Mastitis and oversupply... In pain!

[@llli*angelpoo11]

I previous posted about my overactive letdown and oversupply. My son of 7 weeks had gone through a growth spurt and I was nursing very often, every 30 mins sometimes(perhaps he gets full quickly from the foremilk), for a day to two days.
After that he stopped wanting to feed that often but I ended up with an even larger supply that lead to engorgememt and now horrible mastitis.

I had a fever of 39.4 for 24 hours that went away accompanied by vomiting. It's been three days since all this started and I feel better and no longer experiencing flu like symptoms but the lump in my breast is still very sore and painful.

I feed as often as he wants to and if its been over 2 hours, I try to pump or hand express it away in a warm bath. I only get about 2 ounces by pumping and I find hand expressing to be more effective.

My problem is that although after i do the above, the breast feels softer and the lump seems smaller, the affected side seems to get fuller quicker now and by the end of 2 hours, it gets very lumpy and hard again. What can I do? I can't manage to d this every hour... I don't want to worsen my oversupply..

It's so and to get sleep while doing all this while fighting an infection and caring for a newborn. I'm literally in tears. Any help would appreciated.

[@llli*kayla9214]

Have you tried dangle nursing? Maybe there is a plugged duct? http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/dangle-feeding/

[@llli*lllmeg]

Kellymom has an excellent article on recurring mastitis. I suggest you read it. Unfortunately, sometimes when a mom has mastitis but feels better on her own, the infection is still present and pain and illness recurs until mom takes antibiotics. I personally learned this the hard way.

Plugs are the lumps in your milk ducts and may or may not hurt. Mastitis causes breast pain, feeling ill, fever, chills, red mark on breasts, etc. You can have one without the other.

Until the mastitis/plugs are resolved, imo you are going to have to keep taking milk from the affected breast efficiently and frequently. (while continuing to nurse normally or extracting milk as needed on the other.) Milk can be removed via baby nursing, pumping, hand expression, massaging in the shower-whatever works. But you have to keep that milk flowing.

Once you are feeling better and plugs are gone, you may want to consider if block feeding in order to reduce milk production is appropriate in your situation.

[@llli*angelpoo11]

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, my fever came back this morning so I went to see a doctor. She suggested me not to breastfeed and use cold/hot compressions three times a day and also not to drink water as that will lead to more milk production. She wanted to prescribe amoxilicin and was very angry when I asked for cephalexin, as dr. Newman suggested.

I am horrified to the level of care and knowledge base some doctors have.

[@llli*lllmeg]

ok so you did not stop nursing I hope! Did you get the meds you wanted? hope you feel better soon

also not to drink water as that will lead to more milk production.

thats a new one on me!

[@llli*angelpoo11]

Yes I insisted that's. wanted cephalexin instead of amoxilicillin. She gave it to me but was very unhappy. Anyway, I'm glad I did that because I am starting to feel a little better and my fever is gone.

I just worry that the antibiotic will destroy my sons gut flora but I guess I will give him a probiotic to help fight that? I hope it works.

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

She suggested me not to breastfeed

Okay this is HORRIBLE advice. Whether you take antibiotics or not, and whichever antibiotic you take, it is absolutely imperative that you continue to empty that breast. Frequent feedings, hand expression whatever - as lllmeg says.

Here's the kelly mom link that meg mentioned: http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/moth...rent-mastitis/

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

I just worry that the antibiotic will destroy my sons gut flora but I guess I will give him a probiotic to help fight that? I hope it works.

The amount of cephalexin that gets into your milk (and therefore that is ingested by baby) is low. Probiotic can't hurt, though.

[@llli*lllmeg]

As c-section mom I've taken lots of antibiotics with all three kids (last one we also had two bouts of mastitis) and they nor I have never had thrush or any other major issue. I would not worry one bit about getting probiotics into baby which is difficult to do. Your own breastmilk protects and heals baby's gut better than anything else. You can certainly take them yourself.

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

Yeah, personally I never bothered with the probiotics either. I've taken antibiotics for mastitis as well and for an ear infection that I had - and though I ended up with vaginal yeast infections and diarrhea, baby was fine!