Breast abscess with DS1 - BF a second?

[letuce28]

I'm TTC for no2 but I'm already worrying about the prospect of feeding. I ended up having surgery to remove a breast abscess when my DS was 12 weeks and stopped BF. It was a really difficult time.

I really enjoyed BF until I got ill and cant imagine not BFing a second child - but I'm terrified that it could all happen again.

I'm hoping that there are some positive stories about successfully BFing after an abscess? Anyone else experienced this?

TIA

Oh gosh poor you. Were you not given advice at the time to say this was very unlikely to recur? I had two breast abscesses with DD - one at umm three months and one a bit later, both were drained and I had intravenous antibiotics which cleared them up. I continued to breastfeed and have since breastfed DS and had no problems. Quite often it's just you are too busy to get prompt treatment so it gets a lot worse than it needs to IYSWIM (not blaming you btw, just saying that if at the first sign of trouble you get the right treatment, it should never lead to surgery).

Good luck TTC. Incidentally, pre pregnancy I had quite a bit of breast tissue removed because of an abscess and this didn't cause me any problems with nursing

Thanks for this ! Very reassuring.

Agree that it shouldn't have ended up with surgery but I was repeatedly misdiagnosed and by the time I was taken seriously and admitted to hospital the IV antibiotics and drainage didnt work.

I never asked about reoccurence because the idea of ever having another baby or breastfeeding was inconceivable at the time but now I'm almost looking forward to it

You'll be fine. I went through a period of getting lots of abscesses but for the last few years - nothing. I think it's an autoimmune thing which predisposes you to them. But you will know next time the first sign of a problem, to leg it to the GP and insist on prompt treatment.

had abcess with dc1 and with dc2, no problems with dc3. Luckely, aspecially second time round, regognised it in time and had AB.

hello,

i am just home from hospital following abscess drainage i am expressing milk from infected breast to prevent reoccuring and feeding from other as been given conflicting advice. also thought of the large hole in breast and previous pain has almost put me off bf.

is it ok to feed while wound is fresh? ab and painkillers continue through next week.

looking for reassurance mostly and thoughts about stopping bf but maasive guilt.

thanks,

Hi there mariasmummy sounds like you've been through it some! How is it going now? Have you tried phoning La Leche League for advice?

I'm on my 3rd round of ABs for mastitis. How did you know when the infection lead to an abcscess, I'm curious to know in case my three blocked ducts develop into an abscess...?

Please don't feel guilty Maria's Mummy. You've been through something many people don't understand. Maybe its time to give yourself a break. I had a breast abscess in August following bungled misdiagnosis it was massive! I have just had another operation because it failed to heal properly and am still having the open wound dressed daily 4 months on. Breast feeding is so emotive and political that this situation is a real test of your own instincts. I was told by NCT counsellor that I could carry on breast feeding through this awful time. When you are in this situation you are so vulnerable (not to mention all those hormones raging) but now with the benefit of hindsight I can't believe the so called 'advice' I was given. How did the NCT telephone counsellor know what bug had infected me!!!? She had hardly done a biopsy!! One doctor told me it could be an E.coli that had got in there!! The point is all science seems to go out of the window. Looking back I can't believe I was not advised to stop breast feeding and I was told it was 'my choice' so of course I felt really guilty. Every abscess is different. Some people who obviously receive prompt treatment and damage is limited manage to carry on however, it depends on your particular circumstance. I wish the medical profession could give better more objective and scientific advice but unfortunately they let us Mums carry the burden of all the guilt that has been a result of NHS funded brainwashing. My wound was 3.5 cm wide and 3.5 cm deep and weeped blood, exudate and milk for weeks on end. I couldn't go out of the house as the dressing would leek after 4 hours. I made the brave decision to bottle feed which I really don't regret and as time passes I feel more proud of myself for making the decision that everyone else was too scared to help me with. The pain of engorgement with an open wound was awful but it just didn't make logical, scientific sense to me that I would be able to heal from an open would if the milk ducts were exposed to the extent that they were. My baby had dropped from the 65th centile for weight to the 9th by 5 weeks old and the breast feeding fascists were still telling me to carry on!! My maternal instinct and logic won out over all the guilt and I gave him a bottle and he was never happier. Every situation is different but I am proud of the decision I had to make and it is probably the most grown up and adult thing I have every had to do because nobody in the medical profession will do the kind thing and help you make the decision they just hide behind their political agenda or ignorance. Bottle feeding has allowed me and my son to bond better after the terribly traumatic time we both had breastfeeding and going through the trauma of an abscess because we actually could enjoy each other. There is more to motherhood than breastfeeding although you wouldn't think so sometimes when these people seem determined to ram it down your throat even to the detriment of your baby and your own health. My son is so healthy and happy now and he was an emaciated little waif with stick arms and legs and sunken grey skin as I suffered through mastitis and the eventual devastating abscess. I know I made the best decision for me and my baby and sod the lot of them!

URGENT
To Jools78

You MUST insist that you get a ultrasound ASAP as I too had loads of antibiotics, Flucloxacilin, Augmentin and Ciprofloxacilin (or something like that) and none of them worked. They kept sending me away until the thing developed a yellow head and rapidly destroyed breast tissue and skin. The final diameter for the surface would was 10cm and the hole inside was 3.5x3.5cm.

A breast abscess is an EMERGENCY and you should be seen as such. It took 56 hours of being sent from pillar to post before I had my operation which ended up being so much worse than it needed to be. Please don't let the same thing happen to you. At the general ward of the hospital they told me if it hadn't broken the surface they couldn't operate. I now know that is wrong. They SHOULD have done a BIOPSY and an ULTRASOUND and gone in and drained it immediately and then given antibiotics that are targetted to the specific bug that was in there.

All merry hell has kicked off at my local hospital trust and they are all worried I am going to sue them as they know they messed up but I don't want to take money out of the system I just want better care for everyone. I am very assertive person but I was fobbed off so many times. Don't let the same thing happen to you. Don't let them seperate you from your baby as well. I had to leave my 5 week old starving baby at home and was put on a mixed ward with lots of dirty old men overhearing all my requests for help with my engorged breasts.

You must get help now. If you have had that many antibiotics and its still red and inflammed and/or worse a hard collection seems to be forming under the surface then I am no doctor but it would seem to me that it is definitely an abscess and it could be quite deep. Go to your local hospital A&E NOW and insist that they give you an ultrasound. You will be amazed how quickly the thing can spread. Don't take no for an answer. Nobody can give a diagnosis without an ultrasound so they are all just speculating (unless they ahve x-ray vision.

Good Luck x