Mastitis Advice Needed!!

[MamaLocs]

It started out about a week ago with minor soreness. Then Sunday night I got super sick with flu-like symptoms. The pain, fever, chills, and rednes were unbelievable. I finally got an Rx for an AB but it stil hurts and the lump/s are still there. When will the pain end? I tried pumping too but I can't get much out. Is this going to jeopardize my nursing? Any stories about your experience would be appreciated!

[lp75]

Hi there -

I just went through mastitis (a bad case) and am still recovering so here's my advice.

First off, make sure you weren't given amoxicillin as I was originally - staph aureus is often involved in mastitis and is amoxicillin resistant. I was on it for two days before being told by a pediatrician and lactation consultant to tell my Dr. to prescribe something else. They recommended dicloxicillin (which I got) or Keflex or Augmentin.

The advice you've probably already heard is nurse and pump a lot, lots of rest, and lots of fluids. Lecithin supplements and probiotics are also recommended by many. As far as the pumping, I too had difficulty. My nipple and surrounding tissue became hard and swollen thus inhibiting my milk flow every time I tried to pump. I found that hand expression, though tiring, was much more effective. And nursing of course. Be careful not to overdo it though. I ended up increasing my milk supply drastically because of overzealous nursing/pumping/expressing. Basically I would nurse Riley for 30 minutes, then massage and hand express for 20, and then pump for 10 or so to squeeze out every last drop. This was every 2 1/2 to 3 hours...

I was told that the pain and redness from the mastitis should be gone within about 48-72 hours of antibiotics, for me it was longer because of the initial wrong antibiotic. Some on this board have said that they have had to switch to stronger antibiotics or even IV antibiotics... However, the pain I experienced during pumping lasted longer. As did the swelling and lumpiness. It's been 3 weeks and my right breast (the affected one) is still larger than the left, lumpier, and gets engorged more. Hopefully I'll be back to normal once my supply goes down again...

Hope this helped, I know how you feel.

-Lisa

[RachelGS]

Tons and tons of Vitamin C! I can't emphasize enough how much it helps.

[jillmamma]

I had mastitis this past January, and had Keflex for it. What helped me, was to take a warm shower, hand express some milk in there, take a couple of Advil, then just take my baby with me and lay in bed. I let her nurse as much as she wanted, but on the affected side first. That way she was happy with milk, I was happy with rest, and after a couple of days I was MUCH better.

[Phoebe]

Had mastitis 3 times with ds1. Lecithin lecithin lecithin...never got mastitis again

[RootSnort]

All of the above, plus:
Heating pad before you nurse
Try changing positions some while you pump or nurse - lean over and stuff to make sure that you empty all areas of the breast

[MamaLocs]

Thanks for all the replies!

[danna]

Originally Posted by Phoebe

Had mastitis 3 times with ds1. Lecithin lecithin lecithin...never got mastitis again

I take a ton of this but still got it a third time almost two weeks ago. I'm almost done with my antibiotics. I am actually going to be taking a low dose of antibiotics daily (1x day instead of 4x day) for the next three months to make sure I don't get it again.

Not to scare you, but once you get it once, you are more prone to get it again.

Definitely make sure you are on proper antibiotics and FINISH them all. Also, check to make sure you are on for a full 14 days, and massage the affected area gently before and after nursing.

[LotusBirthMama]

:

I'm on my third round of mastitis in nine weeks and really getting tired of it...grrrrr.....

[MamaLocs]

Originally Posted by LotusBirthMama

:

I'm on my third round of mastitis in nine weeks and really getting tired of it...grrrrr.....

A 3rd round! Oh I'm sending healing vibes your way. I'd throw a fit if I got this even once more!

[RachelGS]

LBM, PM me if you need some info about recurrent mastitis. I had it for about 6 months, severely, and I'm glad to help if I can.

[ursimama]

sympathy and ideas

Ouch! I've been there and I know how awful it is. Had mastitis many times in the first two months. Lecithin is key. Eat oatmeal every day, too! Try camomile compresses for the pain. I took tylenol for pain. It is typical to not get much from a pump when you first try: your breasts have to learn that new way of producing milk. I would try to get baby to relief the pressure and also don't over-pump as you will increase the supply.
Best of luck!

[lena g]

mastitis

I actually was plagued with this with my second son and was able to cure it naturally. I have since been told that AB will actually make it reoccur as your body does not learn how to fight it. Not sure, but i can tell you that you can make it go away without drugs. I had it full blown, red, sore, fever, chills etc.

