Ouch- I Think I Am Getting Mastitis Again...

With my son any time I changed my feeding schedule I got it. When I started introducing formula and again when we transitioned to solids. The best advice I got was to deal with it IMMEDIATELY. Boy were they right. The first time I ended up in bed with a 104 fever feeling like i literally had the flu. The second time I just took the antibiotics right away and didn't get as sick. Good luck!

Something that helped me was actually a heating pad- it helped my milk to flow and release- and a hot shower too. I wouldn't pump to empty yourself- but I have found it useful to pump if I feel a blocked duct coming on. That seems to help especially since my baby will often refuse the infected side. I think the pumping helps get rid of the milk that doesn't taste as good and clear me out so then he will eat normally again.

I got more breast infections with my first. With my second my milk leveled out faster to the right amount. Sometimes it just takes longer for your body to figure out.

Hi Rona!
My name is E. I am a mother of two and soon to be four with twins on the way. I am also a nurse and Breastfeeding educator. Maybe I can help.If you do have recurring mastitis it could be that your old infection never completely went away. Did your doctor prescribe 10 days of antibiotics? Did you finish the prescription? It could also be from stress and lack of sleep (which all new moms suffer from), it could be that you have an over abundant milk supply, you can fix this by either letting your baby eat a little longer or be sure to express your milk after feeding. It could also be a clogged milk pore, you can help this problem by putting a wet warm compress and a cotton ball soaked with olive oil in your bra to help unclog the pore. Maybe this will help, you should also go see your Dr just in case. And kudos to you for giving your baby the very best! Good luck.

have you tried heat and massage while pumping? my mom is a NICU nurse nd recomends that.

Hi Rona G!

Sorry to hear about your discomfort. I am a SAHM who had a baby girl 10 months ago and I am still breast feeding her along with her solids and sippy cup! I use to get engorged real easily and got blocked ducts many times - more in the beginning - as well. I spoke to some of my girlfriends and doctor about this and it seems that some are more prone to this than others. One of my nurses in the hospital where I delivered Elle recommended to always warm my breasts and massage them before I nurse and then use a cold compress afterward to sooth them and bring the swelling down (I eventually started using gel inserts you can buy at the drug store which I keep in the fridge & would pop in my nursing bra for quick relief). She also explained I should always wash them after each time I fed the baby because babies have bacteria in their little mouths which can cause the blockages and infection. When I did get a blockage, as painfull as it was, I would take a nice warm shower and massage my breasts - also, ibuprofen REALLY helped me with the aches & pain and any temperature I may have had. Another important thing is I always would begin nursing on the side that was giving me trouble so that that side was always emptied & eventually the blockage cleared - believe me nothing can do that for you as well as a very hungry baby! Since you are introducing formula, I think (at least in the beginning) you make want to consider pumping before/after those feedings so your breasts never get engorged in the first place - this should eliminate any unnecessary irritation from developeing. I hope this helps - it really worked for me and I no longer have any problems!!

Good luck and feel better!!!

V. Ivester :)
Proud Member of the MOM Team
www.SuperMomsAtHome.com

Rona -

I got a blocked duct when my dotor was 2 weeks old...I called my doctor and he told me to take a really hot shower massage the area and have her nurse on that side more than the other. He also told me that if she did not empty me then to pump unitl I was empty. I felt better with in a day or two.

It's been a while for me, so I have a hard time remembering the WHY but I do know that when you start to feel like you are getting blocked ducts or mastitis, you should be pumping in between nursing or expressing if that works for you. In addition, massaging and warm compresses. I'm sure you will get some good advice from others a well, but don't let it get too far before contacting your doctor! Our babies need well mommies!

I guess my first question is why are you using formula as well? Just stick with one thing and it'll likely be easier on both you and your baby.

And...clogged ducts just happen...I had several of them when I was nursing my son. Only one turned into a full blown breast infection. Have your baby nurse more on the breast with the clogged duct...they are the best at getting them out.

Good luck!
-M

I've never had mastitis, but I get clogged milk duct quite a bit the first time around. The second time, not so much since I've learned from the past. What usually caused my clogged milk duct was a tight or underwire bra. Also, sleeping on my side, putting too much weight on a breast can cause this. I've found the best way to get rid of a clogged milk duct is to get a cup of warm water, as warm as you can tolerate it. Immerse your nipple in the water and massage it while immersed. Massage/squeeze to get milk out. The warm water helps to melt the crusted milk that plug up the milk pathway. Pull the nipple out of the water periodically and squeeze it to find a white dot the size of needle head. This is the plug you're trying to get rid of. Kind of aim your squeeze toward this white area. Once the plug comes off, the milk will shoot out like a geyser (not kidding) and you should feel immediate relief. This should take only about 5 minutes to do. Other methods takes way longer.
You can also do this while taking a hot shower.
Hope you get relief soon.

Aloha Rona,
This is my first response to anyone so bear with me. I had that with my 3rd child and believe I got it because I did not take all the antibiotics from a previous illness. Be very careful that you do not get worse with your symptoms, you may get very ill because of it. I would nurse only on the bad side, no matter how bad it hurts. Express the other side when baby is done. If it is too bad to nurse on the affected side then nurse baby on the good side only and pump at the same time on the bad side(pumping may be easier). During this time just nurse all you can or express or whatever it takes to get the clogged duct working and keep in close contact with doctor or nurse. Make sure you can get an urgent appt if needed. I think because your baby is only 4 mo old that you or baby will not be adversly affected by an increase in milk production. A growth spurt for baby is just around the corner anyway. I believe you put the cold compresses on the affected side after all nursing/pumping is done. The hot compresses or hot shower will help right before or during feeding. Any milk gotten from pumping should be good to fridge or freeze for later.
God bless you and keep you well.
S.

