ... if you choose to continue to breastfeed ... is the use of the vitamin LECITHIN as it will help the ducts to not get clogged.
Taking that, and then pumping to empty the breast when the baby doesn't are 2 things that the LaLeche leaders always recommended.
LaLeche group in Mt Prospect is where I went, I live in Hoffman Estates, but they were always worth the trip. Amazing supportive leaders, and a real homey feeling with the group. - You could even look them up and email/call one of them without having been there.
I hope all goes well.

I am very prone to mastitis and only got relief with antibiotics until I discovered homeopathy. I highly recommend Dr. Polich at www.dupagehomeopathiccenter.com.

-A.

First of all, you don't take 7 days of antibiotics every four hours. You'd probably take it for the seven days but only twice a day depending on the prescription. I suggest you start pumping, either buy one or go to your local county health department and see if they can help get you one. I suggest you go to your doctor and have it looked at before it gets any worse than it already. Also, stop being so damn stubborn and do whats best for your health and your daughter's and go see the doctor or call them!

The first thing to do is consult your doctor. I'm pretty sure he/she will tell you that mastitis and a clogged duct are two very different things. Mastitis is an infection caused by bacteria entering the breast through cracks - they may "microcracks" that are so small you don't even realize they are there. In addition to the pain, you will experience flu-like symptoms (chills, fever, EXTREME tiredness). In my case they began very suddenly, although the breast pain started hours before. It was awful. According to my doc, it is very important to treat mastitis with antibiotics because it can very quickly turn in to sepsis. Can't remember what antibiotic he prescribed, but it was only one pill per day. He also told me that if you have mastitis once you are more likely to have it again. Not sure why... Good luck!

Try using a heating pad, and drink lots of water. I've also read to put plain yogurt on your nipples and nurse as much as possible and it should heal up in a few days. You can also take tylanol to help with the fever. I hope that you get better soon.

Be sure you are massaging from top to nipple often! Push your fingers down in a straight line - like you are going to push the blocked milk out. If it's not too late, you may be able to massage it out. I got lumps all the time and a lactation consultant showed me how to rub them out -- be sure to run your hand from top to nipple -- a lot!! Good luck :)

Heat, Rest, Empty Breast! It's a little rhyme that you can remind yourself of to treat mastitis. I would always get it with my four children,(last baby still nursing), when I was doing too much. I have eight full years of nursing experience in the last twelve!

Apply heat, in your bra, in the shower(massage area), any way you can.

Start your nursing session with the breast that is plugged, and adjust your nursing position to best empty that spot, massaging it even though it is painful.

Get as much rest as you can. I know it is difficult when you have a toddler and a baby. For me going to bed at a decent time at night is the only way to add rest.

Yes, also put green cabbage pieces into your bra as another person said. My midwife gave me this advice, and it is a great natural remedy. Even if you get a fever you can take care of yourself. Drink plenty of fluids too. I know how hard it is to even get a glass of water sometimes, but that will help too.

And lastly, from a woman who has trouble slowing down, and is always doing too much... ask yourself if there is anything you can let go of while you are caring for yourself and your little girls.

Keep up the good work!

Well, I have had mastitis in the past and have also read about natural methods to heal it. NO matter what, keep nursing on that breast. You can take natural antibiotics and probiotics. There are 2 forms of natural products that could help: colloidal silver and Triguard (grapefruit seed extract). I would also recommend seeing a chiropractor to help boost your immune system to fight the infection. Every adjustment you receive increases your white blood cell count therefore making your immune system much stronger to fight the infection. Also try to avoid sugary foods-as they can attack your immune system and help the infection to grow.
Good Luck!! Keep on nursing!

I've had mastitis twice now and didn't take antibiotics either time. A mastitis doesn't necessary mean that its infected-just that it can get easily infected. If you have a fever, you probably need antibiotics. Make sure you talk to your health care provider.
I nursed through both occurrences of mastitis. My midwife told me to take hot showers and sit in there for a while. Also, as much as it hurts massage the area during the showers. I pumped since its important to get that breast drained-something to consider even if you express manually instead of pumping. I read on the internet (so I don't know how true it is) that some babies won't nurse on the side that has a mastitis because it tastes a little different to them. Again, don't know if its true but for me it made me extra aware of the need to pump since my little guy really did seem to have a preference during the mastitis.

