Help - Mastitis again

[catwoman75]

Dd is 5 weeks and I have mastitis for the third time. Have been precribed antibiotics again - this time Co-amoxiclav. Going to hold off for a few days and see if I can shift with lots of feeding and hot towels as It's not too bad at the moment - just a tiny bit red and a little tender.

Anyway is breast really best if it's constantly full of antibiotics?

The doctors/health visitors seem to think I am not doing anything wrong and I am just unlucky to keep getting mastitis. Could I be doing anything better to prevent its rerurn for the fourth time?

I am really annoyed as I am just starting to get the hang of bf and am finally beginning to enjoy it. Really don't want to go onto formula but at the same time I can't cope with getting mastitis every other week

i have had mastitis a few times and i always managed to clear it without antibiotics, one time i had puss coming out (insert pueky face here) and still got away withot antibiotcis, basically i FED baby loads, expressed if baby wouldnt feed, used hot flannels but ifound one of the best things to do was to use a wide tooth comb and to comb my breast from above the sore/tender bit to towards the nipple, this always seemed to help clear the infection.

i also made sure that i drank loads.

it could just be bad luck but its worth checking that your bra fits correctly and the latch of the baby if they are not 'emptying' the breast effectively i think that can sometimes cause blocked ducts which leads to mastitis.

do you hold your breast as you feed your baby? sometimes just doing that is enough to get a blocked duct.

anyhow i am sure some of the experts will be along shortly, just thought i would pass on things that i had found helpful

good luck, hope you feel better soon xxx

I had it a couple of times, always after having a busy day with visitors so I wasn't paying full attention during feeds and let my DD's hand press against my breast while she fed instead of pulling it clear each time. It doesn't take much to block a duct and then unless it's cleared mastitis sets in. There's a few threads on here about how to 'pop' a plug if you see one developing (a white spot on your nipple), though I think strictly the advice is to try to shift it by feeding / massage. Gravity feeds are particularly good - lie your baby on their back and hover over them (this feels very weird, quite apart from the difficulty of effectively doing an extended press-up). For maximum impact, arrange the pair of you so that their lower jaw works on the part of the breast that's red and blocked.

Cheers, it isn't getting any worse so am going to hold off on antibiotics and try some of these tips