Does mastitis always need antibiotics to clear it?

[Thankyouandgoodnight]

I have mild flu symptoms and redness and swelling on one part of one breast. Do I have to take antibiotics or can I treat is using warmth, massage, changing baby's position when feeding etc?
I've taken some paractemol which has taken the fluey feeling away

Use very hot wet flannels on it - this worked for me the other night. I was surprised...also try baby from the other direction to usual. I never thought this would work but by morning the duct seemed much less sore.

I didn't have the fluey feeling at that stage mind.

Make sure you rest as well - long hot bath might help too.

I did same as Stella and it disappeared within 24 hours. I took paracetomol but MW said Ibuprofen was better because it acts on the fluey feeling as well as reducing any boob swelling.

Oh and you are supposed to favour that side when feeding so I started with that boob for a day (meant that boob produced more but that settled down in a couple of days.)

Make sure you go to drs if symptoms not gone within a day or so. My boobs were sore for a couple more days but I think that was due to the swelling squishing/bruising them. That pain was nowhere near as bad as the mastitis though.

My ds only usually feeds of one side so it would be difficult to do as springerspaniel suggests, so as an alternative I used a hand-pump to express as much as I could out of the affected breast, then put baby on to drain it completely. I only did this once (need to be careful to stop milk production going into overdrive) but it worked really well. It meant I was also able to feed normally from the other breast.

Feeling for you, hope you wake up tomorrow with it gone!

In my experience (4 times) if it's really bad than yes get the antibiotics down you. If it's just beginning to flare up then comb the red area with an afro comb towards the nipple (more effective than massage, I reackon). You look ridiculous but it worked twice for me.