Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Mastitis query

8 replies

McBaby · 15/12/2012 18:56

How long do it take for the lump to go once you had antibiotics? And how long till you felt better.

Struggling with it at the moment and thrush from the lovely antibiotics.

OP posts:
sharond101 · 15/12/2012 22:38

Mine improved dramatically after only two doses of antibiotics and went completely after 5 days.

DeckTheHallsWithBoughsOfJolly · 15/12/2012 22:47

Sometimes doctors don't prescribe a long enough dose. You really need 10-14 days of ABs to be sure you're clear of it.

Also it helps to express lots to try to get rid of the lump. And try feeding at new and interesting angles (baby's chin pointing at lump, baby's nose pointing at lump.)

And rest if you can. Mastitis is more likely to happen if you are run down.

Ibuprofen may also help.

I generally felt a bit better 2-3 days after starting the ABs but I really believe the expressing helped a lot. Especially during.the really bad bouts. (I've had it 3 times, 2 of those were particularly grim).

Hope you're feeling better soon.

sayanything · 15/12/2012 22:56

It took a while for me, but then again it was such a bad case I had to be hospitalized for IV antibiotics. I think I started feeling better (I.e., no fever) after about 3 days, but the swelling didn't go down for 5 days or so DS would not latch on and I had to pump for ages to get even a drop out, but we got there in the end and I'm EBF 3 months on. I found a manual pump worked a lot better than an electric one to get the snot-like bits of milk out (sorry!).

OohMrDarcy · 15/12/2012 22:59

I had hellish mastitis took about 10 days in the end and three visits to the doctors!

Firstly I was given antibiotics - the wrong one (well not wrong as such, but not the 'best' can't remember what they were now) but OOH doc who to be fair came out in the middle of the night when I felt like I wanted to die! not melodramatic at all

Then 3 days later when I felt worse not better DH booked me an emergency appt with doc, who gave me supposedly better antibiotics which he said to take alongside these other ones as sometimes it could take too types Hmm

Then a few days later again when I was exhausted, felt like shite, guilty the lot I burst into tears on HV and then receptionist, they booked me appt with amazing doc , she fit me in in her lunchbreak and was so sympathetic I burst into tears again (reached my limit that day!)
She was concerned that I might have an abcess so examined the breast and I could tell she was trying to massage / push out any blockage at the same time, was like deep tissue sports massage
she kept apologising as she knew it must hurt, but through my tears I was saying I didn't care if it helped! She told me she didn't think it was an abcess, but to go home - soak a flannel in really hot water, lay it over the sore part of the breast for as long as I could handle and masssage again, and keep doing it and she'd see me again the next day (again at the end of her shift) and if it was no better I'd be off to hospital for a scan... this lovely lady knew what she was doing - I did the soak / deep massage thing another couple of times and by the next day I felt human! Xmas Grin still shit / exhausted / bruised etc, but the horrid fluey symptoms disappeared like magic

She assured me it may have been that the antibiotics were about to turn a corner - I laughed at her! She had breastfed twins and had double mastitis to deal with so knew her stuff.... I now love and want to stalk her!

DeckTheHallsWithBoughsOfJolly · 15/12/2012 23:01

I hand expressed in the bath when I had it.

Copthallresident · 15/12/2012 23:05

I had a few doses of mastitis and in the end got quite good at spotting it coming and massaging the lumps out without resorting to antibiotics. Good tips about changing feeding position but if you can feel the lump and it isn't too sore you can gently massage it toward the nipple. Did worry I was serving up cheese but DDs didn't seem dissatisfied Wink However as is obvious from these posts it is like any other infection and it depends how severe. If it doesn't clear don't be afraid to go back to the doctor.

Original poster
McBaby · 16/12/2012 18:04

Thanks everyone.

Been on antibiotics for seven days took a couple of days for temp to be under control but still have lump. It is deep inside so you can't massage it out! Also have nipple infection and thrush to all the additional feeding and expressing is very very sore!

Also how did you all cope with expressing feeding every 2-3 hours and getting rest! The two are not compatible and I'm exhausted!

OP posts:
OohMrDarcy · 17/12/2012 09:56

I was definitely exhausted - felt quite hellish...

get back to the doctors if its still there - that means its still blocked so the mastitis will just come back

New posts on this thread. Refresh page