M.,
I would call the doctor. I know the antibotics are not your first choice, but It sounds like the infection may have moved. Heat packs, and Tylenol are ok. But If you wait to long things can get worse.

I would be very careful about not wanting to take antibiotics--a breast infection can be very serious. I had mastitis while nursing my twins, and it was resistant to the first course of antibiotics, I ended up in the hopsital for 5 days with a serious infection and abscess, and IV antibiotics. It was terrible (although looking back, it was the first time since there birth I actually slept through the night!). Just be aware that sometime antibiotics may be your only safe course. I would discuss with your doctor or midwife for sure, especially if you have a fever. Cabbage leaves and heat were helpful by the way at the beginning but certainly didn't do anything for the infection. Also, yes you can continue to breastfeed after mastitis, but I chose not to. You may want to contact La Leche league also, they may have some great advice for you. Good luck and hope you are feeling better soon!

M., where do you live? Most cities/towns have a local chapter of La Leche League - the leaders are moms with tons of BF experience and training in helping moms w/BF problems. They're WONDERFUL! They always have advice. Or try an alternative medicine chiropractor or acupuncturist/herbalist. and good quality probiotics are always a great idea. I take one all the time myself (i'm an LAc.) good luck!-A.

Hi M.,
I had mastitis about 4 months ago. Good for you for not jumping on antibiotics. I now have thrush from them and am on a very restricted diet to try and get rid of my Candida.

You can try hot compresses to help speed up the healing. I would suggest pumping to help empty the breast- it's still better than antiobiotics. You can also try taking Lecithin (check a natural food store for it). It's supposed to thin your milk a bit to help avoid future plugged ducts and mastitis. I would watch your temperature- keep an eye out for a fever and serious infection. Keep nursing on that side also! It's really important.
Check out Kellymom.com for more info on Mastitis. They may have some more alternative suggestions.

I did try taking Phytolacca Decandra, my midwife suggested this homeopathic to stop the infection. It did not work for me, but it might for you. I also took another homeopathic made specifically for "Infection". That didn't work for me either.

Good luck- I hope you find something that works,
T.

M.:

yes there are alternatives... first you need to be seen by a lactation consultant to get the latch corrected.. that will enable your babies to effectively drain the breast ..

P., RLC, IBCLC, CST
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions

I had a clogged milk duct and I used raw pieces of greeb cabbage. I know it sounds odd, but it works. All you do is take a piece and put it in your bra. When it gets warm and wilted throw it away and either replace it right away or wait a little bit. It doesn't smell the best but it does work. I used a little heating pad, not the plugged in type, but the self heating and just slipped it into my bra. I just read through the other responses, and there is two bits of advice I forgot to mention as well, do not stop nursing and massage in the shower.
Hope that helps.

Hi M.,

I too had the same question two weeks ago and made a post. I found that you can have some similiar flu-like symptoms with a clogged duct. I had mastitis and felt worse, but was getting the same feelings. My midwife will not prescribe antibiotics unless there is a fever over 101 degree. I also didn't want an unnecessary round of antibiotics. Here is what I did. I doubled up on my probiotics each night before bed. I take Florajen 3 (found in the refridgerated section of Whole Foods-there are 3 strands of probiotics in them) until I felt better and continue to take one each night for maintainence. I also took Emergen-C and applied warm compresses before nursing and nursed often. That really seem to do the trick for me and felt much better within two days. Good luck and hope it helps!

One suggestion that I have is from a local homebirth doctor, years ago. He suggested putting moist heat on the breast just before nursing and cold compresses on it after nursing. That strategy helps loosen things up and promote milk flow before nursing and slow down milk flow after nursing, to help prevent milk from building up behind the plug in the duct.

Another suggestion is to nurse more often, to help pull out the plug.

Another suggestion is to alter the position that you nurse in with each nursing--cradle hold, lying down, nursing lying down upside down (with baby's legs going up past your head). Visualize your areola as the face of a clock. Sometimes plugs can happen when the same position is used all the time, because the same ducts are getting sucked a lot on or sucked on less, due to the position of the baby's mouth.

