mastitis??

Lisa - posted on 10/12/2009

thank you so much, ladies! I actaully had one engorgement issue 1- 2 days after the last feeding that I ultimately had to hand express. Although it felt like I was hand mamogramming!! I just figured that would be the end of it, since my supply had decreased so much in the 2 months prior. I did hear about the cabbage, and I think I will give that one a try. I SO DO NOT WANT to do the hand expression again!! lol

Amy - posted on 10/12/2009

www.kellymom.com is a great resource when you have breastfeeding issues like this. I also meant to add before that I have found that hand expressing (in a warm shower works great) doesn't seem to increase my supply like pumping does. That's just what finally cleared it up for me...I stopped pumping and just hand-expressed to relieve the pressure. That may be a better option since you want your milk to dry up. Good luck!

Tara - posted on 10/12/2009

Yup, this is a plugged duct, my right breast did this too me for like a month, ouch! but I know how to get rid of it. The best thing for this is to get the milk out because though over time your breast will adjust and stop making milk at night when you don't use it, it need to adjust and when you don't drain it, you increase chances of a blocked duct and mastitis. Use a breast pump before you go to bed to bed and a heating pad or warm shower to help with the pain. I never needed to try the needle on the duct, but once it unclogged either from pumping or the baby nursing, you do tend to spray milk for a minute or two. You can also take a supplement called Soy Letichin to reduce the chance of blockage again.

Amy - posted on 10/12/2009

Hi Lisa, I've struggled with this also since I have oversupply issues. I'm still nursing my 5 month old, however, so I'm not sure if the same solutions work when you're weaning, but for a plugged duct inside the breast (which it sounds like from your description), I have found that warm compresses help as well as cabbage leaves applied to your breasts. No one really knows why this works (I was skeptical at first!) but it somehow helps to decrease your milk supply to relieve the pressure in there. Hope that helps! You may also want to call a lactation consultant to get their advice as well.

Mandy - posted on 10/12/2009

Hi Lisa,



I recently had mastitis and it is accompanied by fever and chills. It feels like you are coming down with the flu. What you are describing sounds like a plugged duct in your nipple. If you look at your nipple you should see what looks like a whitehead in the area. I was able to get the plug out by squeezing it, but my nursing book suggested using a needle to help get it out. Once the plug comes out that duct should drain normally. (Mine started squirting all over the bathroom like a hose that had been turned on =) Hope that helps! If you are unable to get that to drain it could turn into mastitis...and that is incredibly painful on top of the fever and chills. My twins were in NICU born prematurely and I had mastitis while I was there. It was not fun!