3 week old baby (plus 15 mo) and I think I have flu. Could it be mastitis or hormones or something?

[Snowboarder]

I feel terrible. I only had DS2 by EMCS 3 week ago tomorrow and I've been feeling rubbish for a couple of days - shivery, sweaty, cold, exhausted. DS2 is EBF and as I type this I am BF him in bed. I have my dressing gown on and am soaked to the skin and shivering. Never felt as rubbish.

Is it likely to be flu or could it just be my hormones settling gown? I have considered that it could be mastitis although I don't know how I'd tell.

Help please

Give NHS Direct or your out of hours GP a call straight away rather than worrying or guessing. Given how recently you've given birth a fever bad enough to leave you soaked and shivering really should get checked out.

Cheers Cogito , I managed to get into the doctors first thing and it is mastitis

Sorry to hear this. It does sound like flu, or mastitis which has similar symptoms. You need to see your GP today, especially to rule out other infections.

Oh cross posts.

I have never been so ill as I have been with mastitis.

Plenty of fluids, breast feed loads, plenty of rest and take antibiotics if necessary. Hot flannel to the breast, and hot showers.

Paracetamol and ibuprofen for pain and fever relief.

Please please go to the doc ASAP. I had a similar thing 2 wks after an EMCS and it turned out I had a severe wound infection internally (so no sign from the outside). Needed hospitalisation by the time I got it checked out, would have been antibiotics at home if I hadn't assumed it was the flu :-(

Thanks for the replies. It IS mastitis according to the doc and she's put me on a strong dose of Fluoxicillin. I hope it starts to work soon as I feel just about as poorly as I have ever felt in my entire life

Oh you poor thing, mastitis is horrid

Able to take to your bed for a day or two, with the baby, calling in family/DH to care for the toddler?

I hope you feel better soon snowboarder. I had a uterine infection after dc2 and mastitis with dc3 - utterly shit when you're already knocked low. The good thing is that the ABs work very very quickly :)

Thank you both for your messages.

Raisin , thankfully my parents have been able to take my eldest for a couple of days and I have spent all day in bed just feeding and snuggling with DS2 who thankfully is as good as gold.

Peggy I'm really hoping that the ABs do the trick and quickly - I miss my DS1 and we're all supposed to be going to my DH's brothers wedding this weekend too.

Hurrah for parents

I do hope you feel better very quickly

And, how rude, I didn't congratulate you on your new baby

Thanks for your congratulations (better late than never!) DS2 makes it all worth it. He is so scrummy!

Mmmmmmm new baby smell

Sniff his head for me x