Should I Pump and Dump?

I would pump (to keep it flowing) and then dump (to be safe). Formula will suffice in the meantime.

I'm not a doctor, but I would not give him the antibiotic milk. Do what you have to to get him enough nutrition. Most babies do really well with formula, but at 11 months I would give him some soft food too.

Hi S., I have 4 boys, and nursed every one of them and have had mastitis many times (too busy, not enough rest, etc.)and the antibiotics will not hurt your baby... the way to think about it is that their systems are so small that anything that does transfer works its way out quickly - - anyways, my doctors have never had a problem with me on the antibiotics and if you can't get rid of it without you will only suffer the pains of mastitis. The first time I had it I thought I had a cold, then a flu, couldn't figure out why the fever and aches kept coming back and then the doctor finally told me what to look for. On the fourth baby, I have forced myself to rest more and be more cautious and so far have not had mastitis this time around...
good luck - C. M.

Hi. I also had mastitis. I pumped every 3 hours. I even rented a hospital grade pump to make sure I was moving the milk, as pumping isn't as effective as the baby nursing. I took Keflex. I didn't dump my milk and my baby had no adverse affects. This happened over 2 months ago and the mastitis hasn't returned. Are you using different positions when you nurse? I always just did cross cradle, and found out I should alternate with the football hold, as each position works different milk ducts. I didn't know that before the mastitis. Make sure you get some rest. Exhaustion contributes to mastitis as well.

S.,
I am mother of six and now grandmother of 8! I breast fed all of mine for over a year and my grandchildren have also all been breast fed. I had mastitis twice and my recommendation is take the antibiotics and continue to breast feed, it is absolutely the fastest way to get rid of it. as soon as your breast is softer and your milk tastes normal again your son will be a happy camper. I agree antibiotics are not good for a child but neither is formula and the faster you can get back to breast feeding the better. D.

I got Mastitis for the first time with my third child and the antibiotics were the only thing that helped. I did take Keflex, I also have taken Augmentin and one other that I don't remember the name of. I did read warnings but I trust my doctor and went ahead and continued nursing while on the medication. I have 5 kids and had Mastitis with kids 3, 4 and 5, continued nursing and they all are fine. Good luck with what ever you choose.

I breastfed 3 children and would advise you to pump and dump. When your course of antibiotics is over, try to get him to nurse again.

I also strongly recommend you contact your local La Leche League. They are all volunteer trained nursing moms (or formerly nursing moms!) who meet monthly in someone's living room. Meetings are very informal and it was such a great comfort to me when I was new to nursing. You can call their leaders *literally* day or night. I have on occasion called in the middle of the night with one breastfeeding crisis or another, and gotten advice. Look them up online and you'll be able to find a leader in your area.

Good luck!

I would definitely keep nursing, the long term benefits outweigh the risks. This sounds like a nursing strike. Please contact the La Leche League in yourr area (llli.org) to speak with someone experienced who can coach you through this rough time.

Hello,
Check with Nursing Mother's Companion ( book). It says that Keflex is like penicillin ... "occasionally allergies develop so watch for signs of rash." "If you see signs of rash, diarrhea, or thrush, call your health=care provider. If your infant has previously had a rash or other reaction to penicillin, you should not take a penicillin while breastfeeding."
L.

I would rather be safe than sorry. Check with a lactation consultant because she may know some modifications you could do to keep your child on-track for breast-feeding. I also had a med issue while breast-feeding. The doctor said it'd probably be ok. Contacted a pregnancy and delivery nurse who looked it up in the manuals and said since it transfers to the milk then why take a chance on them discovering 10 years down the road that you shouldn't have been breast-feeding while on this med. I thought that made sense to me. Good luck!

while i dont know the medical facts, I have taken antiBs for mastitis with both my kids (3 and 1 years old) while nursing with no ill-effects. In fact, my understanding of treatment for mastitis and plugged ducts is to nurse as long/often as possile. consider it an opportunity for you baby to help YOU feel better for a change. And a pain free/healthy mother is a better mother AND WIFE.

