i am (still) nursing my 11 month old, & I pump at work. I was diagnosed with mastitis (over the phone) and started antibiotics last night. this morning when i pumped i only got 2 oz out of that side! I usually get 5 oz easy! is that normal for milk supply to decrease? Will it go back up again? WARNING THE NEXT SENTENCE IS GRAPHIC - When i started to pump, 2 little beads of blood appeared. i wiped them off and then milk started to come (slowly) but should i give her that milk (the whole 2 oz's... woohoo)? could it have blood in it or be icky (i didn't see anything in the bottle). I don't have a ton of frozen milk, and formula is not an option at this time since we are in the process of trying to pinpoint food and possible milk/soy allergies. Also, can she nurse out of that side? what if she gets a taste of blood?! gross! I can't believe this happened after 11 months of problem-free breastfeeding, I thought I was home free. sigh.
thanks for any advice! -Ali
Thanks for all your responses! I kept nursing through the pain and already feel so much better, the antibiotics are helping already! keeping my fingers crossed my baby doesn't get runny poops or thrush from the antibiotics!
I was surprised that after having nursed two kids back to back for 3 years (together) I got mastitis for the first time. It is so painful! I think my milk supply did decrease temporarily, but you should not stop nursing on that side even if there is a little scab. Hopefully the antibiotics and hot water will help relieve the pain quickly!
Everything I've seen about mastitis says the milk is fine to drink. Also, and I know this is ikky, but I had nursing problems starting up and had severely cracked and bloody nipples. Unfortunately my son drank blood with my milk every time he nursed for weeks. It was no fun, but he was fine.
Keep up your fluids for the low supply and make sure to check with the drug store about your antibiotic. Some of them do effect supply. I would think they wouldn't have given you one of them since your infection obviously indicates you're nursing.
Good luck! You are doing amazing things for your baby!!
Keep on nursing, your baby would be getting that blood etc. anyways.... it is just gross because you can see it as you pump. I too had mastitis, very painful but after a few doses of antibiotic the pain should ease up. I am an LPN and have learned your breast pump could actually cause you to get an infection! Especially if you are not cleaning it properly after each use, those microorganisms if not cleaned from your machine can cause infection. Many people do not realize when you are nursing those ducts in your breast let milk out but also let germs etc in, so it is important to keep that area clean and dry.
Hi Allison,
Pumping will decrease your supply, but mastitis shouldn't. It might be all clogged in your ducts. Usually...the hard sucking of your baby will be a better choice for sucking out the lumps than the pump. Sounds gross, because we wouldn't eat that, but baby won't care, or notice. It's normal. The blood won't be bad if he swallows it either...no biggie. I bet it hurts though. Ouch! Good luck.
I had the same thing happen with my first son. You should go ahead and feed your child from the infected side. It will help to clear it up - even though it hurts. Warm wash cloths on the infected area help as well. I'm not sure about the blood. It may be a bit grose to us, but most likely never noticed by your child. You can always call your doctor or the breast feeding resource center at United Hospital has a wonderful call line! Don't wory, now that your on the medication you'll be much better by tomarrow! Way to go with nursing through the first year!
A. B
Allison-
For some reason I had mastitis three times between my 2 girls. It was terrible! I too had to pump when I was back to work, so I know what you are going through. As the other posters have said, keep up your normal routine. Your body is used to you pumping, so do that when you normally would and nurse when you would. The blood is fine. If she doesn't want to finish nursing on that side because of the blood, just make sure to express the milk you do have in some way. The antibiotics work quickly and your milk supply will be back to normal soon!
I had mastitis too. My milk did come back and my doctor told me it was fine to give my son the milk. I know it hurts, but keep nursing that side, it'll get better suction than a pump and that will clear out the infection quicker. warm compresses and massage did wonders, too. Good Luck!
Allison,
I went through a similar problem with bleeding from the nipples but it was from cracking. I pumped milk so I would bleed less. Sometimes the milk was just too "pink" and I ended up giving him whole milk. That won't work in your situation as you are looking for allergies, but the small two drops of milk in the bottle or in your daughters mouth will not hurt her and she won't even taste it. I know it seems horrible but it will be ok. I spoke with a doula about my issue and that was her recomendation. Hope this helps. good luck
