mastitis, 6 week growth spurt, clingy baby.....

[MerlinsBeard]

Can i just dribble and rock here please?!

AM determined i will bf successfully this time but struggling! Have had mastitis which is looking like i will need a second dose of ABS to rid myself completely. DS3 is feeding every hour at the moment even thru the night. Luckily he feeds quickly.
Yesterday was a day of constant holding and we seem to be back to latching problems again.

He is putting on weight and he is growing and plenty of wet and dirty nappies but i just need to rock in this corner for now whilst i mutter "this will pass this will pass" !!

I feel for you. My dd was like this still is clingy and she is 11mths now and bf. I failed to bf for long with my other 3 but was determined with this one.

Rock away it does get better

i don't mind clingy. its not his fault i am just so special to him

rofl I never thought of using that as a phrase. Will try that on my inlaws when they next see her and she cries or wriggles to get back to me so now she wont have to be referred to as a spoilt so and so .

sorry for the mastitis, but hopefully the growth spurt will mean lots of feeding which will help to shift it. Have you tried all the trusted methods of shifting it alongside the ABs? hot flannels, combing, hand expressing in the shower or a hot bath? I was a bit of a martyr to mastitis and blocked ducts in the early days and found massaging towards the nipple very firmly as DD was feeding was the best way to help get things moving.....painful, but not entirely unpleasurable at the same time

the latching thing, have you checked your positioning? We went through similar issues with that, and I read on here that as the baby grows we often forget to take account of this and keep their head where it's always been but this makes them a little bit too far under your armpit iyswim. I found paying absolute attention to positioning helped any latching problems we encountered once the initial first 10 days were over.

You sound like you're doing a fab job MoM.......and yes, it will pass

i don't know what combing is....sounds painful!!!

have been massaging lots and actually it doesn;t hurt now. is it blocked ducts that causes mastitis then?

latching...he is so eager that i just plonk him on. i forget that actually we need to learn this! have rechecked position and will see what happens. have to be stricter in the nights too as i just attach him and go back to sleep

Thanks for the clean muslin btw

combing is just that....combing with a hair comb. hurts like f*** but seems to get things moving.

blocked ducts can lead to mastitis, but aren't the only cause. More information on kellymom

I hope you're feeling better today

You poor thing Mastitis is awful mainly, I found, because it makes you so exhausted! Thanks to La Leche League helpline I managed to kick it after getting it for the third time! They revealed the many reasons why and how you can develop Mastitis.

These were the reasons I developed the infection:
-baby bjorn sling strap putting pressure on breasts (I exchanged for a soft wrap sling).
-aneamic (started taking iron supplements)
I also needed to try a different antibiotic and most importantly take a longer dose. LLL reccomend 10-14 days.

Hope this helps. Don't give up

combing sounds far too painful

Am feeling ok. Think it has gone (fingers crossed)

I really did not know about babybjorns. i have been using ours like its part of me. Am now trying to get the hang on a ring sling i was given so i can use that instead. I have also had blood tests to check i am not anaemic...didn't know that either!!