Feel like I've been kicked in the boob...

[WhoahThereCrazyHorse]

Any ideas what this could be? One 'section' of my right boob feels bruised - I thought it was just a bit engorged but still getting the pain a couple of feeds later...

Ouch.

This is how i felt at the start of mastitis when my baby was 7 months. I would apply heat and if it doesnt get better or gets worse go to OOH as I learned waiting for it to go alone os a bad idea!

Sounds like a blocked duct (which can lead to mastitis if you don't get it cleared). I approach it by nursing, taking a hot shower while targeting water at blockage and massaging firmly towards nipple, nursing again, hot shower again, and repeat until it starts to feel better (at that point you've generally cleared the blockage, although you may have some residual soreness for a few hours).

In terms of nursing it can be a good idea to position the baby so his/her chin is towards the blockage (can be quite gymnastic depending on where it is) and/or "dangle feeding" (baby on back on bed, you on all fours dangling nipple into his/her mouth).

Thanks for that, I also woke up feeling pretty rubbish in general - another bad sign? Have fed from that side twice now and had a long hot shower whilst massaging!! Think it's starting to feel better so will carry on - thank you for the advice it's much appreciated :)

If you feel flu-like symptoms it could have already turned into mastitis, in which case you should get some antibiotics ASAP to head it off.

Actually you are likely to feel flu type fever, shakes and aches as your immune system reacts to the milk proteins as they leak into your own blood stream from your engorged ducts. Get the milk out and you should feel better but with a breast that is less lumpy but still tender.

Antibiotics are needed for infectious mastitis but this is usually secondary to blocked ducts, madtitis that hasn't been treated. Like any infection it can be serious but no need to take abs as a precaution, if your mastitis is infectious self treatment softens the breast but doesn't make you feel much relief from flu type symptoms.

Hope you better soon, we are blocked duct veterans here.owch.