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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Mastitis worse after 2 days of antibiotics - what can I do?

15 replies

MouseInTheSkirting · 01/02/2015 23:59

My baby is 2.5 weeks old. 5 days ago my boobs became engirged

OP posts:

Original poster

MouseInTheSkirting · 02/02/2015 00:03

Sorry - posted before I'd finished. After they became engorged they got red and sunburnt looking. Went to the clinic and got antibiotics for mastitis. I've been on them for two days. This evening one boob has a very large lump in the lower part which is excruciating to the point of tears if I touch it. I can't massage it, the pain literally makes me retch. I'm feeding on both sides still. She's fed for over seven hours today.

I'm scared by how much pain I'm in. Is it normal for penicillin to take more than 2 days to kick in? I'm not even sure what to do - I can't see what else a doctor could do. I'm hoping someone here has some experience or advice.

OP posts:

TaytoCrisp · 02/02/2015 00:04

It is possible that you need different antibiotics than the ones you were prescribed. I'd give it another day then head back to gp if it's not improving. Keep feeding in the meantime to help drain it if you can. I had this with dd1, I was prescribed inappropriate antibiotics and ended up with a terrible access after a few days... So I would advise not waiting long before going back to go if you don't see an improvement. Best of luck and hope it improves soon.

ANewMein2015 · 02/02/2015 00:11

Mine got worse withinabout 6 hours - delusional and in AnE. Not to scaare you but just in case you need to go to out of hours .... you may well need a different antibiotic (I was on some drip v. quickly)

Have you drawn a line around the edge of the red? You can see if it moves.

You really can get worse v.quickly....

TaytoCrisp · 02/02/2015 00:14

X-posted. That sounds pretty bad.. It is possible that you have an abscess...(hopefully not). You should probably head back to the gp in the morn. If they suspect an abscess you will prob need to head into hospital to get it drained. It can be done quiet quickly but may require a few trips to the hospital and isn't the nicest thing I'm afraid. I continued to feed my little one in spite of the abscess but it was very tough going for a week or so.. You poor thing.

Bugaboom · 02/02/2015 00:48

If you're feeling really unwell now I would call an out of hours doctor as sounds like you may need to go somewhere to get this sorted. Sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time

toddlerwrangling · 02/02/2015 00:53

Definitely either go to OOH or see GP ASAP in the morning (phone and tell them you need antibiotics as an emergency for mastitis - my otherwise overstretched GP surgery was always very good at dealing with mastitis as it needs v quick attention). I've never had penicillin for mastitis but other high-dose antibiotics (and there are a couple that are advised for it and the GP will see which one would be better). Good luck with it OP, I hope it's better soon

toddlerwrangling · 02/02/2015 00:59

Oh just noticed that your baby is 2.5weeks - you may still be under midwife care and you should also be able to phone the maternity ward now or even go back into the maternity ward at the hospital where you delivered (assuming you were in hospital).

In fact that's what I'd do OP, I'd ring the maternity ward for advice as well as getting to GP ASAP in the morning. I think when I had DD we could ring the mat ward for advice up until about 3 or 4 weeks afterwards (don't midwives have responsibility for post-birth care up to 28 days or something?)

HaveYouTriedARewardChart · 02/02/2015 01:25

Yes phone the midwife / maternity ward for help. Get in the shower and keep your breast warm - may make it bearable to massage? Keep feeding. Take painkillers if you have them. Good luck

Original poster

MouseInTheSkirting · 02/02/2015 03:54

We rang the midwife who just said I should go to the out of hours surgery. My husband goes back to work tomorrow and I can't bear him to have to sit up all night. So I will go to the docs tomorrow morning, this morning. I'm trying to express from the affected boob but nothing is coming out.

OP posts:

BabyOnBoob · 02/02/2015 04:42

Have a really good look on your nipple for a white spot. If you can find one, gently pop it with a needle if you can and the lump should go. I had one of these, think it was a blocked duct. I also had mastitis which was horrendous. Much sympathy to you, hope you get sorted soon

ToTheMoonAndStars · 02/02/2015 04:55

I know how you feel mouse.

I had similar. The pain was excruciating. It wasn't mastitis, 'just' a blocked duct.

You have to get baby feeding on it regularly. Wake her up to feed every hour or so. Point her nose towards the red patch.

Try pumping again. Perhaps after a shower?

Get a hot shower on it - I used the handheld attatchment to spray mine directly.

Comb it - a tip from my mum that worked wonders. In the shower, get a hairbrush and brush hard towards the nipple. For some reason I found that easier than hand massage.

If you feel anything other than pain - faint, fluey etc, that's a sign it's mastitis and that's when you really need the doc and the antibiotics.

I was prescribed antibiotics and it wasn't penicillin. So I'd suggest these are not the best for mastitis, if that's what it is.

I feel your pain, it's hard work bf! Your boobs will settle down soon I promise!

Hatteras · 02/02/2015 05:33

I had mastitis and the first dose of antibiotics I was prescribed made no difference. Fortunately the second dose, a different type worked and I felt an improvement the same day I started taking them. It still took a good week/10 days for the mastitis to clear up. The one thing that really helped (and I felt I tried everything) me was to lie in a hot bath with the affected breast totally submerged in hot water and after a while massaging/hand expressing allowed milk to be released. A hot shower helped, but the bath relieved more.

You have my sympathies OP, mastitis was horrendous! Do see a dr and get a different dose of antibiotics asap, as other posters have said, there is the danger of an abscess former no if not treated quickly.

toddlerwrangling · 02/02/2015 17:32

Hope you managed to get some different antibiotics from the GP, OP - how are you feeling?

Original poster

MouseInTheSkirting · 02/02/2015 18:06

Thank you so much for all your advice. It got me through a horrendous night. I was in tears and my boobs were misshapen and purple. We rang the midwives at about 3am who said I might need different antibiotics but couldn't actually do anything during the night.

Today they are still v sore and lumpy but no longer agony. So I'm hoping the antibiotics are working. I feel pretty cruddy - sore throat and generally yucky but I'm sure I'm
Turning a corner. Thank you so much all

OP posts:

HaveYouTriedARewardChart · 02/02/2015 23:15

Glad to hear it. It really is a horrendous affliction! Keep up with the warm water. A few months ago I was going through it too, expressing pus in the shower All seems very distant memory now and it will for you too.

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