Heating up breast milk

[Lucy10]

Due to mastitis have been advised to express my breast milk. Not sure the best way to warm it up. Any advise greatly received!

why can't you just feed normally?

ditto theblonde

are you sure you're not being advised to express as well as feed to clear a blockage or something? Would ask your BFC to clarify.

but if you really need to only feed expressed milk, just stand bottle / freezer bag in jug of hot water till warm enough.

I got ds used to taking EBM straight from the firdge! Much simpler!

I'd be surprised if you were told just to express tbh, when I had mastitis after the doc had given me the tablets he said to keep breastfeeding and it was honestly the thing that gave me the most relief, I just ahd to be careful to still use both breasts as it felt so relieving to use the mastitis one!

I'm finding b/f very difficuly which isn't helping the mastitis so the HV advised I don't b/f for 24 hours to see if it helps.

never heated milk up

stopping bf will only make the symptoms of mastitis worse, imo

any chance you can find a proper bf counsellor? pester nearby birth units or la leche league. sounds like you need proper help, and this really isn't an HV's area of expertise.

oh, meant to say "good luck", too.

I've just started a second course of antibiotics and feeling very rundown made worse with the painful b/f which is why the HV advised it.

Just stand in hot water ( not boiling ) until reaches body temperature .. and test it! no microwave kills all the goodness .. also shake well to

Just stand in hot water ( not boiling ) until reaches body temperature .. and test it! no microwave kills all the goodness .. also shake well to

Sorry, she is a b/f counsellor, it was at a support group. Have tried giving it straight from the fridge but dd wouldn't feed properly. And she has a bottle every night so I know it's not that.

oh, sorry. well, I just put my ebm bottle into a bowl of hot water, swirl it around a couple of times, and presto! (actually ds likes it quite warm so I usually do that routine twice, but I am a softie that way)

Heat the milk in a jug of hot water or under a running tap of hot water.

Are you taking pain killers such as brufen (ibuprofen) for your masititis? Expressing can be more painful than feeding directly. With masitis you should be advised to feed as frequently as you can to get the milk moving.

If you have had antibiotics are you sure the pain is not being caused by thrush in the ducts? What is the pain like?

A HV at a support group is not necessarily a BF counsellor BTW

Don't shake it by the way - kills everything!

Did you try hot pads on breast and massaging in warm/hot bath?

shaking kills everything does it ?

Gentle shaking is fine - sometime milk separates.

Oh so if it separates should you not use or ?

Oh so if it separates should you not use or ?

Yes use it

Sorry to hear you're run down and really sympathise with you on the mastitis - I've only had a blocked duct which was pretty painful so you must be feeling awful. but i'm fairly sure your advisor is wrong about not feeding, and even to 'try' it for 24hrs will back some of the milk up in your ducts and probably take longer to resolve IMHO

You will have been given ABs that won't affect your baby and feeding is the quickest way to help it resolve.

And while you're on, try using hot gel packs before feeding to see if that helps. Some people recommend a wide tooth comb stroked downwards over the lumpy bits but TBH I often found that too painful.

Good luck!

Sorry, I meant that she was a b/f counsellor not a HV. Have tried everything that's been suggested but the only reason she advised me not to feed for 24 hours is because I'm having huge problems wih getting dd to latch on properly and am in agony every time she feeds. And after 7 weeks I'm very close to giving up. She suggested expressing instead so the milk flow won't decrease and I can still give her breast milk. She's giving me a home visit tomorrow to help with the latching on so hopefully I'll be able to get soemwhere. Thanks everyone for all your advice!

I see. Have you discussed thrush at all? It might be contributing to pain and can be treated. She will know about it. Hope she helps you get sorted - problems can be overcome with good help. Good luck.