BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Breast Feeding => Topic started by: Salt springer on June 19, 2012, 22:59:39 pm
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Hi,
I am new to the site and don't know all the abbreviations Yeats so bare with me...lol
About 3 weeks ago I was diagnosed with mastitis and I am on my third dose of antibiotics. My LO is 6 weeks old and just as I started to get my mastisis under controll last night he was very fussy and showing all the signs of a growth spurt...I BF him on both breasts all day and into the night about every hour durring the day and ever 2-2 1/2 hours durring the night...I woke up this morning with a very engorged breast (the same one with the mastisis) it is also so sore to the touch and I have pain while feeding! I cried Everytime he fed for the first few times...I am worried if I am getting mastisis again or what it is!!!! Please help me!! And should I keep BF or should I pump?? Souls I alternate breasts durring feeds or feed from the engorged one? Help help help!
Thanks! :)
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Oh Honey- Big hugs!! That sounds awful!! The BF ladies will be along to give you more ideas- but the general suggestion is to feed through the mastitis as you need to keep the breast drained. BUT- there's often an underlying cause to the mastitis- often the baby's latch can be a problem. Have you seen a lactation consultant recently? It's really great to get someone looking at what you are doing. If you need a break from the baby feeding then pumping is totally fine- but getting the baby on there is the best as the baby is much more efficient at draining the breast.
Is he getting on to the nipple far enough? How does your nipple look once he's done? Flat? lipstick shaped? or still round?
BFing can be tough- but you are doing such a good job for your LO- Just spend as much tme as you can resting as that's what;s going to help you recover also!
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Hi,
I have seen a lactation consultant and she said he has a shallow latch but I have been working on it very hard...she also said he is thriving and he is gaining lots of weight and is growing fast! After feeding my nipple sometimes is lipstick shaped but mostly round. I was wondering severe pain is associated with engorgement? And also he never feeds long enough to drain a breast the consultant said I have an ample supply of milk. So if he feeds on one breast for a bit and the next feed I alternate to the next breast and back and forth per feed is that ok? What is the best way to relieve the pain in my left breast that is engorged to prevent a blocked duct and getting mastisis again?
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You can try a few things- one thing is to pump just a little bit off the top- so perhaps 30 mls or so? this can relieve the pressure- BUT you don't want to take much more as that can contribute to the problem as milk is a supply-demand thing, as in your body will make more to compensate. You can try heat before a feed on your breast to help stimulate the flow- and then cold after to help reduce the pain from the swelling. Cabbage leaves can work well.
the other good news- if it's a growth spurt you should be over the worst of it in a day or so- I know.. that might make you cry- but it isn't too long- it won't be a week.
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I sometimes use heat before and recently used ice after feeding. I am crying from the pain not cause my LO is crying...I feel bad for him but I am totally able to manage my feelings with him crying...so far...lol
I will definatly try more ice after feeding!
Question...should I alternate feeding from breast to breast per feed or do a few from the sore one and one from the good one???
Thanks!!!
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I would continue to block feed- so feed from one breast per feed and alternate. You don't want the other breast to start to have issues from not being drained well enough... Generally at this age you can offer one side- if he needs to come off for a burp then offer the same side again after it. That means that you are making sure you are draining it completely.
And i know you are crying from the pain- one of my close friends just finished with a really bad bout of mastitis similar to what you are experiencing- so i've seen in her just how bad it can be! Make sure you are getting as much rest, water and HELP as you can- don't do anything but feed the baby- take the baby to bed with you- there's plenty of time to do housework later- And the baby will LOVE the close mummy time!! You need as much close time with him that isn't feeding time as currently for you the feeding isn't as positive as it could be :( Once the growth spurt is done he should settle down a bit and may sleep for some nice long bouts.
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Welcome!
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Warm compresses are your best friend for pain. Do you have a hard lump in your breast - that would be a plugged duct which leads to mastitis. If you can do a warm compress on the area that hurts, then massage the hard spots while your LO nurses, you should be able to prevent mastitis. When I get plugged ducts, I generally try to feed off the sore breast first to make sure it gets drained, but it's ok not to if it hurts too much or if he only takes one side.
There's some good info here:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=63600.0
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To help with the shallow latch (do you know what's causing it - overactive letdown, oversupply, tongue tie?) you could try feeding lying back and doing baby-led attachment.
DS had a shallow latch and I lost pieces of nipple even while feeding him with a nipple shield. Watch for little cracks and if they're getting bad, pump or hand express to allow them to heal, as that shallow latch can do some damage to your nipples.
Huge hugs xx
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Thank you for the suggestions...I took a nice bath before nursing and made sure he was really hungry before feeding him so he would have a good feed. I was never told why he has a shallow latch...I am guessing it is due to and oversupply and maybe an overactive letdown...my nipples are in good shape compared to when I first started BF. I think my main problem that is causing my problems is that my LO feeds for only 5-8 mins and then he stops and wants to eat every hour...thus over stimulating my breast. A friend recommended trying to stretch out his feeds at first by 1 1/2 hours then work my way up to more time so that when he eats, he is very hungry and has a better feed....would you recommend that??
