Mastitis

[Puffin]

I'd be really grateful for some help. I have been breastfeeding for almost a year and have just got a very painful right breast. It hurts underneath and is agony when she feeds from that side, which I am trying to do to ease the pain? I went to the doc this morning who diagnosed mastitis. I have a prescription to use if things get really bad. Any tried and tested cures would be welcomed or reasons why this has happened now when I have had no previous problems with this time or previous children's feeding.

Puffin - I don't know why it's happened now but I have had it and it was horrible. I found a hot bath was useful, massaging the painful breast. Be careful getting out, because the combination of the hot bath and the fever may make you light headed. And then, through gritted teeth, get the baby to feed on that side to get the milk flowing - which is what you're already doing. I did use anti-biotics and it cleared up in about 5 days. It is nasty though, you have my sympathies.

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Puffin, you have my sympathy, it is indeed agony. I had it with all my children and found antibiotics were the only thing that cured it.

To help the breast drain, you can try feeding in different positions, if your baby will cooperate. One position which is a bit awkward for you but seems to encourage the milk to drain freely, presumable due to gravity, is to lie the baby on the floor or on a bed and lean over him/her to feed.

Hope you're feeling better asap.

Ow Puffin, I had it too, whilst on summer hols, not fun. Best advice is take the antibiotics and keep feeding from the breast even though it is agony. Good luck, dont worry it will soon pass.

Have you tried putting a hot (damp) cloth on your breast just before you breastfeed for 1 minute or so (because the cloth will quickly get cold I had a bucket of very hot water next to me and would just put the cloth in a few times). I found it did the trick for me. I was (like you) really trying to avoid having to take anti-biotics.
All the best !

Obviously once you have removed the cloth, get the baby to breastfeed on that side.

I was told by a midwife that the best cure is cabbage leaves inside your bra!! Sounds bizarre, and I never needed to try it out,but a friend did and swears it works. Savoy, apparently, are the ones to use. Worth a try I guess!

You have my sympathy Puffin - I had mastisis twice when dd was only a few weeks old. In my case, I needed antibiotics on both occasions to clear it up. Like many of the other mums, I found that hot baths helped a lot - and not just masaging the affected breast but actually hand expressing. I also relied on one of those hot bean bottles (which you heat up in the microwave - has the same effect as the warm flannel but keeps warm much longer).

I'd suggest that you go get that prescription, as it sounds like things are already bad enonugh to warrant it. If the antibiotics were ok for my 4 week old dd, I'm sure they wouldn't harm your 12 month old.

Don't mean to be crude here, but when any of our cows have mastitis and it is not bad enough for antibiotics, we use Uddermint. Now I'm not sure if you can get a human equivalent of this or not, but it does help my fingers during the winter as they get very stiff, as it puts heat into them, not advisable to use on the breasts, I don't think. Might be worth asking a Homeopath about this.
Good luck, never had it myself, but seen some of my ladies not very happy looking, one question, is your breast enlarged and hard? As if it is hard it might be worthwhile using the perscription from the doc.

My dh used to be a dairy farmer and he was forever comparing me to his lactating cows! When I got mastitis nothing worked, but the antibiotics did, I was feeling fine after a couple of days. I think I got it because I wore one of my old underwire bras that must have dug in underneath my breast and blocked the ducts there.

Every time the subject of breastfeeding came up, my dh would revert back into his farmer days and he would try to tell ME how to feed my baby, and even offered to show me how he used to milk his cows!!

thank you for all your brilliant tips and advice. I am feeling much better now. I used the combing method and also cabbage leaves inside the bra which helped.I took a homeopathic remedy called phytolacca which was a slow acting remedy but I am sure helped things along. The hot flannels were good aswell, there was a definate lump underneath the breast, but no massive engorgement. I couldn't believe how much it hurt but thankfully it seems to have gone. I was worried about taking the abs as I had had to take a course about three weeks ago for a bout of really painful tonsillitus. I think that I was or am just a bit run down, so I will try to rest up a bit before the manic season of Chrimbo really hits hard. Thanks again to all.

I've been speaking to two health visitors from Northern Ireland who have put together a leaflet with advice on possible causes of mastitis and tips for helping to prevent it. They researched it from an evidence base of medical journals and it's written in plain english. Please let me know if you'd like a copy (I can fax/post it)