First take advil around the clock. Massage vigorously where you feel the bumps. Make3 sure you massage really, really hard (should hurt) before you nurse where you have the bumps. Nurse a lot on that side. Keep moist heat on the breast when you are not nursing. And sleep as much as you can. Should get better in about 24 hours.

Take a really good probiotic and high strength of garlic while you are taking the AB or you will get thrush. I had that with my third and five months later we still are battling it.

Good luck. It can be beaten!

Lena, mother to Max and ^i^ Mia (12/02), Kyle (03/05) and Macy Paige ( 11/06)

[mjsross]

If you choose not to use ABs PLEASE be careful!! I got MRSA mastitis (resistant to ammox, augmentin, keflex, and diclox) and without antibiotics the infection would not have gone away. I went misdiagnosed for 2+ weeks, and ended up with 11 abcesses, pools of blood and fat necrosis drained from the sick breast. As it was I was on heavy doses of sulfa antibiotics for over 2 months. I was able to nurse through all of it, and am still nursing today because of the breastfefeding friendly care I got, but that's not always the case. Any mastitis infection, if left untreated, can abcess (even non MRSA mastitis), and those abcesses should be drained in order to prevent open wounds on the breast that WILL affect nursing. If you continue to have a fever (even a low fever) and pain in your breast, even while you're on Diclox or Augmentin go to your doctor and ask about MRSA. If you need an advocate with your health care provider, seek out a good lactation consultant, which you should be able to find through LLL.

MRSA is rare, and that's probably NOT what you have, but take good care of yourself!

[polishprinsezz]

i had it when my son was 5 wks. i was too sick to even want to call a dr. so i didnt use AB. i did use a heating pad and squeezed and massaged my sore breast really hard. that helped alot. it took 2 days to feel better. i havent had problems since. lena g offered some grat advise above.

[4@38]

ouch, i just got over this, with the fever and chills and feeling like crap, I rested , let baby suck. warm cloth and cool cloth.. finally got some medication cleared it up right away, other nipple extremly sore though, put on some lanolel, helps a bit, i think i might have got it in that side too , i pulled out a little white piece, old milk maybe ? clear fluid cameout and the pain in that side went away,, wierd ..musta been a plug or somesort.. all better though.. get better.. relax and sleep if you can. now to deal withthe yeast infection from the antibiodicts...more cranberry juice i guess.: ..

[RachelGS]

Originally Posted by mjsross

MRSA is rare, and that's probably NOT what you have, but take good care of yourself!

Mine was MRSA too, and I was sick for six months before I got the right help. I agree-- don't dismiss a mastitis that isn't going away. Take enormous doses of vitamin C and ask for both a nasal swab and a breastmilk culture to look for MRSA. It's a serious bug.

[eroslovesagape]

Mastitis

I've had multiple bouts. This what I've found works for me:


1. Either the tincture "Mastitis Remedy" by Wishgarden Herbals, or tincture of Usnea Lichen, or an infection-fighting formula that contains usnea as one of it's first ingredients. Or get it as a bulk herb, grind it & put it in capsules. Usnea is Nature's antibiotic. (The antibiotics I was prescribed made me very, very sick- so my midwife turned me on to this and YAY!) You can make your own capsules w/the herbs used in the Mastitis remedy which are: usnea lichen, bee propolis, elder flower, yarrow flower, baptisia root, boneset leaf, hops strobile, echinacea root, red root and a tiny bit of poke. I've made this recipe minus bee propolis & baptisia & it worked great.
2. LOTS of Vit C.
3. I've heard lecithin works. It emulsifies fat, meaning dissolves fat clumps. See #8 below.
4. Moist heat on the breast any way you can get it.
5. Once I had a plugged duct; after a bath I noticed a tiny white spot on my nipple. I carefully poked w/a clean needle & gushed from there! That was the plug. What a relief.
6. Treat mastitis like a short flu: cancel plans, stay home and rest, rest, rest.
7. Lay off of sugar. Um, lay off of sugar. Bacteria love sugar.
8. Laying off of animal fats, including dairy products. Animal fats have been implicated in mastitis/plugged ducts. Heck, if they clog our arteries, imagine what they do to our intricate milk duct system. (Ingested fats are found in the bloodstream within 30 minutes & circulate for approximately two hours. Plenty of time to get into your milk.)
9. Load up, and I mean really, really load up- on dark, leafy greens. If you've got a good blender, make smoothies w/dark leafy greens, melon, banana & a bit of water- you'll be surprised how tasty and how much green stuff you can down. Or, steam/saute- however, get them down. They contain nearly every nutrient needed by the human body, and now is when your body needs them.

I get mastitis when I'm worn out, not sleeping enough, and grabbing sweets for cheap energy.