I have been breastfeeding for a whole 8 weeks (big achievement for me as i could not feed my other two) but now i have mastitis, i'm taking antibiotics and my doctor suggested hot showers and massages but does anyone know how long it takes to get better and what i can do to avoid getting it again?
I had mastitis with my daughter when she was a week old. Even though we go to the doctors at the first sign i ended up with it really bad. I was on antibiotics and daily injections but i was still sick for over a week to the point that i almost ended up back in hospital. The doctor suggested warm face washes on the affected breast in between feeds and always making sure the breast is empty at the end of the feed.
I hurts sooo much , but make sure bub thoroughly drains the breast that is affected ( but don't make my mistake of putting bub on that one first all the time ( ended up with it in both sides!) If it is the second breast and bub doesn't completely drain it ( ie: every second feed) jump in the warm shower and massage to express any extra milk. A warm washer can also help ease the pain. Cold cabbage leaves do help ease the pain. Just pop one inside your bra cup. As soon as your breast starts to appear red in any area , is painful or you get flu like symptoms, you will need antibiotics. It will take a few days for the pain to subside, you can take panadol 4 hourly for a couple of days to help ease the pain.If you are aware of the early symptoms, lumps and slight pain, then massage and proper draining of the breast can ward off the infection. Keep up the great work and congrats and making it 8 weeks so far!!!
Cabbage leaves will stop your milk production or at least slow it down, so be careful with that method. Expressing the milk is the best way to relieve it as it starts with blocked milk ducts that get infected.
I get it a lot, and I can't wear bras, firm-fitting clothing, or even sleep with pressure on my breasts without the ducts getting blocked up when breastfeeding.
Usually a blocked milk duct only takes 15 minutes to get rid of. Mastitis will take a few days for the anti-biotics to clear up the infection. If you feel for any lumps before you feed, put bubs on the most affected breaast first and massage the lumps out as s/he feeds to clear the blockages. Or do the same but express the milk in a warm shower. Producing more milk than you need to is often to blame, as is excess pressure on the breast. If you have to, hang em loose and full of juice! LOL
I agree with what everyone else had said and apparently the cabbage leaves are suppose to work a treat! Just be careful if you feel any flu like symptoms as you can get really sick with mastitis.
As painful as it is feeding on the affected side helps clear the blockage. It is murder but i did this when i had it and it did help, along with massaging the spot where the blockage is.
Mastitis results when you have blocked ducts. When you start to feel blocked ducts (feeling hard spots on your breast, feeling full even after breastfeeding), you have to start to treat it right away: make sure you breastfeed thoroughly on that breast (let your baby empty the breast as much as possible), try different position when breastfeeding on that breast, breastfeed more often on that breast, massage the breast, or try hand expressing in the shower.
I breastfed my son for 12 months and thankfully didn't suffer from mastitis. With my twins, I had to pump for 10 days and my pump wasn't doing a good job and I experienced full milk ducts that didn't get emptied. My breasts hurt. And since I've heard of people's experiences with mastitis, I got massaging like you wouldn't believe to prevent it!
My first wouldn't take to breast at all, second breastfed for a few weeks without problems, then when my third fed I got mastitis. Bloody hurts, doesn't it? The doctor told me to make sure the baby kept feeding on the infected breast - ouch! But it's the best thing for it. Other then that, yes, there's the cabbage leaf trick (have heard it works many times) or just wait til it passes. Once the antibiotics kick in it doesn't take long to clear up.
Hey there, when I had mastitis someone told me to put cabbage leaves in my bra and it actually worked, I dont know why (maybe you could google it). Anyway as soon as I started taking antibiotics it started to clear so be patient and you will love the enjoyment you get from breastfeeding
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