warning for bfing mums....:)

[Squiglet]

just because you are freezing cold... does not necessarily mean that it IS cold...

after waking up yesterday... shaking with the cold... wrapping the poor baby and myself in several blankets with the heating on full blast... Dh comes home to the sauna only to discover the reason I was so cold was I had a raging temp of 39º and have mastitis I hadn't clocked the mastitis because my boobs weren't any more tender than usual, lil miss has been building up my supply recently for her growth spurt so my boobs were getting more engorged and painful anyway.... but were very hot when examined later by the doctor, the medical advice for mastitis is to stop bfing, express and take anti inflammatories... I'm loving this medical advice you get here.. so ive ignored it and got lil miss to help out...

but it came on so subtly that I never really noticed. So for bfing mums... check you boobs if you think its really cold,...

 

[leckershell]

Theres been a couple times I thought I had mastitus, hot boobs and desperately cold me even though the heating was on. Never went to the doctors though cos I assumed it would blow over. Luckily it did... but yeah if in doubt, go to the doctors, don't be stoopid like me

 

[SarahH]

oh no hope you feel better soon!

 

[Rosieroo]

Argh I remember the shivers well (along with duvet, dressing gown and hot water bottle on the sofa!).

Hope it clears soon hon

 

[zebrastripes]

But I thought if you had mastitis you were meant to keep bf

Poor you I had a blocked duct once and that was painful enough. I'm not a brave soldier

 

[cloud9]

mastitus iz so much more miserable than just painful i luckily only had it once.

Chell you can just get through it sometimes just get the LO to feed as much as possible

hopre you feel bette soon

 

[Redshoes]

Hope you're all better soon Squiglet

 

[fothers]

Hope you feel better soon

 

[Tasha20]

just because you are freezing cold... does not necessarily mean that it IS cold...

after waking up yesterday... shaking with the cold... wrapping the poor baby and myself in several blankets with the heating on full blast... Dh comes home to the sauna only to discover the reason I was so cold was I had a raging temp of 39º and have mastitis I hadn't clocked the mastitis because my boobs weren't any more tender than usual, lil miss has been building up my supply recently for her growth spurt so my boobs were getting more engorged and painful anyway.... but were very hot when examined later by the doctor, the medical advice for mastitis is to stop bfing, express and take anti inflammatories... I'm loving this medical advice you get here.. so ive ignored it and got lil miss to help out...

but it came on so subtly that I never really noticed. So for bfing mums... check you boobs if you think its really cold,...

Breastfeeding a lone will get rid of it.


Mastitis is an inflammation of the breast, which may progress to an infection. It feels like you are coming down with flu, leaving you tired, restless at just the time when you need all of your energy. You may notice areas of redness, hardness, soreness, or heat in your breast and swelling of the affected area- sometimes it can reasemble a and print on he skin. This is often called a blocked duct because a lump can often be felt – although this is not caused by a blockage but by milk in the tissue instead of the duct, which causes localised inflammation and swelling.

Common, and more serious, signs of mastitis include chills, sudden feeling of hot, a headache, a temperature of over 38.5 degrees C / 101 degrees F and exhaustion. These symptoms are usually caused not by infection but by milk entering the small blood vessels in your breast and then being treated by your body as a "foreign protein".

If you find yourself with mastitis, you're not alone: about one in 10 breastfeeding mothers get it and some bottle-feeding mothers do too. While you can get mastitis more than once, it's unlikely that you'll get it in both breasts at the same time.

It is now recognised that mastitis is most often caused by "milk stasis". This is when milk "backs up" because it is being made faster than it is removed. It is usually caused by your baby not emptying your breasts well when he feeds. The most common reason for this is a problem with the way your baby latches on. If you and your baby haven't got the hang of latching on properly, milk won't be removed efficiently. Other causes of mastitis include engorgement that doesn't return to normal, feeding to a strict routine or even trauma to the breast, which can all cause milk stasis leading to mastitis.

Infective mastitis may develop from milk stasis or it may be caused by invading germs, although how exactly infection enters a breast isn't clear. Some women who have had mastitis have also had cracked nipples and the infection may have passed through the crack or fissure in the nipple into the lymphatic system of the breast.Other experts believe that mastitis and cracked nipples are both symptoms resulting from poor latch-on technique and so the two are likely to be linked in this way.

