Mastitis while Pregnant?? Natural remedies?

[LLtheTinkerbell]

This is my first pregnancy and I'm due TODAY. 2 days ago woke up with red painful swelling on my left breast, accompanied by a low-grade fever. All evidence points to mastitis, which I understand typically happens when breastfeeding but can happen during pregnancy too. 

I DO NOT want to take antibiotics. I will likely be breastfeeding within the week (or whenever this baby decides to come) and don't want to deal with thrush, yeast, etc. 

Has anyone else experienced this? Any luck with natural treatments? So far have just been having hot showers and walked around all afternoon yesterday with a cabbage leaf in my bra. Didn't do much except lend some comic relief to the situation.

I really don't want to be feeling achy like this during the birth!

[MamatotoDoula]

Congrats on the impending birth of your baby! How exciting!

Have you tried doing hand expression of the breastmilk? You could also try using a breast pump. The LLL breastfeeding answers book does not offer many other suggestions other than feeding the baby (so expressing or pumping in your case). It also says to apply cold to reduce swelling and relieve pain, dont wear restrictive clothing, and rest as much as possible. If your fever is over 101 or lasts for more than 24 hours, I would talk to your doctor about it. I can understand your resistance to taking antibiotics (I feel the same way!) but you also dont want to be dealing with mastitis while trying to establish breastfeeding with your newborn. 

I am sure there are also other natural remedies, such as homeopathy or herbal treatments, but I don't feel qualified to suggest those. 

I hope it clears up soon mama! Take care!

Elyse

Mama to 3yo sweet daughter, Birth & Postpartum Doula 

[katelove]

I don't have any personal experience with this but I have been told that acupuncture can be very effective for mastitis.

[APToddlerMama]

I've had mastitis around 10 times, four of which I had no choice but to go to antibiotics.  I understand you don't want to go there, and I didn't either, hence waiting it out more often than not, but sometimes it is better to go that route before things get out of hand.  One of my friends had it so bad she had to be hospitalized with IV antibiotics and was unbelievably sick.  It can truly become dangerous...and fast.  That said, the times I was able to get over it without antibiotics, I was taking vitamin C, garlic supplements, drinking tons of water, eating very well, and getting a LOT of sleep.  I'd start a probiotic now so if you do have to go the antibiotic route, you're at least somewhat protected from yeast/thrush.  Good luck. It is no fun at all. 

[cparkly]

I am sorry that you are experiencing this right now. I remember "Heat, Massage, Rest, Empty Breast". I found that kellymom has a great resource page for non-antibiotic treatment of mastitis. Most (all?) seem compatible with pregnancy. Obviously, without a nursling to help you out (as my DS did) yet, you will have to substitute a breast pump.

Mastitis: a non-antibiotic treatment

• Take mom's and baby's clothes off, get into bed and nurse, nurse, nurse (mastitis appears to be the body's way of telling mom to SLOW DOWN). Get as much rest as possible.
• Between feedings, use a cold compress on the breast to help with any inflammation. Some moms use hot compresses directly before nursing, but others prefer to stick to the cold. Compresses/poultices that can be helpful:
  • Make a rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) infusion: to make an infusion, add 2-4 teaspoons of fresh or dried rosemary to a cup of boiling water. Infuse (steep) for 10 minutes, then strain.
  • Use a fenugreek seed poultice;
  • Make a dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) compress: boil about an ounce of minced dandelion root in two to three cups of water until only half the liquid remains; use compresses of the resulting brew.
• When your baby nurses on the affected side (use that side first), massage the breast towards the nipple. Massage the breast often during feedings and between feedings to help loosen the plugged area.
• If there is a fever, mom can take
  • Raw garlic - At least 2-3 raw cloves per day, 4-5 cloves a day if possible. Chop a clove into 5 or 6 pieces and then swallow the pieces whole like pills.

    Raw garlic acts as a broad-spectrum antibiotic, without the added antibiotic side effects of the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, or the development of yeast infections or thrush. The antimicrobial property in garlic, allicin, is very sensitive to heat and is destroyed when cooked. In order for it to work, it needs to be raw. Swallowing the cloves with orange juice helps with the taste for some. Allicin is also what gives garlic its pungent odor, so the deodorized garlic capsules that some companies offer are essentially useless, if they are being taken for the antimicrobial properties. However, deodorized garlic is still beneficial for its blood pressure reducing properties and for stimulating the immune system.

  • Tincture of echinacea, 3-4 times/day

  • Tincture of Oregon grape root, 3-4 times a day
  • Vitamin C (3000-5000 mg/day megadose)
  • Another option: Mix a dropperful of echinacea tincture, three cloves of raw garlic and four to six ounces of carrot juice in a blender and drink the mixture every two hours.
• A very warm shower can help - let the water just run over your breast.
• You can also take ibuprofen, which will help with inflammation and pain.
• If the mastitis does not improve or gets worse after using this treatment for 24-48 hours, contact your doctor - you may need antibiotic treatment.

[LLtheTinkerbell]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I ended up just using tylenol for the fever and continuing to wear bruised cabbage leaves next to the tender spot on my breast. Also did some gentle breast massage (in lieu of breastfeeding - no milk or baby yet!) and tried to rest A LOT. Seems to have done the trick as the fever was gone after 2 days and I have only a little tenderness left.

[cparkly]

I am very glad that you are feeling better. Best wishes with your upcoming birth ad motherhood experience!

[Italiamom]

I'm glad it sounds like you kicked it!  Mastitis and clogged ducts are HARD to deal with!!

A couple of thoughts though, for the future...

If you're battling with clogged ducts/mastitis now, you might be more prone to it later.  Soy lecithin can be taken as a preventative to clogged ducts (assuming baby doesn't have any sensitivities to soy in your diet).  But that might be worth considering for yourself as a preventative measure.

Also, if this happens again, at the first sign of redness/swelling/fever, ditch the bra.  A lot of draining glandular tissue is squeezed in a bra...  I realize it can be uncomfortable to go without for a few days, but as someone who has had several very uncomfortable bouts of clogged ducts and mastitis, ditching the bra for those few days makes a world of difference in healing time.  You want to give your body the ability to drain everything property, and it can't do that when your breasts are all packed away, you know?