Antibiotics in a tiny baby are scary stuff, the scariest part being that they aren't sure what all can go wrong yet. I would pump and dump. He will be fine on formula for a short time while you get well. I am hardcore pro boob, but he will still reap the benefits if he is only off breastmilk for a short time. However, from the sound of it you may have a hard time getting him back ON the boob. Just be strong, patient, and persistant, and if all else fails find a good lactation specialist when it comes time for him to go back to breast feeding.

Good Luck!

i think you should because but before you take your meds you should pump and freeze until you are finished and while you are taking them yes i feel you should dump. there are so many things that Dr.s don't know about the effects that differnt drugs i would not want to take the chance

I took a very strong antibiotic when I had a mastitis with my twins and kept on breastfeeding and everything was fine. You have to figure you'll be taking them for a week which isnt very long. I also had to take antibiotics after one of my son's and on of my daughter's were born and there were no problems either. What really helped me afterward, as the ducts kept on getting blocked after my treatment, was having a physical therapist do ultrasounds on my breasts. The very small vibrations unblocked the ducts almost immediately. Taking the shower head and directing very hot water also helped as well as taking grapefruit seed extract. Hope this helps.

S.,

According to Medications and Mother's Milk by Thomas Hale, Keflex is a very low risk to lactation: L1 (medications are scored from 1 to 5, 5 being contraindicated for breastfeeding and 1 being safest) it says to watch baby for diarrhea and that you should watch for thrush. Please don't dump or introduce formula. You are doing a great job. Make sure you get some yogurt or probiotics in your system and make sure you are getting enough rest. You're awesome!!!!

M.

I'm guessing you trust your doctor since you chose him/her. I would just try to feed baby as usual since your doctor believes it will be fine. If it was proven to be unwise or harmful to nurse while taking antibiotics they would tell you to absolutely not do it. Many doctors prescribe pain relievers, such as Vicodin, for the first week or two after giving birth. They say it is fine to nurse and that is a narcotic! The baby does not get the full dose of what you are taking in the milk that they drink. Good luck with your decision!

i had mastitis that led to a breast infection and i too went on antibiotics =( I continued breast feeding because there is so much in breastmilk that is best for the baby even if there some antibiotics in it. i also gave my baby babb probiotics. I am glad i kept feeding her my milk, it does have some probiotic in it though. be carefull of the baby getting thrush due to the drugs. u may want to cutt out sugars in ur diet.

T.

It is possible that your son is weening himself. Some kids do it earlier than others. My kids both didn't want anything to do with my breast after 11 months. I wanted to nurse for 2 years, but they wouldn't have any of it! lol.
Also some babies, after they get a bottle with formula, won't want to go back to mommy milk. As for the antibiotics I would listen to your doctor.
Good luck!
C..

I had mastitis with my second son. I took Keflex. There is such a low percentage of the baby getting a reaction. Keep nursing. I had a sharp pain for about 30 seconds every time my son latched on for about a week and a half. I got through it and nursed him for a long time. I know it can be painful, and frustrating, but I am pro nursing for myself, but do what YOU feel most comfortable with. Best of luck .

S.,
I had three breast infections while nursing my daughter, at 2mths, 4mths & 5 1/2mths. I took Keflex for all three. You have no worries about your son being affected. I didn't see any changes in my daughter's behavior to lead me to believe she was being harmed. She is an active & happy 14mth old who's great at puzzles and say a dozen words.

However I think it affected my milk supply, contrary to what my doctor told me. Especially in the infected breast, but I was determined to nurse my daughter until she was one. It was a struggle but I did it. I nursed her until I was empty, sometimes that meant she nursed for 2 minutes, then I supplemented with a bottle. Some books, websites & other mothers may tell you to nurse more often & not to supplement but I couldn't handle listening to my daughter cry for food. It broke my heart. My milk did come back.