Thank you for all your help!!
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I think my main problem that is causing my problems is that my LO feeds for only 5-8 mins and then he stops and wants to eat every hour...thus over stimulating my breast.
DS used to seem like he wanted feeding every hour or so too. He was actually in pain with gas/tummy aches from the foremilk overload (oversupply and switching breasts every feed meant he never really drained the breast and got much hindmilk) and was looking for comfort - feeding stimulates their bowels and helps them pass the gas - but feeding him every hour was causing the problem to get worse.
I also found that he was getting a full feed in 5-10mins of feeding because of the overactive letdown and oversupply issues and could happily last a decent time (3-4hr in his case) between feeds once he was more comfortable. If you're uncertain whether he's getting enough, you could express and bottle feed EBM for a few days - this has a few effects: eliminates the OAL as an issue, so LO doesn't gulp as much air; balances the milk he's getting for the whole feed; and lets you know how much he's getting so you have confidence when you're deciding to comfort him without feeding.
If I were you, I'd get an LC to have a good feel around in his mouth just to make sure he doesn't have a tongue tie that is affecting his feeding - they can be missed, especially if LO is gaining weight still due to OAL/OS.
TBH, as DS has grown, the latch has gotten better - he still has a slightly shallow latch and does push away into a shallow latch when letdowns happen and my nipples still come out shaped a bit like lipstick sometimes but its not painful any more. When he was first born, his head was half the size of one of my breasts... no wonder he had a hard time latching when I was engorged, right, like me trying to latch onto a balloon and somehow get some of it all the way to the back of my mouth :P
With the frequent feeding, something you could try if you don't want to go to expressing is block feeding - pick a timeframe, probably 3-4hr and feed only off one side for that whole time. So you would feed off the right at wakeup at 7am and only the right til 11am when you'd swap and feed only off the left. That way each breast will be drained fully decreasing your risk for mastitis and the full breast sends out signals to reduce production which will help with the oversupply.
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I found cabbage leaves in my bra very, very helpful for engorgement pain.
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FWIW, with a tongue tie you can have a perfectly normal supply/letdown and LO may gain weight beautifully for the first few weeks. Foremilk tends to be higher in sugars (as I understand it) and hindmilk higher in fat content.
If there is a TT (anterior or posterior), biological nurturing or exaggerated latch may not make much difference as LO will often still slip down the nipple as the tongue is unable to move properly to extract milk from the breast.
If you are getting mastitis again, as others have already said, it is best to feed from the affected breast rather than pump so that milk is removed. It does sound to me like you have some issues with attachment/positioning which is causing these repeated episodes of mastitis, which is occurs when milk pools in the breast and effectively stagnates there (like a pond that doesn't move gets yucky) and infection sets in. However, if there is something like a TT at play, pumping may actually remove more milk than LO can right now, so you could give it a try.
In the meantime, ibuprofen is great for reducing pain/swelling (providing you don't have asthma/allergies to it, of course!) and heat before feeding and cold afterwards should help to get milk moving pre-feed and reduce pain/swelling afterwards.
Just as an afterthought, you said your nipples are sometimes lipstick shaped after feeding, are they ever a different colour too (purple, white, pink)?
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Wow whoever said bf was easy lied! Lol my nipple is sometimes slightly white around the tip where it is slightly lipstick shaped...but very faint..i am stretching his feeds today so far he eats every 2-2 1/2 hours and he is eating much longer and I think more effectivly...i am feelong much better than yesterday with the pain...i am so greatful for everyones auggestions! I will get the lc to come over to make sure he is not tonge tied and work on the latch for sure! Again thank u so much!
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Ooooh, go out and grab some lecithin! I too had mastitis, I tried absolutely EVERYTHING to relieve the plug ( it was like a full time job BF my LO and the massaging, holding warm cloths, more massaging....literally my hands ached!). I googled for hours and came across the suggestion to try lecithin and for me it helped immensly! It cleared the duct within 24 hours and antibiotics weren't necessary. It's also a supplement you can take regularly to help prevent plugged ducts again. Here's a link. I was easily able to find lecithin at our local grocery store/pharmacy.
http://kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/lecithin/
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Foremilk tends to be higher in sugars (as I understand it) and hindmilk higher in fat content.
Yeah, this is right... the issue with foremilk overload is that the sugary milk is thinner and runs through the gut faster than the fattier hindmilk - easier to digest. I know the milk transitions slowly as LO feeds and is the same at production, but when LO is not getting much fat they sometimes don't put on much weight. DS was constantly hyper alert but didn't gain much weight (~30g/1oz per week) til I was getting more hindmilk into him by expressing for a few days and then block feeding after that... then he gained a pound a week :o
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Funny, all the BF professionals I know say that weight gain can still be great in the early days with mainly foremilk due to the sugars, it's after a few weeks when the body has got used to not producing as much milk as LO is needing that problems come up.
