Anyone else trying to BF after previous mastitis or other boob surgery/trauma...? Ow!

[RakeABedOfTyneFilth]

Six day old DC2. Taken to feeding brilliantly. No troubles there at all. Has been an all day and all night boob boot camp but I knew to expect that this time round.

However I have a nipple problem on the right which I'm a bit concerned about - I had mastitis four years ago when DC1 was between 6 and 16 weeks old which became an abscess which I had to have aspirated by a breast surgeon, leaving me with a wound to the side of the areola that gross stringy curdled 'milk' had to be coaxed out of... It healed and there is now a ten pence sized scar, slightly sunken, not really unsightly, not that I am likely to be showing it off! I continued exclusive breast feeding through this and happily longer term until DC1 was nearly 2.

The duct that got blocked is basically disconnected and I'm worried that now milk will still be produced but have nowhere to go, and what will then happen? - worried there will be another blockage that I can't massage through. Milk has come in, but the pain I'm getting precedes the milk and is right in the centre of the nipple, it's like when she latches on there is a cluster of sewing needles being inserted deep into the nipple, it's excruciating. So is the old mastitis a red herring and this is just poor latch? No discomfort at all on the other side. Neither nipple is cracked or bleeding, and baby is satisfied equally with both sides. Haven't tried expressing, but when I expressed for DC1 I did get a bit less out of the affected side.

Anybody else have experience of feeding with a previously injured or otherwise less than 100% functioning boob?

Not myself, but a friend if mine bf her DS a few years after having a boob job. Initially it was going well but then she got mastitis which wouldn't go away. Of course it could be that she would have got it anyway but I wonder if the fact that her breast tissue had been stretched was part of the problem? (She went quite large).

It could be the scar tissue pulling as it has less elasticity maybe. I would possibly speak to your HV and see if they have any suggestions but it sounds like DC is getting all they need.

Congratulations on the birth of DC2 btw .

You can feed exclusively from one breast. Have you tried calling a bf helpline?

I have had two breast enlargements and the second was unfortunately done with PIP implants. DD is not the first baby I had since my second op, but my first child where I have ever got mastitis. I got it repeatedly, 11 times, until I decided to stop feeding DD from the affected side. Goodness knows why I didn't do that sooner!!!

The implant in that side is ruptured, but its unclear as to whether the repeated mastitis/excessive swelling that cause caused the rupture or whether the implant had been pressing on a milk duct, causing the mastitis and the rupture happened before that or would have happened anyway.

I now am left with one swollen and deformed breast which will stay that way until surgery corrects it. (I obviously need the ruptured implant removed) Its very doubtful that a baby could now latch onto that side so when DS is born (I'm due by the end of the month) I strongly suspect I'm going to feed him from one side only from the start.

Just to add, DD was older, but I successfully breastfed her from one side only from 10-25 months, at which point she self weaned.

I've had a double reduction and have been feeding our LO, she's now 17weeks and solely fed from the left side. We can't feed from the right.

I had the pain you mentioned in the centre of my nipple too, i never figured it out in the end although a couple of support workers mentioned it could be thrush.... It soon disappeared and i put it down to a poor latch.

I haven't had boob surgery (sorry about your experience) but have had the needles feeling. Bloody painful. For me it was a combo of a poor latch due to tongue tie and thrush.