Mastitis

[Alwaystired99]

Please help, my daughter is 6 days old. We've been doing a combination of breastfeeding, expressing and bottle but my supply is nowhere near as good as it was with my son so I decided earlier today to move onto formula only. I managed to hand express some milk off this afternoon but since then I can't get any more, it's swollen, rock hard, hot to the touch, so sensitive I can't even have clothes (or my baby) touching it and it feels like a burning knife is constantly stabbing the inside of my breast. I'm pretty convinced it's mastitis but I'm stuck until tomorrow when I can hopefully get a prescription for antibiotics. I'm dreading tonight as in so much pain and can't expect my partner to do the whole night. What can I do considering I can't bear anything to touch it? I've been in tears since my son went to bed and no painkillers are touching it.

I had mastitis three times, the first time was so bad I could hardly move.

Can you phone out of hours? I ended up at the hospital at 11pm on a bank holiday.

Otherwise, warm bath with a warm flannel across it? Cabbage leaves (assuming you can get some this at this time?).

Oh bless you, you poor thing. I had it about 6 months ago when my LO was 10 days. It's horrible.

Please call midwife or doctor.

I did and I ended up being admitted to hospital (and stayed for 3 days, with baby).

It can get worse very quickly so please do seek medical advice tonight, right away. I don't want to alarm you but better to be safe. It's very common and usually just a horrible nuisance but don't let it get worse.

Thinking of you.

Ibuprofen is better than paracetamol in this case i think. Take care.

Pain killers for sure and when you go to bed tonight don't even attempt to take your bra off, just keep them strapped down as knocking them is the worst. Are they hot to touch? I think gps are quite good at prescribing anti biotics for it so hopefully you can get sone tomorrow and they should kick in quickly afterwards, take care xx

Yes, they're hot to the touch, the bad one looks deformed now.
No out of hours here anymore, meant to use a&e instead but can't get there unless in a taxi as still recovering from section and 5 year old and 6 day old that need looking after and think I'd be better in bed than dragging myself to hospital now.
I've had ibuprofen and got the last of the section dihydrocodeine from the hospital to take later. Just hope the baby has a good night. I was considering drink earlier to knock myself out but that was just a fantasy. It's so frustrating as I was starting to feel human again. Thanks for the advice. x

You're definitely better off going to a and e. Is your partner at home?

Are you on your own? Is there an adult who can help you?

From what you have said I think you need attention. Can you call the maternity ward for more advice?

Hot flannel or hot bath and try and stroke the breast from behind the infected area towards the nipple as firmly as you can cope with.

Just keep an eye on your temperature. Mine shot up, and I pretty much collapsed. If you feel tearful or shaky please do go to a & e. That only happened to me once, the others were just painful.

I would definitely call maternity ward for advice. Is your partner home with you?

I know it’s agony but you do need to try to get the milk moving and the blockages unstuck if you possibly can. I would suggest submerging your boobs in a hot bath, start with light massage then get firmer and firmer, pushing towards the nipple. It will hurt like hell but grit your teeth and see if you can get it softening at all, it will help so much if you can.

With mastitis you feel like you have the flu - fever, feel faint and exhausted like you can’t move. So it may not be mastitis quite yet - but you should definitely seek antibiotics as it could well turn into it. In the meantime please do keep trying to loosen the blockages. Good luck x

I've spoken to the GP this morning who's prescribed antibiotics so hopefully they'll kick in within the day. A heat pad has given me just enough relief to start massaging but I haven't managed to get any milk out yet. Think this is what started it as sometimes I could express lots and sometimes none. I'm going to try in the shower next and see if that relieves it some more. It's such an awful all encompassing pain, way worse than section recovery.

I agree Alwaystired. I had mastitis with ds1 and badly and have always though the pain of childbirth was a mere rite of passage to prepare one for the continuous agony of breastfeeding. I don't think there's nearly enough recognition of how bad it is when it goes badly.

Interestingly roll back a couole of hundred years and most maternal deaths related to severe infections arising from childbirth, largely mastitis and yet this is so often overlooked in the zealous promotion of by often against a background of ill informed professional advice.

Hope you feel better soon.

Think this is what started it as sometimes I could express lots and sometimes none.

Yes unfortunately expressing is nowhere near as effective as getting the milk out as a baby (if you have a good latch). Feeding is the best way to clear mini blockages as babies have such powerful suction but you do have to get the breast a bit soft first for this to be possible and not too painful. I really feel for you! Hope the shower helps you get something flowing.

I'm pretty sure my midwife gave me gerium oil and told me to get in a hot shower and massage my breasts as much as I could handle.

Ooh ouch!!! Sounds awful!

I would suggest paracetamol and ibuprofen, a hot shower with the shower running over your breasts, a hot bath, cabbage leaves are good once
Cooled in a fridge, any way you could try and get baby to latch and feed a bit today and tomo until
Antibiotics kick in?

I would stay home all day, close the curtains and keep breasts out so nothing is touching them.

I feel for you, it’s terrible, I even covered mine in cold natural yoghurt once to cool them they burnt so much!!

I was going to mention cabbage leaves but thought I'd be laughed at!

I can't get her to latch properly; which is probably also part of the problem but after a hot shower, massage, more massage, yet more massage as well as ibuprofen, paracetamol and codeine they finally softened just enough that I've managed to hand express and then pump some milk off.
I've got an hour until my son gets home from school so going to lie in a dark room and try to sleep. I'll probably get thrush next from the antibiotics!

I meant to try cabbage leaves but forgot to add them to my shopping list of drugs this morning!

I'll probably get thrush next from the antibiotics!

To avoid thrush I take a probiotic whilst in the antibiotics, and eat a shit loads of live yoghurt and avoid yeast/ bread, marmite etc alcohol and sugar!!

I know the cabbage leaves sounds so random but they are a godsend!!