need help please!

[ct148]

Hi,
I need some help please!
My DD is 4 weeks old and breastfed. This week I have been really poorly as I have a very nasty abscess on my leg. Have been back and forth to docs and have been on antibiotics to try and clear the infection since Monday. The antibiotics are ones which are suitable whilst breastfeeding, although doc did say that its possible that they might make her a bit unsettled. Turns out shes not been happy this week and also seems very constipated...cant actually remember when she last had a dirty nappy so it must have been before i started on the antibiotics.
Anyway, i went to see the doctor this morning and unfortunately ive not responded at all to the antibiotics and abscess had actually increased in size. So he said i would need to go into hospital straight away, and possibly have an operation today to have it removed. When i got to hospital surgeon took a look and decided he didn’t want to operate if he could help it and instead decided i needed stronger antibiotics, and advised me not to breastfeed whilst im taking them. Hes given me a 7 day course and will review in 7 days to see if i need more.
So really, i need to know how much this is likely to affect my supply?
Obviously i’ll need to express but how much? And how often should i do it?
Id like to keep my supply up and also avoid the dreaded mastitis. Baby normally feeds A LOT, was 9lb 12oz born so is on 91st centile for weight. Thankfully she will take a bottle so have got some Aptamil.
What should i do about night feeds? Do I have to make bottles up fresh? She generally feeds maybe 2 or 3 times during the night.
Is there anything i can do to relieve her constipation? Have been bicycling her legs and doing clockwise circles on her tummy but to no avail.
Such bloody awful timing though as I really struggled with supply at the beginning and have been taking Fenugreek and drinking fennel tea to try and increase supply. Should i carry on taking these? Also have a 3 yr old to look after so am not looking forward to the expressing which i hate – but needs must!
Am very upset and tearful over all this so could really use some advcice please, if anyone can help. I’m just worrying that not breastfeeding for at least a week could really be bad news for us.

[NakedFamilyFightClub]

Hi ct, not sure how much help I can be here but hopefully a little. Sorry you're having a tough time with your leg

I expressed and mix fed for DS's first 6 weeks and switched to exclusively breastfeeding y after that. He's still feeding now and he's a year so don't worry too much about missing a week.

I think if you keep pumping your supply will be fine. Once the antibiotics are out of your system it should pick up again. I've been on antibiotics for mastitis and that's what's happened to me anyway.

For night feeds, since it won't be a long term thing, how about getting the premade formula in small cartons? Then you won't have to worry about making up the formula. It's more expensive but worth it! We kept clean bottles upstairs with the cartons of formula then sterilised them all in the morning.

A week is a long time without a nappy at this age, could you give her some cool boiled water in a bottle? That might help a bit.

[ct148]

Thank you for taking the time to reply!

Last night was first time of bottle feeding. Found it more difficult to get her to relax and go to sleep not breastfeeding but we got through it. Just really worried about how not feeding for a week or so will affect my supply. I am expressing but it would be very difficult to express the amount of times she would normally feed as I also have a 3 yr old DS. Its all making me a but sad because I really struggled with my supply at the beginning, hence why I've been drinking buckets of fennel tea & downing fenugreek tablets. Only fairly recently seen an improvement. Typical!

On your advice tried giving her a bit of cooled boiled water both last night and this morning. Does it matter how much she has or how often? She doesn't seem overly keen but I'm telling her its for her own good! I wish there would just be a poonami though because she seems in distress and is crying a lot :(

For night feeds I got some of those premade cartons like you said and that was OK. Sterilised bottles before I went to bed and then took them up with me. But how long do bottles stay sterile for once you take them out steriliser?

[PukousMucous]

Have you checked with the breastfeeding network helpline that you definitely can't feed with these antibiotics? General surgeons are not necessarily that knowledgable about infant feeding.
[http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/detailed-information/drugs-in-breastmilk/]

[PukousMucous]

Sorry link not working, google should do it.

[tiktok]

It's actually unlikely that the drugs mean you cannot breastfeed - please check it out, and share what you find with the doctor. Another source of info is here toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/newtoxnet/lactmed.htm.

You need to find out what, if any, side effects there might be for your baby, and weigh that against the hassle of formula/expressing, and the health effects of not breastfeeding.

Hope you find good support.

[NakedFamilyFightClub]

Ah, great about the antibiotics, that'll make life much easier for you if you can still feed her!

I don't think it matters how much water she takes as long as you're not pouring it into her by the bucket though if you can still breastfeed on the antibiotics then breastmilk has a laxative effect so just keep feeding her. Have you tried a warm bath to see if it helps her with the discomfort?

If you don't get an answer about the antibiotics tonight, then bottles stay sterile for 12hrs out of the steriliser as long as they're sealed as far as I remember.

[ct148]

Thank you everyone.

Im taking clindamycin. It might be that there arent too many alternatives for me as im allergic to penicillin. The leaflet that came with these antibiotics says to stop breastfeeding if possible. Baby can get diarrhoea / bloody stools. Just had a look on toxnet website above...doesnt seem to say that I can't breastfeed necessarily but does mention the same gastro risks.

Its so hard to know what to do for the best. I seem to feel guilty whatever I do. I really miss breastfeeding her already but at the same time her tummy seems to be in a bit of a bad way already from the tame antibiotics, she seems so unsettled and unhappy so I don't know if it would be right to risk her even further by feeding whilst on the really strong ones (I'm on the max dosage). My supply will inevitably dwindle I think, just hope I can salvage it when I'm finally off the antibiotics.

[tomatoandcheese2009]

I haven't tried them for constipation but probiotics have done wonders clearing up DS's problem with trapped farts! Especially if the problem has been caused by antibiotics they are worth a go (I use bio Gaia but any that are formulated for babies should be fine). In the short term, as other posters have said, cooled boiled water, and a warm bath followed by tummy massage might help a bit (try doing small clockwise circles fairly deep under the ribs on left side as well as larger ones across the stomach)

[PragmaticWench]

You should be able to hire a hospital-grade pump from your local breastfeeding support group. That would help to keep your supply up if you use it every couple of hours.

[ct148]

Thank you tomatoandcheese, will definitely look into the probiotics.

And pragmatic thank you too. I actually called my lovely midwife today who arranged for me to pick up a massive pump from the doctors surgery, am assuming this is a hospital grade one that I'm using right now. Will try to do it as often as I can, its so hard to find time though to sit and do it with a cranky 4 wk old & a hyperactive 3 yr old.

Midwife also given me the number for a breastfeeding counsellor at local hospital and said to call her on Monday in case she can offer me any advice.

Does anybody know about the pills you can take to help your supply? I'm just thinking ahead just in case i run into problems with my supply...because its possible I could be on the antibiotics more than 7 days, its quite a bad infection that I have, though I'm really hoping not. Doc will review it at end of the week I think.

[icklekid]

I wouldn't take pills to increase supply. .. pump as often as you can, every few hours but obviously only if possible. Once off antibiotics offer breast every time but you may need to top up with formula hopefully your supply should increase again then.

As for bottles I use premixed in the night as others have suggested! Otherwise in the day I boil kettle add 2oz then formula, mix and top up with cooled boiled water. Makes it the perfect temperature straight away and is what a perfect prep machine does!