Recurrent Mastitis

[wimpsneedsleep]

I am EBF my 16 week old DD and have matitis for the 3rd time. I am currently getting it once a month and have to have antibiotics every time.

DD is my Dc3, I ebf the others for 8 and 6 months and didn't get mastitis at all with either of them.

It makes me feel so unwell I can barely function, it makes me grumpy and shouty and it is really unfair on the older children as I can't look after them properly and I am constantly telling them off. I am also worried about being on antibiotics so frequently and the effect it might be having on my DD.

I have had enough and am seriously considering not bf any more but I wouldn't know where to begin with weaning DD onto formula. The thought of stopping makes me sad as this is my last baby so I will never breast feed again and I wanted to carry on for as long as possible, or at least until she is weaned.

I guess I want to know if there is any way I can prevent it in the first place, or if i am doing more harm than good by persevering and I should just give up and ff from now on.

TIA

Have you had it in the same side each time?

I had mastitis 11 times, all in one side, before I decided to dry that side up. Goodness only knows why I didn't do it sooner! DD is now 13 months and I've been feeding her on one side for around 3 months, it's going great and no more mastitis!

Can you see a good breastfeeding counseloor/lactation consultant to discuss possible causes? If you can find the cause then you should be able to stop it. How long were the courses of antibiotics? I found GP's kept trying to give me a weeks worth, but you need 10-14 days to clear it up properly and if it doesn't that can be a reason for it coming back quite quickly.

Or, you could do what I did and dry one side up if it is only one side.

Thanks for the reply.

11 times is that must have been awful. Sadly i am getting it on both sides. They seem to be taking it in turns

I didn't know you could feed from one side only.

The courses of Ab's have been 7 days. It does seem to clear up at the time, in that I feel better, but maybe it isn't completely and thats why it keeps recurring?

I am going to see the HV tomorrow so will discuss it with her. Would a lactation consultant have more info than the HV?

It could be why it keeps occurring, but as it's in both sides, maybe not. Antibiotics should definitely be longer than 7 days though and the infant feeding advisor actually spoke to the GP's surgery about it as they kept trying to give me 7 days.

The la Leche League pages have a lot of info on recurrent mastitis, I found them helpful. In my case we just put it down to previous breast surgery in the end, there was no obvious cause. I was astupid really to not dry up that side sooner, I just kept thinking it would get better and just felt odd about drying one side up.

HV might be of help, but they sadly aren't always the best at advising on BF
especially with complications. Even the HV that runs my BF group isn't that great and at the BF clinic they were baffled and got out the La Leche League book to read off possible causes that I had read myself on the LLL website. A feeding advisor if there's one at your local hospital might be able to help, our local one is extremely good, but I think she's a IBCLC. (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Otherwise you could try LLL or look for a private lactation consultant?

It's awful and very incapacitating, so I really feel for you and can completely understand why you would feel you may need to stop BF. I'm just really really subborn.

Thanks Midori will have a look at the LLL website now.

I know what you mean about HV's they can be hit and miss about alot of things. I guess they need to know a little bit about alot of things.