great, now I have blood in my breast milk

[whenwillisleepagain]

I am getting weary of posting and Im sure you're getting weary of my posts. I've had plugged ducts twice in the last week and a very red boob after the second blockage which culminated in the GP prescribing me with ABs yesterday to prevent it developing into mastitis. I feel knackered but otherwise fine - DD is nearly six weeks old and feeding has been fine today- however, I just did a quick bit of hand expressing, really to check the previously plugged ducts are working ok, and saw a trace (it really wasn't much) of blood. Had a quick look at kellymom and MN, but can't see much info, other than to get ABs which I've got anyway, if you have blood or pus in your milk. I assume I keep feeding - but does it mean things are getting worse not better - am I heading into mastitis rather than having a near escape?

You can keep feeding with blood in there. Just be aware that when they spit up it'll show there too and don't panic .
I fed with blisters (full of pus) and it's fine (-fine- hahahaha) too. (Bloody painful in literal and figurative senses both)

Don't worry about posting lots.
So many of us have been there. Sounds like you're battling through and I know it's hard. It does get better and things ease a little in abt 2 weeks and again at around the 3m mark. (Seems ages doesn't it?! Looking back you'll shake your head in that certain amazed way and grimace slightly and then laugh and then pat yourself on the back in a private way that you got through it.)

Have a (hug) and and I hope everything eases really soon for you.

thanks a lot - I was at my lowest ebb as the saying goes, at 11pm last night. I did see the local bf midwife last week,but I will go along to another session to check the latch,and also ring one of the bf support lines, as I'm beginning to think it could be the issue. Although I found bf hard work to start with when I had my son in 2006, my main worry was the confidence one of whether he was getting enough milk - not the blocked ducts, near miss of mastitis etc, so I really do want to get to the bottom of what's different this time. I had thought it could be co-sleeping and tending to offer my DD one breast more than the other at night because I'm basically half asleep and lying down - GP agreed when I suggested, but I can see there are loads of other potential reasons (including diet high in saturated fat, which I ignored as I comfort ate my way through a mountain of Kettle chips last night....)

between 12pm and 3am was my horrible times... I struggled so much with the latch etc. I did find once Moo grew the latch suddenly got better; we figured that her mouth was larger in relationship to my nipple and the blisters and blocked ducts etc. faded into the distance.