Breastfeeding/Abscess?

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Expert: - 8/12/2007


Question
Hi!
Thank you for taking this time to answer my question!!  I have been nursing for 13 months now and just recently reduced one of the feedings in order to wean.  Unfortunately, I think I developed a plugged duct as I noticed a little lump, so i just continued feeding, didn't skip any feedings (and pumped additionally to empty breast with no success), and applied warm compresses. I then ended up with a fever (101) one night and it went away in the morning, but I did see a doctor that day in case it was mastis.  He put me on antibiotics and Motrin.  I have been taking it for a little more than a day and no relief.  Now it's been a little less than a week that I have the lump, which is in more than one place, is very painful, and hasn't gone down at all.  Is this now an abscess and is the only way to get rid of it by surgery?  Also, what kind of doctor should I see?  Who do I trust that conducts these procedures frequently? Thank you so much for your time and advice! I'm so desperate for some answers!

Thank you!!
Tiffany

Answer
Dear Tiffany,

First, congratulations for giving your baby the best start in life by breastfeeding!

Then, I am so sorry to hear about your present problem. You did exactly the right things for your plugged duct. I can't tell whether you have an abscess or whether you need surgery. I would suggest that you go back to your obstetrician (I assume that's who you saw in the first place) and have him or her examine your breast. If you don't feel that this doctor has enough expertise, ask to be referred to a physician who specializes in diseases of the breast and/or the breasts of nursing women. Chances are that you will not have a medical problem, but it is always the safest course to check out any unusual symptom.

I am enclosing an excerpt from my book (see below), but of course I have no way of knowing whether this is the problem.

Good luck! And I'd love to hear what happens.

Best regards,

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.
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  GALACTOCELE (MILK-RETENTION CYST)
Occasionally a nursing mother develops a lump in her breast. If you find a lump in your breast and if it does not change or go away within three days, you should see a gynecologist who is knowledgeable about lactating breasts.
  The lump may be a galactocele, a benign milk-retention cyst, which is caused by blockage of a milk duct. Galactoceles can be diagnosed in two ways, either by performing an ultrasound test or by aspiration to determine whether the cyst-like structure contains milk. If you have a galactocele, you probably will not need surgery, and you do not need to wean your baby. These cysts rarely need to be removed surgically.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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