Hi,
Has anyone else ever had problems when they started weaning due to mastitis? I am currently on my 4th bout of mastitis. The last two times I tried weaning, things would go great for about a week, and then I will get mastitis completely out of the blue. No plugged ducts, just wake up with a sore breast and it would progress from there. I had my doctor tell me bacteria from the baby's mouth is getting in there, which makes no sense to me, considering I don't have cracked nipples. Besides that, the mastitis is coinciding with starting weaning. I think he told me that because he doesn't know why I'm getting it the 4th time! A lactation consultant suggested yeast could be the culprit, causing inflammation, which is possible I guess. I was only dropping one feeding for a week, and would sometimes give solids first on some feedings, then nurse so as to decrease my milk supply. Even skipping a feeding wasn't causing any extreme engorgement. My process seemed pretty slow to me so I thought I would be safe, but apparently not since it is still seeming to trigger mastitis in me. Anyways, has anyone experienced this issue when weaning? Anyone have any ideas why this might be happening? I feel like I'm going to be breastfeeding forever!
Check and see if your baby has thrush (yeast infection in a babies mouth). I had an infection and taking antibiotics gave my baby thrush and we kept passing it back and forth for about a month. We both had to take a yeast infection antibiotic at the same time to clear it up.
It's actually quite common to get mastitis when weaning-quickly, but you are not. SO, my professional advice is to check with your OB, are you getting the correct antibiotics for the right length of time. I have had good luck if the OB does a milk culture, much like urine culture when you have a UTI, and treat accordingly. Correct med for correct bug. IT could be yeast, but would not come/go on it's own. Continue to wean, and don't hesitate to pump if you get full, as long as in the big picture you are dropping a feeding, a pumping here or there won't make the supply worse. Hope this helps! C., IBCLC
Mastitis just happens. All you can do is try to prevent it, but yes, see a Dr if it gets to a point that it needs to be seen. What I would do is to pump a bit at night before you go to bed. Not a whole lot, just a couple ounces or so.
On yeast, you can try to give your baby a bit of probiotic powder (acidophalus) mixed with breastmilk from a bottle before you allow him to nurse. I use a product called Primadophalus made especially for infants and children.
Also, massage, massage, massage. I too had a painful 4 or 5 months after weaning my daughter. We're 6 months out now, and I still occasionally get a bit of pain up near my underarms. I didn't get engorged or knotty, just painful. Massaging and applying warm compresses with massage helps.
A lactation consultant also advocated using raw cabbage leaves in your bra. Something about the oils in the leaf helps to dry you up and prevent mastitis. For the record, I never tried this.
Contact your local La Leche Leaugue Leader! They will help you!
I haven't started weaning yet but have had clogged ducts, mastitis, and thrush. I have two simple suggestions. One to use a disposable diaper filled with hot water as a warm compress. It's convenient b/c you can put it inside your bra after a feeding and it won't get everything wet. It stays hot for a long time. You can even reuse it (microwave just a tiny bit). The second is what my pediatrician suggested when my daughter got thrush- to put some monistat cream (the same used for vaginal yeast infections) on the nipple after feeding. They said it was safe to leave on when my daughter nursed. Good luck!!
Hi J.,
I had similar problems with mastitis while weaning my son. What eventually worked for me was that when I got down to about 4 feedings a day, I began mostly pumping, and kept the morning and night (before bed)feedings, then dropped the morning, then eventually dropped the night feeding. Pumping helped me get a bit more control over my milk supply, and I found that for me, it made a more smooth transition to complete weaning.
Good luck!
sounds like a clogged duct. have you tried massage or expressing some milk for relief? warm compress should help too. i've never heard of the two...weaning and mastitis being related but you never know, right? good luck, i hope you feel better:)
