GPs giving conflicting info on mastitis and extended BFIng, help please!

[YankNCock]

I've been lucky enough to feed DS for 14.5 months without any problems really, but yesterday noticed my left boob was really sore when DS was having his morning feed. It felt hot and lumpy, so I got an appointment with the out of hours GP service (around 9am).

The GP looked at my breast, queried how old DS was and said 'you know there's no scientific benefit to feeding after a year, babies really only need it for the first 6-7 months'. I told him I knew the WHO recommended feeding for two years. He gave me antibiotics and said I could continue bfing on them, but if it got worse I would need to be seen again.

So I left, got the pills, and took 3 of the 4 day's doses before noticing around 10pm that my breast had about 3 inches of redness radiating out from the nipple and basically was a load worse. Called out of hours again and around 11pm saw a different GP who said it could take up to 48 hours to get any better. But this GP said I should express, but NOT feed DS because DS could get the infection.

Now that seems daft to me, everything I've read about mastitis seems to say you should keep feeding so you don't get engorged, and that the baby's stomach acid will kill any bacteria.

As for the first GP and his 'no scientific benefit', I'm sure he's full of it too.

Can anyone confirm?

And does anyone know when it will stop feeling like my boob is on fire?

both talking balls

keep feeding but express express express (by hand) to clear out the gunk from that side (very satisfying)

Both are talking crap. Hope you feel better soon :)

expressing? do I have to? I never mastered the art of doing it by hand. I dusted off my pump last night (had been about to sell it on ebay!) and tried, but I don't seem to be able to get anything out with it.

Plus it hurts to touch it, it's agony when DS is on it as well!

Hi. Apologies for the crapness of some of my fellow gps. 14.5 months is not extended bf IMO. You absolutely should feed and/or express from the boob. Try feeding at different angles to usual. Your baby will drain the boob better than any pump. And bf is extremely beneficial after a year. Babies and children should have milk in their diet for years and obviously human milk is the best milk for human babies. Both gps are full of it. Grrr. Makes me so cross. Hope you feel better soon.

I have just tried to express with my mouth. DH is in the room. I fear I may never have sex again

Poor you - same thing happened to me, got to 15m and suddenly got mastitis for the first time. Bloody painful.

Keep taking the ABs, keep feeding, try different positions. Oh, and I may have done the own mouth thing too .

Oh poor you

I got my first bout of mastitis with DD when she was 13 months old

However, the GP i saw practially saluted me for still feeding DD

Anywya, I found the rugby ball hold good, combing the affected breast in a warm shower and hand expressing as much as I could bear all helped

ABs kicked in after around 2/3 days days

Is that a 4 day course of AB's? Surely that's not long enough to clear it up. Thread about this recently, will see if I can find it.

Seriously Yank, for any bf info I check here first now, and then present GP with my list of demands.

2 duffers though, its terrible!

here we go.

I got something called Breast Nurse from boots today, gel pads you can use warm or cool. Have just warmed them up to try as I can't get anything to come out. Will try hot shower later as well.

Has anyone ever, um, asked DP/DH to give it a go? Very awkward and painful to pull it up to do myself!

crikey, no, it's a 7 day course, 4x a day. I went twice to the GP (different one each time), but on the same day.

G cups here too, but it just pulls everything awkwardly when I try and hurts more.

crikey, thanks for linking that thread. I may have to go see my own GP in the week and ask for a longer course of ABS.

err....never asked DH to have a go

I am one of those people who love squeezing spots etc - I got lots of blocked ducts and a couple of full blown mastitis (mastitides??) while feeding DS.

It is teeth grittingly painful but I found that hot shower on the red bit combined with persistent gentle pushing with your fingers in the direction of the nipple (so not the same technique as normal hand expressing) got the best results.

And by best results I mean thick pussy stuff coming out of your nipple (mmmm nice).

someone on my post natal thread got her DH to clear blocked ducts! I haven't tried but might sometime as there's no way I can get my own in my mouth!

I asked DH last night, was getting nowhere myself. He went like this but agreed to give it a go. It didn't work, we gave up after about a minute.

Now I'm really never going to have sex again

good on him for giving it a go yankNcock!