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I had a massive oversupply from pumping because they were scared my milk wouldn't come in fast enough for DS after my c-section and being on clear fluids in ICU for 2 days... it came in with a vengeance and he couldn't cope with the flow.
I think its something to do with needing to have fat cells to store the sugars as fat - he was pretty skinny at birth (possible IUGR). Maybe it was just that he stopped using so much energy screaming.
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Oh and Stephanie is totally right on the lecithin, I take it when I feel like I'm getting plugged ducts and it totally helps (or at least it has for me).
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I have heard of lecithin before....but never knew it could help with prevent plugged duct, this mastisis. I will go out tomorrow and buy some!! Thank you so much!
Totally off topic...but I have bought the book The baby whisperer on Kobo to help get our LO into a routine... Poor thing is so exhausted he is up pretty much all day and fights going to sleep and I am praying this book will help us get him into a routine since the help I have gotten from this forum has helped so much!!!
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YAY!! You should find some great ideas- feel free to post any questions you have larg or small on the other boards! The extra support really makes a difference! We've all been home all day alone with a cranky tired baby!
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Well I started reading the books and we are ready for the morning to start so we can try the e.a.s.y routine!! I am really pumped!! After trying to get our DS to sleep...which took almost two hours because he was overtired...I said that's it!!! We need a routine!!! I wrote out how the day will be planned and have my log all ready to go...i am really excited to see how it works and how my LO responds to it. If I have any questions I will be sure to post them and then all the lovely people on this site will help me for sure!!! Again thank you so much I really felt lost until now!!!
Xoxo
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fingers crossed!!
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Good luck! We're here if you need us!
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good luck!
I've never had mastitis, but have had the lipstick shaped, white nipple you describe - and it's painful! The thing that I found super helpful is the Dr Jack Newman nipple ointment; it's a RX you can ask for from your doc. I guess that's IF it's the actual nipple causing you pain, but sounds like mastitis is the monster here.
Good luck!
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Thanks everyone! I think I have the mastitis under control now...nursing my LO has been so much better! I find he is a fast eater but a power sucker...I think...from my experience..which is not much! Lol my nipple had been looking so much better, very slight slant to it but staying a nice pink colors!
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Excellent! Some babies have really strong latches!
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And my guy would often make it so my nipples were an odd shape- but if it isn't causing a problem (it didn't for me) then it's all good!
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You poor thing! My DS had shallow latch, and it drove me to tears too. makes it very difficult to hook them on when it hurts soooo bad. I took mine to the baby chiropractor. Made it much easier for him to latch and also I think simultaneously my supply settled. He was sitting funny while waiting to get out, and the chiropractor said it effected his palette (?! spelling) but that a pacifier can help to level it out. He was very one sided feeding since he was uncomfortable on one side but once he loosened up after seeing the chiro he was away. I pumped through the pain until my nipples were better giving him EBM in the bottle and then once the pain had gone tried latching him again, its also hard for them to latch when you are really full and they are hard, I used sheilds for the first 2-5 min of the feed to soften them up then whipped them off and fed direct. I fed him one side 20min then the other until he was full and hopped off. but he was 9lbs born so needed more I think. not sure about that for you, but I think everyone else is right feed one side till theres nothing left (I used to feel mine before he hooked on so I could feel it after to tell if it was empty). Hope you come right, good luck.
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Hi... sorry to hear you're in pain. I can see you've gotten a lot of advice. I've never had masi (thankfully) but have suffered through almost everything else: poor latch, almost-inverted nipples, blocked duct, unexplained pain... and the one thing I want to tell you is:
IT WILL GET BETTER!
You and your baby will get used to it more and more and things will work themselves out.
Remember to take care of yourself as being run down will not help things.
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Just a little update...
I HAVE GOTTEN THIS BREAST FEEDING UNDER CONTROL!!!! Woot woot!!
Think you all for your support and advice!! My DS is so much happier and he loves to feed now with lots of gusto!!
A question I have might be is when do I know when he is emptying a breast after a feed and needs to be fed on the other one aswell... Currently I alternate each breast per feed...I don't feel that I ever run out of milk...lol
Is it best to alternate the breast or to feed a bit from both???
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Ideally each breast is drained (for your health - reduces blocked ducts and mastitis risk; and for him - he gets the fattiest milk at the end as the other milk has already been drawn from the breast and the fat that is stuck to the duct walls lets go), so if he takes on side and is full after that one, go to the other side for the next feed. If he's not full after one side and wants more, he'll probably let you know ;)
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YAY!!! That is such fantastic news!! I used to do all one side per feed... and would offer the other side sometimes but he wouldn't want it- then it got to the point where he DID want the other side... Now of course he will sit up and either tap my chest or pull down my chest- so no mystery there!
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Good news! Well done.
If he's happy with just the one, stick with one.
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Congrats! :)