Expert: ruth kraft - 1/14/2010

Question
I breast fed all of my children some 30 years ago and did it for over a year each child.  By daughter is now in the 7th. month of breast feeding her baby and is having mastesis often.  She also pumps and works full time.  Her doctor told her she needs to take antibiotics each time she gets mastesis.  I do not remember if that is what we were told when we were breast feeding some 30 years ago.  I seem to remember that we were told to drink more water, rest more, breast feed more, and apply a hot water bottle on the sore breast until the plugged milk duct opened again.  I also remember that when that plugged duct opened you felt 100% relief.  I also had a few breast infections but always thought they were caused by plugged ducts and doing too much.  Please advise.  I always used LL as my sole advisor in all matters pertaining to breast feeding.  Thanks so much

Answer
If she is having mastitis that often, I would imagine that the antibiotics that she is using are not getting rid of the infection completely. OR she needs to do something to get her own immune system back up. more rest, more massage ( body massage ) take care of ME time.

If her mastitis is coming back after she keeps getting clogged ducts, then my guess would be that the ducts are not being completely cleared after the infection.

She can nurse the baby so that the nose faces the clogged duct. So if the duct is say on the bottom part of her breast, she can lay down, lay the baby upside down facing her so her face is by the baby belly and have the baby nurse that way . Doing what you suggest before the nursing hot compress, massaging the breast in the shower etc  are all good. then have the baby nurse for a while in that odd fashion . The baby will "drain the breast" better than a pump or anything else. She can act as though she has the infection for abotu a week after she no longer has symptoms. like maintaining the clear ducts kind of thing and gives them the ability to heal a little more and hope that helps.

I would agree that mastitis often can be very helpful. However, if round after round of antibitoc hasnt been working, time for another game plan. the antibiotics will continue to bring her immune system down and she will become resistant. If she continues to have a problem, I would reccomend calling a lactation consultant who can see her in person and see whats going on and get into all the nitty gritty...

Good luck :)