10 weeks into feeding, my boobs have reverted to being full and painful. WHY?!

[MamaG]

We'd got in sync with each other, I think. I had stopped getting the full, painful breasts and now its happening again! Nothing has changed, he isn't feeding more regularly, I haven't been expressing or anything.

I think I'm coming down with a cold as I ache all over as well, feel sort of fluey but with no runny nose, sneezing etc. Maybe its connected to that?

I spent last night alternating between shivering under the duvet and sweating on top of it (nice!)

Mastitis! GO to the GP now - I got it at 8 months in with dd3 and it was exactly like that.

oh you're kidding. I thought mastitis was a feeling like hot pokers going into your breasts? It doesn't feel like that

My boob felt very tender - not excruciating but sore and was slightly reddened. Its the flu symptoms that makes me think thats it. I got it after a very busy day just before Christmas when I hadn't fed dd3 as regularly as she usually did and crucially didn't feed from one breast two quick feeds in a row iyswim?

There's no redness on either boob. Perhaps its just a cold?!

My redness wasn't very pronounced. It could be a cold but I've had several colds in the years I've breast fed and my boobs have never ached! Unless you feel much better I still think a trip to the GP is in order!

I didn't get any redness till well after I started to feel crap when I got mastitis, and the feeling was very similar to that of being 'full'', but within 6-10 hours was bloody agony!

Hot pokers into boob is more thrushy. Yours does sound like mastitis to me (could "just" be flu but with the breast pain I'd take mastitis as a working hypothesis).

Thanks for replies. Think I'll see how I feel tomorrow, its clinic day and luckily I have a great HV. I'll mention it to her if I feel no better

How are things today?

Hi
HV agreed yest that it sounds like mastitis is brewing

She gave me some self help tips (hot teatowel around nork, massaging it, changing feeding position and a cabbage leaf!) which I was doing yest and will contineu today. Also have a prescription watiting at the chemist shoudl i feel worse over teh weekend

Thanks for asking

If you can feed well off both breasts you may be able to head it off. Good to have the abs if you need them but I hope you don't! It is a horrible thing - I didn't realiose how flu-like you feel until I had it.

I'll collect my fee for diagnosis another time

Hope you are feeling better