Mastitis - Ferndale,MI

Yes! I've been through this 3 times, with my 3rd child, and once with my second. It is VERY painful! And it is more common than you think. I remember as I was crying with pain as I tried to pump and/or have her feed off of the sore breast, how come no one had told me THIS side of motherhood. Just imagine, nowadays, we have pumps, antibiotics, and formula to help, so how did moms do it before all of this to feed their babies when mastitis came around? My 3rd child was born with a tooth, so I had problems from the beginning, until at about the 3rd month, I decided to pump exclusively. My milk supply went down, so that I ended up feeding her half formula and half breast milk. My goal for all 3 was to breastfeed for 1 yr, so here I am pumping as I'm typing this. Don't feel guilty. You are not alone. And BRAVO to all the mommies who go through this, and just keep at it for their babies, despite the pain.

It IS painful, you poor thing :( I had it with my first son and I thought I was going to die...

Go ahead and pump. You can't force your son to nurse, and honestly, it sounds as if he's been losing interest and weaning himself off. (My daughter began weaning herself around 9 months as well, I'm the one that kept trying to nurse her for 4 more months. In hindsight I should have just given her bottles as I only caused frustration for the both of us.) You shouldn't have any guilt about giving him bottles at all. Obviously you would have continued to nurse him longer had it not been for the problems, but 9 months is great!

Take care of yourself, you're not selfish, you're an awesome mom!

I'm sorry for your trouble! I have had mastitis too and I know it hurts so bad! But feeding your baby more bottles will not make you feel any better, he NEEDS to nurse the pain away for you! Your breast pump does not have the same suction or the same effectivness at nursing that your baby does, nursing is really the BEST way to get rid of the plugged duct and the pain. And don't worry, the milk is still clean, the infection from mastitis does not acctually reside in the milk.

If he is having trouble getting started nursing you can use a trick I learned from a lactation consultant; have a small cup of expressed milk and a medicine syringe ready, you can buy a medicine syringe or just use one that came with some kid's Tylonel or whatever, it needs to be the depressor kind though, the kind that is like an eye droppper doesn't work as well. Suck some expressed milk up with a medicine syringe, when your son latches on and begins to suck, sneak the syringe in the corner of his mouth and squirt some milk into his mouth. It helps if you can get your husband or another helper to do that for you. Then he will keep nursing because he is getting some milk! After a little while when your milk begins to flow stop using the syringe.

Another idea is to lie down in bed with him when you nurse, you will be more relaxed and he will feel more relaxed too. He may be getting upset when you try to nurse him becasue he can feel your tension, which is understandable since you feel so cruddy!

Nurse your baby as frequently as you possibly can, and always start with the side with the plugged duct. DON'T give him ANY bottles because then he will not want to nurse and you'll still have that plugged duct. When you are feeling better he can have bottles while you're at work again, but when he si home with you just nurse him, it's healthier for you both. You are doing such a great job nursing your baby, don't give up because it is worth it! Best of luck to you!

M., I would encourage you to contact a local La Leche League Leader or Lactation Consultant. You can find the LLL Leader by going to www.llli.org. To find a Lactation Consultant, contact the local OB unit near you, or ask the LLL Leader for a referral. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Hi Mama!

God bless you! You have worked so hard and for so long; don't be discouraged; you are a good Mama!!

I had to switch my son over to formula (full-time) at about 9 months due to an unexpected pregnancy. My milk just evaporated and he was also ravenous and I was having trouble keeping up. I felt so aweful, like a failure. I needed to grieve the passing of that stage of our relationship and find other ways to remain connected to him. It is possible and it IS OKAY! I know this is not quite the same situation, but if you decide to move on and away from BFing and pumping and all that, it really is OKAY. :-)

Now, for the duct issue... I have never had mastitis, but, when I have gotten clogged ducts, I take a really hot shower and then let Hubby rub it out. The clogged ducts usually hurt too much for me to touch and I am afraid of the pain so if he does it, I can blame him. ;-) I close my eyes so I don't have to watch and let him work the tissue hard and deep. We usually need to keep a towel close by as he gets squirting and stuff, but it helps tremendously.