Hi Rona,

Mastitis and blocked ducts suck! It happened a lot to me with my first child. What seemed to stop the problem was switching to a less constricting bra. I had been using one that was kind of like a sports bra, but when I would take the flap down to feed, it was putting pressure on breast tissue and causing blocked ducts... which can lead to mastitis. So maybe try a different bra.

My lactation consultant had also recommended lecithin, which is a nutritional supplement. I can't say if I think that helped because the problem really seemed to clear for me just by switching bras.

If I were you, I would just let your baby feed as much as he wants on one side, and then switch and let him have whatever he wants from the other. A lot of books and stuff write about feeding a certain number of minutes on each side, but your baby knows how much he needs to nurse and will take what he needs - hence the supply/demand thing. I also had an overproduction problem and was feeding a certain number of minutes on each side, which led to my breasts staying rather full ALL the time... and worsening the duct problem.

Most hospitals have lactation consultants, so if you're still having trouble, by all means give them a call.

Good luck and hang in there.

Ugh...I feel for you. I actually got it while I was pregnant and a few times after my daughter arrived. Always on the same side. I have no words of advice, just letting you know your not alone.

I hope you feel better soon!
N.

It really doesn't have anything to do with your milk supply, basically bad luck. I got it a BUNCH. Heating pads work great or warm washclothes. The day it is the worst either pump or nurse FREQUENTLY and take a motrin for the pain. With that, mine never lasted more than a day or 2. Don't let it get to the point where you need antibiotics. Take warm showers or baths, massage... I never did ice, they always told me warm and that worked quickly.

I've had Mastitus once and blocked ducts several times. Mastitus is what you get when the ducts have been blocked too long. I've gotten it because the breasts weren't being fully emptied, were engorged for too long, and from an ill-fitting bra. When blocked ducts turn into Mastitus then you need to get a course of antibiotics. If you're feeling flu-like symptons, which it sounds like you are, then I'd recommend that you call your doctor asap. My doc says that Mastitus gone unchecked can get really ugly fast. The best thing to help clear up the ducts is nursing, nursing, nursing. My doc also has me use warm compresses for 10 minutes every hour and then nurse or pump every 2 hours. As my son is older and a more efficient nurseer, he helps me clear up blocked ducts much faster. Also, it's a good practice to change up the nursing positions too. Take care and i hope you feel better soon.

Hey there,

I am a mama to a two year old boy and 7 and 10 year old girls. I to use to get mastitis sometimes. What worked for me was pressing a heat pad against the clogged duct and massaging the heat pad around the area. This helps to loosen the milk that is clogged.

I breast fed all three of my kids up to about 14 to 16 months. I always fed on demand, I feel you can never produce to much milk, the more the better. It is always best to empty your boobs. What I use to do is take a hot shower if I was starting to feel engorged. I never had the patience or time to sit and express milk. So the hot shower would help to express the milk. I always had to wear nursing pads when I was out to prevent leaking.

You never what to go to long with out nursing unless your trying to give it up completely. But, even then you want to do it gradually to prevent getting an infection again.

Hope this help!

C :~)

Hi Rona,

There is an old wive's remedy that works wonders for keeping milk ducts unblocked. Cabbage leaves. When you start to get that hardening feeling, take a full cabbage leaf and put it over your breast (covering the nipple) and in your bra. You can even sleep with it. There is something in the cabbage that draws out milk from the pressured ducts.

As far as I recall, supply and demand ruled with my breastfeeding and if I was overly late for, or missed a feeding, then my blocks would get clogged up and my breast would harding (and hurt!!)

I've never heard of left over milk causing an infection? I've nursed two kids, both for over 2 years. I didn't empty completely on each side at most feedings that I know of. Yes, the more milk that is taken in the more that is made - like you said.

As for mastitis, I'm so sorry you might have it again, I never got it and consider myself very lucky. I do have a friend that had it over and over for the first year. I don't know why it returns. If you don't get help here, two great breastfeeding resources are www.kellymom.com and www.askdrsears.com both will have the information you are looking for.

I hope you are feeling better soon,
M.

Hi Rona,

Always use hot not cold when dealing with mastitis. And nurse more and/or pump till your empty on that side and you will feel relief sooner. i understand your worries about supply and demand but that will level out once that duct is unblocked. Next, keep very hydrated, excellent diet and prenatal vitamins and if you absolutely must take an antibiotic, please remember to take a probiotic right along with it. The antibiotic wipes out all your good and bad bacteria and candida could possibly begin to grow, yes, yeast on your nipples, without the presence of the good bacteria. At least this is how I think I got my bouts of mastitis...antibiotic at delivery, thrush within the first two weeks, cracked nipples...bacteria traveled inside, mastitis with flu symptoms, antibiotic again, mastitis went away for a little bit, came right back and started all over again...turned into mastitis with deep breast pain all completely cured when I stopped taking what the docs said and ate 3 cloves of raw garlic a day for a week. Crazy but so true.

Be diligent and help cure your body from the inside out and you will be just fine.

Aloha,
Laulii

I started getting plugged ducts and did all the massage and warm compresses. It did help. When I started taking Lecithin capsules once a day they stopped appearing. It's a supplement I got at Whole Foods. Also, if you give a bottle instead of a feeding you need to pump. Not only are you going to get full and backed up, but your body will start producing one feeding less of milk over time. Good luck!