Another suggestion is to avoid the "cross-cradle' hold, in which your hand is behind the baby's head. This hold has been shown to cause a lot of problems. Use instead the "Cradle hold" in which the baby's head is in the crook of your elbow.

Another suggestion is to check your bra for tightness. Sometimes a bra that's pressing some duct too much can cause a blockage which then becomes a plug.

Another suggestion is to nurse a lot, drink a lot, and rest a lot.

Here's more ideas....

http://search.llli.org/site/apps/s/google_search.asp?q=ma...

http://search.llli.org/site/apps/s/google_search.asp?q=pl...

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t022200.asp

J.

I wish I knew of another solution; I am a nurse who also went through mastitis on postpartum day 8. I developed a 104 degree fever and became very ill in bed for 3 days. I wish there had been another solution; however, if left untreated, it can turn into sepsis which could render you very ill in a hospital on IV antibiotics. I nursed through the pain, the illness, and the antibiotics, and my son remains healthy to this day.

Good Luck! I hope you feel better soon.

Hey - hopefully this problem is gone for you (or nearly gone). I just thought I'd share my own experience... I had mastitis 4 times in about a 3 month period last year when I was still nursing my son. 2 of the times I managed to get rid of it without antibiotics and the other 2 times I got so sick I broke down and took them.
Massage in the shower, Manually express the milk or pump. Massage it HARD while you pump - you can sometimes see the plug (it's a tiny white dot) on your nipple and can sometimes scrape it off gently while in the shower. Once the duct opens the milk will just shoot out. Nurse your baby very often on that side and massage while you're nursing her. Drink tons of water.

Good luck!!

Hi, I had mastitis twice and all I did was put hot compresses on the affected area as often as I had time for. The heat is supposed to draw out the infection. I nursed through it and it didn't last too long. I also took plenty of Tylenol for my fever. I nursed laying (lying?) down so I could rest and Baby slept alot. Good luck!

I am a nurse and i don't see too many antibiotics that you have to take every 4 hours, they are now either once or twice a day. I had mastitis when my son was 6mo old and i was miserable! Take the antibiotics for a couple of days and suppliment the baby with formula. Then when its cleared up return to nursing but continue to express the milk to keep the production flowing if you wish to continue. The infection left untreated can result in sepsis which is far worse. Hope it helps.

I hope you are feeeling better. If you are not, there are homeopathic remedies that are GREAT for mastitis and can clear it within hours. Post me offlist if you want me to help you try to find one. I recommend getting the book by Miranda Castro "Homeopathy for pregnancy, childbirth and baby's first year." It's a great way to treat yourself and your family for ailments like this. And the remedies are readily available at fruitful yield, whole foods, etc.

I have a breastfeeding support grp that meets weekly on Mondays in s. naperville if you're interested in coming. it's a great grp of moms. here's the info (not a business, i just volunteer, and it's free):
http://www.mamasource.com/business/8288988875477483521

Also, my homeopath is giving a free seminar about homeopathy, a great method of natural healing for both chronic and acute (temporary) illness, on Sat. 3/15 from 10-12 in Naperville. Here's her homepage and it has all the info right there:
www.dupagehomeopathic.com

Best wishes -- Jen S. (Naperville)

Hi, I had an extreme case of plugged ducts, took antibiotics and I got worse. I can totally understand the unwillingness to go that route. Massage in the shower, softly push on the back of the lump, going through the entire duct. I have a great accupunturist/healing arts woman that I swear by in Chicago. Her name is Althea Northage-Orr and she runs the Chicago College of Healing Arts, phone ###-###-####

Hi M. -

I got mastitis with all of my 3 pregnancies. I never took antibiotics with any of them. I worked through the pain by nursing more often. I also used a heating pad. It will hurt for a few days but it will eventually get better. It is very painful though. Definetly nurse on that breast as often as you can. Good luck and feel better.

you poor thing, I remember going through it and it is extremely tough to get through. My biggest advice (what worked the BEST for me) is a warm/hot compress for as long as you can take it, and of course nursing through it as often as you can stand it.
I hope for a quick recovery.