I wish you luck on your choice. You can get through this if that is your desire; however, if you need to change tactics, take comfort in the fact that you BFed for 9 months and don't let anyone delittle that accomplishment!

*hugs*
~C.

I don't see why you should feel any guilt at all. It seems a natural part of development. Babies get to a point where they don't want to nurse anymore. The main thing would be he gets fed and if it isn't working with nursing, then it's time to enter a new phase of his growth. I would be a lot more concerned about taking antibiotics and nursing. THEN I would feel guilty for passing them on to the baby!

You should heal. Your son should be fed. Those are the two focuses. You've given him a good start, now go on to the next phase while you heal. Guilt-free.

I would get yourself some lecithin granules from a health store like gnu-helps to thin the fat in the milk to unclog the duct, take a warm shower and massage the breast before nursing and vary nursing positions if possible- try to get baby's chin at the sore spot. I have not had mastitis - thank the Lord- but I have has clogged ducts that started to get infected and this is how I fixed them. If you have to pump- massage the breast while pumping. The best thing to unclog the duct is your baby. Good luck and hope it works out for you!

I had mastitis when my son was just 5 weeks old. It is awful, I remember. In my case I ended up having outpatient surgery on my breast - 2 rounds of antiobiotics did not clear it up. After that I tried to breast feed exclusively but had to supplement with bottles. I understand the guilty feelings but you are doing great!!! As difficult as it may seem, try not to worry so much and just take care of yourself - baby will love you even more for that!! Take care!

M. ~
Are you still running a fever at all? Usually with mastitis mom has to be hospitalized for a day or two of IV antibiotics, then sent home with oral antibiotics. You need to pump every 2 hours, especially the sore side. Your son is being fussy on that side because he's having to work alot harder on that side right now. It may be easier to nurse him on your good side and pump on the bad side for right now. You will get less on that side until the mastitis is gone. You can try a warm compress to that breast before you pump, it may make it a little easier. Tylenol is fine for pain. Is there a lactation consultant at the hospital where you delivered? or one near you that you can call? Or try calling your OB, they may want you on stronger antibiotics.
Hope that helps!
D. (OB nurse)

I had mastitis when my son was 4 months old and it is painful and draining. I didn't feel well, so my MIL offered to come over and babysit so I could sleep and my husband could go to work. She let me sleep for a few hours and came in to check on me... next thing I knew my husband was home and we were headed to the ER with a 103 fever and the shakes. It's the worst b/c you just want to get better, but you need to care for and feed that little one!

Just keep pumping and your little one is going to be absolutely healthy if you switch to formula for parts of his feeding schedule. My son was about 50/50 breastmilk after the mastitis. The most helpful thing I did was to call the lactation nurse where I delivered. She came to the house (check with your insurance) and showed me how to pump and use a heating pad to ease the discomfort and "soften" the tissue.

Sounds like you have a self weaner on your hands. You might contact a Le Leche League Leader for some professional advice. I had mastitis with my first baby, but I got it after I had failed terribly at nursing her. She was only 5#, 2 weeks early and didn't give a hang about nursing or eating at all for that matter. I gave up :( . About a week later after I thought all my milk was gone, I had taken a nice warm shower and didn't put on a bra. Low an behold my milk came back in on one side and I had a raging infection. I feel your pain. I would have preferred labor and giving birth to that. I took about a week to clear up and I had to bind myself up with an ACE bandage. There is rally no way to make him nurse as you already know. The sore spot could be the clogged duct...maybe a really warm shower and a little massaging the area to help ease it out. Then bind yourself up and limit your liquids. My experience was 32 years ago. I did manage to successfuly nurse 2 more little sweeties...one for 3 years. So I would recommend asking your doctor...has she nursed a baby? and call a Le Leche League leader. Mastitis is nothing to mess with. All the best to you, I know how sad you must be to be weaning him when you are not ready.