I also took Fenugreek, which is a natural herb supplement which helps increase your milk supply. You can get it at Whole Foods. It comes in pill or tea form. I thought the tea was disgusting so I took the pills.

Hi!

When I was breastfeeding my son, I had 4 breast infections! They were so painful and I had to take Keflex twice. I went ahead and kept breastfeeding. My doctor assured me it was okay and I trusted that. Sometimes that is all we can do. I did not want to give him formula and he was not ready for milk. I read alot about it and consulted a couple of pediatricians and they all said the milk is more important and the medication is transferred in such small doses that it is not harmful. I know how much mastitis hurts and I applaud you for continuing to breastfeed. I could not take the pain and mine because chronic, so I had to stop BF at 6 months. Good luck to you!
E.

Hi S.. I am a mother of 2 beautiful girls. Danerys is 2 1/2 and Indigo is 10 months old. Like you, my husband and I started late. I'm 37 years old. My husband is a chiropractor and so we practice as holistically and as organically as much as possible. I even gave birth to my second baby at home with a midwife, with no drugs. With my first daughter, I developed very bad mastitis. I was given antibiotics right away. I also questioned the effect on my baby as I still nursed her on my other breast. I developed a rash from the antibiotics. But, I still nursed her. She seemed to be fine and I stopped the antibiotics as soon as the infection was gone. I didn't take it for the full time recommended. I think, even with the antibiotics in your system, breast milk is still best. If you are still able to pump, I would suggest not wasting that milk (even with antibiotics in your system) and give it to your baby. What we did was we gave our baby a small amount (just a dab on my pinky) of probiotics to counter the effect the antibiotics might have. You can get this at Whole Foods Market. We had the baby suck on my pinky to get the probiotics in her system at least once a day. In fact, we still do this up to this day, for both babies. And they are very healthy, thank God! Good luck and take care!

I got mastitis 3 times with my oldest who is now 4. It is horrible so I feel for you. I had to go on antibiotics the first time it happened. My daughter would not nurse either so I had to pump and dump. Oh the pain!

I wish you the best.

D.

Hi S., I recently had to go on antibiotics for mastitis as well. I actually spent a couple of nights in the hospital on iv antibiotics during which time I pumped/dumped because that seemed extreme to me. Baby was on formula for a couple of days. After I came home and had 14 days of antibiotics during which time I breastfed.

I think you have to do what you feel comfortable with. A week or so of formula will not damage your child's health, nor will he give up breastfeeding in that time. Then again, numerous women have to go through the same medication and continue to BF their babies so if there was so material harm, I think we would have heard abou it. Just my two cents worth - the choice is ultimately yours.

The only caveat to breastfeeding while on antibiotics was that as some of it does pass to the milk, it may have the same side effects on your baby's digestive tract as if he were taking the medication, ie, diaper rash, diaherra. You can counteract them by giving him yogurt with live cultures to restore the balance in his system.

take care!

The question you must ask yourself is why do I have mastitus?
What are you over-doing to cause "milk fever"? You must do less, this is what your body is telling you. Less with your surroundings, maybe cleaning, cooking, shopping, going out, and more staying put and resting. Why are you taking Keflex? Mastitus is only an engorged milk situation, express while standing in a hot shower to relieve the pain and pressure. Are you running a fever? Try the following link, and best wishes. E.
http://www.steadyhealth.com/how_to_treat_mastitus_t62545....

Although I never had mastitis, a friend of mine that did told me that the best way to get rid of it is to continue to breast feed. Supposedly the risk of the antibiotics is small, so I would say go ahead if you can get him to nurse.

I had mastitis twice (when my baby was 2 months and 3 months) and had to take antibiotics- both the Keflex and Dicloxacillin. We both did fine while on the antibiotics. I was concerned also, but these antibiotics are what they would give to the babies also if they needed it, so I didn't worry as much about it getting into the breast milk. Heat and taking extra naps also helped.

Call The Pump Station in Santa Monica - they're lactation experts and should have lots of info for you