Hi M.,
I would get some Apple Cider Vinegar and some grade B maple syrup. ACV is a natural antibiotic. I use Bragg's there's a receipe for a drink right on the bottle. The drink consists of 2 tsp ACV, 2 tsp of Grade B maple syrup and 8 oz of water. I use spring water. I drink one 3 times a day- half an hour to an hour before I eat. My sister's husband used it instead of antibiotics afer his dental work. You might want to look up its affects on the taste of your milk though- don't know how it might affect that, but even if you're baby drank it- it would be good for him/her as well. Best of luck!
J.

I didn't read all the posts but one thing that helped me was aiming the chin towards the lump. I think I read it on www.kellymom.com . You have to place your nursling's chin pointing towards the lump to empty that particular duct otherwise it won't clear. It worked wonders for me. I didn't have to take antibiotics for my mastitis. It lends itself to some pretty akward nursing positions (I basically had to put my baby in a "69"ish position to nurse!). You may have to lay down to accomplish such a feat - but it definitely helps.

Also, don't forget that Garlic is great for infections.

Being your second child, your milk likely came in faster this time, which can lead to greater supply than demand initially. I found that I had to massage the full area while nursing to empty it and prevent clogged ducts (also rotate position football hold and cradle). Note that the milk in the extra full area, if clogged, will not be as fresh and is often regurgitated (spit up) by the child. I don't believe it does them any harm. However, because it isn't fresh I used to use a pump to clear up any clogged ducts (massage the area while pumping). If you don't have a pump, it's probably not worth buying one just for this use. Extra probiotics are always helpful (dose up), but alone will not eliminate the change of infection.

Congrats on your second little girl! Many Blessings to you and your growing family.

I would find out for sure whether you have mastitis or just the blocked duct. I had plenty of blocked ducts during nursing, and you can get rid of them by applying a heating pad 20 minutes before nursing or pumping (it usually takes a few sessions to get the blockage all the way out.)

I had mastitis & had to take antibiotics.
If you end up having to take antibiotics take acidophilus to counteract the side effects.

I had mastitis with my daughter twice and once with my twins when I nursed them. Mastitis is a real infection (with fever, etc) usually caused by plugged ducts. I did the antibiotics the first time because I didn't know better and the infection went on too long - I had a high fever, felt very sick, the works. I was truly sick from infection, and in that case, the antibiotics were necessary. The other times, I followed my doctor's advice. Use warm compresses or a heating pad and nurse frequently. Do not skip any feedings, and pump if necessary. Take very warm showers and massage the sore spots gently, but with an evenly firm pressure. Tylenol helps for pain, if you take that, and drink extra water to both flush your body and produce extra milk to flush your ducts. Each time I did this, I was feeling better within 48 hours and avoided antibiotics (save for the first time when I didn't know any better). I'd probably monitor my temperature, too, if I were you. The best way to prevent it in the future is just to nurse frequently and massage whenever you feel sore. I would do a mini self-exam almost every day as a massage treatment. I found sleeping with a bra on also helped me. Hope this helps!

I'm not big on antibiotics either but do take them when necessary. I'd be concerned if there is an actual infection there. With or without an infection, blocked ducts can be relieved with warm compresses to encourage the milk flow and gentle massage during nursing (it WILL hurt but helps).

according to my books,mastitis is treated best with frequent emptying of the involved breast,moist heat to the area before and during feeding and massage to the affected area before and during feeding.
Mother should increase fluids,increase rest,and decrease stress( I know easier said than done sometimes)
and antibiotics 10-14 days
since you prefer to not take antibiotics I would follow the other advise I mentioned and maybe try pumping the breast right after feedings so that it gets totally empty,all my alternative treatment books suggest you see a DR for this,try the moist heat and pumping and see if that does not help with in the next 2-3 days but don't wait to long if it gets worse please do go and see your dr and take the antibiotics

H.

DO NOT STOP NURSING! Call your local La Leche League Leader for help. They have options that do not include antibiotics (at least our leader did), but I do not recall what they were as I, thankful, have yet to experience this issue.

LLL can also help with latching issues. Leaders are trained.

I had one when my son was about a month - yuk! I didn't take antibiotics, and it cleared up within a few days. It was painful, but I continued to nurse. I also took hot showers and aimed the sprayer at my sore breast.
This is a great website that will give you more information on natural remedies & probiotics you can take:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/mastitis.html
I hope it clears up soon!