I had mastitis once. It was pretty miserable. I do remember the minute my clogged duct unplugged. I was taking a bath and started crying from the stress of being sick and having a little guy and nursing and well I think you know how that feels. I literally let down from crying. It felt like someone was pulling a string through my nipple. It wasn't a pleasant feeling but I felt better almost instantly afterwards. Try to rest and relax. You'll figure out what's right for right for you and your baby another day. Just get yourself better, you can think things through much better without a fever. Good luck and feel better!

You can get through this and continue to nurse him into the future. Many of us have been through things like this. Heat, massage, varying the position you put him in to empty different ducts (lying down, under your arm etc.), trying to nurse him when he's asleep or just falling to sleep or waking up, letting him get a little hungrier without depriving him enough to hurt him, letting the milk run out under a hot shower or in a hot tub, going without a bra at home - these are all some ideas to try. Take care of yourself, resting and drinking lots of fluids, and continuing to pump when needed. Look on the La Leche League website www.llli.org under Resources then the Answers section. The Marmet technique of massaging the milk down and out is often helpful. Sometimes the spot lasts for a bit but you need to keep trying to get it out. Please don't give up. Many women have worked through this and found it to be worth it. I know it's a total pain but if you can do it, you won't be sorry. My dtr refused to nurse for a full wk at 9 mos and I didn't have a pump. I hadn-expressed and kept working with her and gave her water and solids and what breastmilk I could in a cup until she came around. When she was nearly 3, we weaned - what a surprise! Good luck!!!

I had a breast infection - not mastitis - but I had to stop nursing. I tried not to beat myself up with guilt, and I wasn't in as much pain as you are. I was pumping like crazy and getting little or nothing except working up a huge sweat (it was July), and my baby was not growing enough. If you can resolve this problem, great. But do not sit there in pain yourself with a baby who is not getting enough. I figure out that my job was to care for my baby - and if that meant formula, then so be it. I would be selfish not to do the best thing for both of us. Your job is to be a good mom - and there are a lot of definitions of that! I kept trying to nurse (and my doctor was away and the subs were not helpful at all). My baby only gained 4 ounces in 1 month and my doctor was livid - fired a nurse over the advice they gave me to "keep nursing" when I was telling them it wasn't working. I wanted to nurse emotionally and to build up his antibodies, etc. - but he was starving. It was a relief to put him on formula. He was happier, I was happier - and we were both healthier. There is no magic rule about how long one has to nurse, and it doesn't make you less of a woman if you stop. You have a fever, an infection, and a frustrated baby. Talk to your doctor but do not feel guilty, whatever educated decision you make.

You've lasted 9 months! I'd say that's a huge accomplishment. People have no idea unless they've experienced it themselves how horribly painful mastitis is. Tell them to stick needles through their nipples and fight off a fever all while having a baby or machine attached to them and see how they like it.

I did great with my first - pumped for 14months no problems. My second, I came home from the hospital with mastitis and didn't know it. For some reason when I get it I don't get a fever. It got to the point I was screaming and crying in pain whenever I pumped - I thought my body wasn't used to breast feeding - my friend was like you need to get help this is not normal! I ended up on several rounds of antibiotics to clear it up. Came back again a few months later. I told myself I'd never do it again and after the infection was gone I weaned. My third, I didn't want to nurse because of all the pain I'd gone through before. Felt horribly guilty for that and pumped anyway. Turns out I'd come home again from the hospital with an infection. Thought it was mastitis and was treated for that but turned out to be a nipple yeast infection. It actually felt slightly worse than the mastitis I'd experienced before. I felt so guilty and selfish but I just couldn't go through all that pain yet again. I weaned at 1 1/2 months. Baby was happy on formula. I was happy to not be sick and in pain all the time. I needed to not only take care of my newborn but my two other very needy children as well. Truly what's best for baby is a happy, healthy, well rested mom.

