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Infant feeding

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

🔍 BREAST ABSCESS/ GALACTOCELE ADVICE PLEASE 🔍

3 replies

GhostSpider17 · 24/06/2026 19:10

I have just had my second baby, who is now 5 weeks, and I have an abscess in a suspected galactocele (apologies if this is the wrong phrasing; I was blissfully unaware of what a galactocele was until now…). I have been in agonising pain over the last 6 days and just had it aspirated this morning, to my immense relief. However, I’m now desperate to find a way to manage the condition going forwards so that I don’t get an abscess coming back. I am on oral antibiotics, having had 2 IV doses as an outpatient, and a culture of the aspirated milk has been sent off. The consultant has advised me to keep the milk flowing from that boob as much as possible to help clear the infection, however my poor boob will only give up a few drops of milk at a time (via hand expressing; I have a sore on the skin where it has split from being so swollen that makes pumping or latching baby impossible). In an ideal world, I would love to drop my supply down to as little as possible on that side and just feed baby off the other breast, supplementing with formula while we transition. Has anyone had experience with something similar? If so, please can you tell me how you were treated, how you managed to reduce the supply down on that side, and also whether you kept milk flowing until the infection was cleared? I’m stressed as that’s what I’ve been advised to do but I just can’t get it to come out! Thank you SO much for reading such a long post.

OP posts:
ExplodingSmittens · 25/06/2026 07:19

It’s not something I’ve had to deal with and from how you’ve described what you’re going through, it sort of makes me glad Flowers

Have you given a call to one of the BFing support helplines and spoken to a BFC? Flowers

GhostSpider17 · 25/06/2026 09:47

Thanks @ExplodingSmittens ! I’ve contacted my local health visiting team but the LCs there don’t seem to have experience with this, so trying a more national helpline is a good idea! Thank you

OP posts:
ExplodingSmittens · 25/06/2026 10:10

I think that possibly a BFC will have better experience.

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