Don't stop feeding – that will make mastitis much worse. Contact your doctor straight away. Depending on how long you have had the mastitis and how severe it is, she may send you to a breastfeeding specialist or prescribe antibiotics, or both. (Check with her that any prescribed medicine will not affect your baby, though the most commonly prescribed antibiotics for mastitis are safe for babies). She may also suggest bed rest, pain relievers and hot compresses. When the antibiotics kick in during the next 24 hours, you'll start feeling better even if there is no infection, as antibiotics help to reduce inflammation.


If there are any problems with your baby latching on and feeding effectively, antibiotics won't work in the long term.

Some mums are reluctant to use antibiotics until they have explored every other avenue first. You may prefer to try some self-help measures, whilst keeping the antibiotics in the bathroom cabinet in case they are needed. However, you should pay close attention to your condition because if mastitis does not start to improve, it can develop into a breast abscess, which will require immediate medical attention (and sometimes surgery) to drain it.

Whether you start antibiotics immediately or decide to wait for 24 hours, you can help yourself by trying the following:

• Make sure your baby is latched on properly at the breast and feeding well.

• Try different feeding positions if they help your baby to latch on better.

• To keep the affected breast well drained, breastfeed as often as your baby wants to.

• Express milk by hand or with a pump, after feeds, if you feel your baby has not used the breast well

• If you feel ill, rest as much as you can.

• You may find that it helps to apply warmth to the affected area, such as a flannel or compress, or have a warm bath or shower. Some mothers find that cold compresses work better.

• If it helps to massage your breasts, do so very gently while your baby is feeding to help the milk to flow from them. Vigorous massage can actually make mastitis worse by pushing the "leaked" milk further into the breast tissue.

• You can also take painkillers to help with the pain. Ibuprofen can be taken whilst breastfeeding and may help to reduce inflammation as well as pain. Paracetamol is an alternative.

If it is diagnosed early, mastitis is easy and quick to treat and it won't be long before you feel 100 per cent better. If you start a course of antibiotics, (regardless whether you had an infection) be sure to take all of them. If your breast remains tender and you still have a temperature, contact your GP.


Even though you may be feeling awful, mastitis will not affect your baby and it is safe for your baby to feed from the affected breast. Even if you have infective mastitis and your baby swallows bacteria in the milk from the infected breast, the bacteria will be killed off by the acid in your baby's stomach.

Sources:
http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/22pdf.pdf

 

[trixipaws]

aww hope ur better soon.

 

[Squiglet]

I LOVE YOU TOO MIDNA...

well its the third day of the antibiotics and I am feeling much better although the doc said I would... I've ignored my doctors advice otherwise and just had lil miss spend the night sucking on my left boob which I think is the problem one and woke up this morning and it felt all soft and squidgy So yea!!!... but I did feel really ill on Monday... didn't realise mastitis can appear overnight, nor that I wouldn't really notice it coming on... with Tia I had a blocked duct for ages before it developed into mastitis.. and got progressively ill over a few days... I was fine on Sunday, but woke up cold, achey and shivery Monday morning. So scary.. So just to let other mothers know... it can be quick and just stick that baby on the boob ... you'll never see cluster feeding as a bad thing ever again...

 

[budge]

But I thought if you had mastitis you were meant to keep bf

quote]

you are .

 

[Tasha20]

Its actualy stoppping during mastitis that makes the infection worse.

In actual fact, breastfeeding and draining the breast is the best thing you can do.

 

[beanie]

Its such a perverse situation though, your boob feels like it is going to explode and just throbs and you are meant to put a small person on it with the suction power of a dyson. I remember begging to OH to cut my boob off one of the times I had it, and having a tantrum as I didn't want Seren to feed off me. But the pain of engorgement is an even bigger bitch. I always found a hotwater bottle put on the afected area a bit before feeding was really helpful, and helped remove the blockage a bit quicker.

Antibiotics can decrease your milk supply too, so be prepared for cluster feeding and they can bring on thrush too so keep an eyepout for that. Hope you feel better soon.