Mastitis?

[Iburntthecakes]

DD is 3 weeks old and breastfed. Tonight I started to feel shivery and feverish and I have a temperature of 38C
The thing is that I don't have other symptoms and am sure it's not a cold or respiratory type thing as I feel reasonably well.
I have a mildly tender area on one breast which I was putting down to crappy unsupportive nursing bras but I'm now wondering if it's mastitis.

I would have thought that it would be a bit more obvious though. Does anyone else have an experience of mastitis with only mild symptoms?

I could've written this at 3 weeks too - I expected great red lines on my breast but I just had a little lumpy bit. It was the fluey symptoms that did for me. My great sympathies - personally, I'd phone the out-of-hours GP to get it sorted ASAP (I felt a bit pathetic ringing them but they were really understanding and saw me quickly)

Thanks Commander. Its very difficult to know what to do - I don't feel too bad at the moment but I don't want to suddenly find I'm a lot worse tomorrow either. I do feel strangely reassured my diagnosis is probably right though!

Some self help measures you can do tonight here as you may be able to shift the blockage before you need anti-biotics (not all mastitis needs anti-biotics luckily).

Hope you feel better by morning.

hot and cold compresses on your breast can help . Start with a hot water bottle for 10 mins and then a cold pack and then back to hot and so on . This can work really well. If you take antibiotics they will go straight into your breast milk so do try and do this first... good luck. Breast feeding takes a few weeks to settle down but its worth the grief ...

I developed an abscess, and had to have an op when DD was 10 weeks. So painful! Antibiotics, then stronger antibiotics didn't work. So see your GP without delay.

Thanks will try the self help measures and see Gp tomorrow if no better. Looking at the kellymom link it might just be a blocked duct as I see they suggest you can still have a fever with that also.

This happened to me on day 5, I had no idea that the flu symptoms were connected to the bright red boob and suffered all weekend till mw came on Mon and said what it would have been! I'm telling you this as I took no medication and it was gone (almost) by day7/8 so I'm with truthsweet and just informing you that it may only take a couple of days to pass. It is awful though I do sympathise.