This past weekend I got sick with mastitis.  Mastitis is a breast infection that commonly happens when you breastfeed.  Since introducing Juliet to solids recently, she has started to go a little longer between her feeds. With that change, my body probably hadn’t fully adjusted and I got sick. Every time I get mastitis, I always want to give up breastfeeding out of fear of getting it again. It’s that awful.

Mommy has what?

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It started Thursday night after we put Drake down to bed.  My right breast was feeling off, for lack of a better word, and I decided to try to pump a little to see if that helped. After 15 minutes of pumping and only pulling out an ounce worth of milk, I figured perhaps I was just imagining things. I felt around and there were no lumps or hot spots, so I figured perhaps things would be all right.

Shortly after that time I went to bed.  I tossed and turned around in bed unable to sleep, and over the course of the next two hours, I started to feel colder and colder. After feeding Juliet and trying to lay down again, I felt a wave of chills hit me to the point I felt freezing. I crawled under the blankets and tried to go to sleep but the chills kept me shaking. I layered on more and more blankets and clothes until I was wearing socks, fleece PJ pants, 3 layers on top (tank top, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt hoodie), a fleece blanket, a sheet, and the comforter and I was still shaking.  I texted Mr Chocolate from upstairs as I was too weak and cold at that point to go downstairs and told him I thought I was getting mastitis.

I had gotten mastitis twice before when breastfeeding/pumping with Drake, so I knew what it felt like. Both times it started out with a funny feeling in my breast and eventually a fever. One time I was able to nurse, stay on top of the infection and avoid antibiotics, but the other time I had to have antibiotics. I had a plugged duct that caused the initial infection both times however, and once the duct cleared I usually started to feel better.  This time however, I didn’t have any lumps so I was unsure about what to do.

I knew nursing a lot would help clear the infection, so I kept at it through the night.  It was torture sitting up for those 10-15 minutes while Juliet fed, but I told myself that it was going to make me better and I watched the clock move agonizingly slow that night. Around 2 AM I decided to take Advil to see if it would help kill the fever at least so I could sleep.  The next time I woke up around 4:30 to feed Juliet the fever had broken and I was thrilled, but a few hours later I was once again chattering and shaking with the chills. For all of Friday I stayed in bed only getting up to nurse, go to the bathroom and take an Advil now and then. One time in the middle of nursing, I threw up and had to stop and run back to bed, practically throwing Juliet to Mr Chocolate as I did.

On Saturday when I woke up I was feeling better  and the fever was gone.  I didn’t think the infection was gone though, and feeling across my breast I felt a large sore area that was slightly warm.  I figured this must have been where the infection was.  I decided that I needed antibiotics as I wasn’t sure how to clear the infection on my own this way, so a few hours later I got my prescription.  It took another day or so before the pain in my breast stopped hurting, but thankfully now I think the worst is over.

While I was sick I spent a lot of time on Kellymom.com which is a wonderful resource for both breastfeeding and everything in between about it.  This is the page on mastitis and plugged ducts. Many of the things you can do to help relieve mastitis such as hot showers, nursing a lot on the affected breast, doing compressions on the breast as you nurse, switching nursing positions to ensure emptying the breast, etc. are mentioned on that site.

Now that I survived another bout with mastitis, next time I won’t wait as long to get medication, as it was an awful day and night that continued even after I got the medication.  I had been hoping that if I nursed enough, perhaps I could rid myself of the infection on my own, but alas I was unable to. Even the showers and compressions didn’t do much to alleviate the pain this time, so next time meds it is stat.

Breastfeeding Problems part 13 of 13

1. Pumping Supplies by Guides
2. Mastitis Misery by mrs. wagon
3. Elimination Diet Adventures by Mrs. Superhero
4. Tips & Tricks When Baby Refuses the Bottle by Checklists
5. Breastfeeding Woes by breastfeeding
6. Clogged Milk Ducts (and How to Treat Them) by Mrs. Bee
7. Probiotics for Preventing Thrush by Mrs. Bee
8. Mastitis by Mrs. Bee
9. The Shield Between Us by Mrs. Hopscotch
10. Too Much of a Good thing (or dealing with an oversupply) by Mrs. Superhero
11. Battling Oversupply by Mrs. Sketchbook
12. Unsolicited Breastfeeding Advice for New Moms Part II by breastfeeding
13. Mastitis by Mrs. Chocolate