If you have a hard, red spot on your breast you really need that checked. I have a friend who ended up with an absess and had to have it surgically removed. Best of luck to you!

Hey, bravo to you for continuing for 9 months even though you've had some bumps in the road. I had 4 cases of mastitis in 4 months (once a month like clockwork) when my daughter was an infant. I was told to nurse on both sides, but START with the affected breast. Try to position him so that his chin is pointing toward the red, painful affected area. That is often difficult to do. Mine was usually located at the top of my breast so I would put my daughter on the bed, then I'd lie down beside her but we would be head-to-toe. She would nurse upside down! Sounds crazy but this is what my midwife recommended to achieve maximum suction at the affected site. The pain usually lasted 4 days, and I usually felt awful for those 4 days. Like you I ended up in the ER the first time it happened. I had no idea something like mastitis could make you feel so terrible! Your supply might be low but if you keep doing what you're doing you might be able to bring it back up over the next several days. I konw it's easier said than done, but try not to stress about it too much. My daughter weaned herself at 9 months. I pumped for an additional month and a half and then I stopped due to low supply. My daughter is very healthy. She has had trouble with astmatic symptoms with viral infections but other than that she is the picture of health. It sounds like you really wanted to keep the bf'ing going for a while longer. I totally get that, but don't beat yourself up if it doesn't happen.

You poor thing! I hope you feel better quickly. I've never had mastitis but I've had one or two clogged ducts - very painful! My longest took about a week to clear up. I alternated hot compresses and cold compresses. Nurse often or pump, you may even have to try to pump after a feeding. While your L.O. is nursing (or if you're pumping), try to work out the clog by massaging it toward your nipple. This worked for me. Also, see what your doc has to say, there may be something else going on. Best of luck!
P.

ok 1st use moist heat on the sore breast before and after pumping or feeding the heat will allow not only the soarness to help go away but also for the duct to drain. You also want to massage the bump as much as possible before and after pumping and or feeding. DONOT let your breasts get engorged nor not empty all the way. Take asprin for the fever unless its gone. Make sure you pump every feeding if the baby doesn't empty completely still pump to see. so pump after every feeding. it take up to 7 to 10 days to leave unless u don't massage and use the moist heat and it is painfull. Good luck !

Updated

ok 1st use moist heat on the sore breast before and after pumping or feeding the heat will allow not only the soarness to help go away but also for the duct to drain. You also want to massage the bump as much as possible before and after pumping and or feeding. DONOT let your breasts get engorged nor not empty all the way. Take asprin for the fever unless its gone. Make sure you pump every feeding if the baby doesn't empty completely still pump to see. so pump after every feeding. it take up to 7 to 10 days to leave unless u don't massage and use the moist heat and it is painfull. Good luck !

Updated

ok 1st use moist heat on the sore breast before and after pumping or feeding the heat will allow not only the soarness to help go away but also for the duct to drain. You also want to massage the bump as much as possible before and after pumping and or feeding. DONOT let your breasts get engorged nor not empty all the way. Take asprin for the fever unless its gone. Make sure you pump every feeding if the baby doesn't empty completely still pump to see. so pump after every feeding. it take up to 7 to 10 days to leave unless u don't massage and use the moist heat and it is painfull. Good luck !

Mastitis is very painful so just be good to yourself. The suggestion to take a warm shower is good but while you are in there I would add a gentle massage of the breast from the chest out toward the nipple. You probably do have clogged milk and boy can it take a lot of massaging to get it worked out. If showers are hard to fit in, try very warm wash cloths and the same massage several times a day. I did this just before nursing and/or pumping and after a few days my breast returned to normal. My children also resumed nursing normally a few days after that. Hang in there and know we understand your pain. It sucks (bad pun in tended:).