Help needed- mastitis??

[louloutheshamed]

I am ebf ds2 7weeks.

I bf ds1 until 18m. With ds 1 for the first few weeks or months even I could tell which breast I had last fed from as it would be soft and the other one hard. This time round my breasts have both been soft since quite early, about 3 weeks.

Yesterday I noticed a red patch on my lower inside part of the left breast. This side also has a crack on the nipple and I have maybe not been feeding equally from both sides as it is so sore. So this red patch is tender to the touch and has pinkish 'streaks' away from it as if following the ducts, but the weird thing is it isn't hard or lumpy- I can't feel a blockage. When I hand express it doesn't seem to change at all as it is soft- so could it still be mastitis??

I went to gp yesterday and she gave me anti bs but havent started them yet as I'm just not sure.

Also tried to express with a pump yesterday but got nothing at all. This and the softness have made me question my supply, which is silly really as ds is following the 98th centile!

Does this sound like mastitis to you? Could it still be mastitis even though it is soft?

Bumping and just to add- when I've
looked at it this morning it
Seems less obvious and red, more like pink, and the streaks have faded- but it is still tender?? Any ideas?

Wondering if to take the abs or not.

Anyone??

This Kellymom page has lots of information on mastitis . My understanding (from that page and elsewhere) is that while mastitis is often caused initially by a blocked duct, it can be caused by other things. What did your GP say?

As you say, if your DS is following his line then your supply is clearly fine. As I understand, the softness is just an indication that your supply has quickly tuned to supply exactly the right amount of milk, rather than wasting energy making extra that isn't needed, as can happen in the early days. How much you express is not an indicator of supply either - some women can successfully EBF their DC but are unable to express.

You mention a crack on your nipple but don't say any more - is it healing, or is it an ongoing issue? That could be a sign that something (e.g. the latch) is not quite right, which could leave you more prone to things like mastitis, so it is worth getting more support if that is the case.

The crack seemed to get a bit better a couple of weeks ago but now it is sore again.

I can't seem to figure out what I'm doing wrong with the latch so I'm
Just grinning and bearing it and hoping that as his mouth gets bigger it will get better

The gp suggested that rugby ball hold which I've tried but I just can't get on with it at all.

I had a similar problem when my baby was a couple of weeks old. The breastfeeding clinic said mastitis could be caused by bacterial infection via a cracked nipple and that it might resolve itself without antibiotics. Was advised to express if baby didnt feed on that side, use cabbage leaves from fridge in the bra and lansinoh for cracked nipple. GP reviewed me couple of days later (other probs!) and was quite happy it had cleared up and treatment not needed. Did develop mastitis months later and you know all about it. Not to be recommended!

I sympathise - I've struggled in the early weeks on one side with both of mine, and always been told the rugby hold is the solution, but I just can't do it with a newborn. Have you tried biological nurturing/laid back nursing? Some women find it a simple way to get a good latch.

Also do you have any local breastfeeding support? If someone could observe a feed, they might be able to suggest a slight change to your positioning or similar that might help. And there are other things besides the latch which it could be - they'd hopefully be able to advise on that too.