Mastitis

i got a bad infection but turned out not to be mastitis so i don't have specific advice for you. maybe call la leche league for advice or if you are close to SJ/LG area Good Sam has a free weekly nursing session with a great lactation nurse. good luck, my infection was painful, i feel sorry for you!

I am a first time mom also and no how stressful that is. This is a response that I post for another post but I think it my help you also:

I have only been breastfeeding for 3 months but have had 3 clogged ducts just this past month. My doula told me that when you are stressed they can clog. I think this is true...but I also noticed that I wasn't drinking enough water during those times. So my 2 cents are: drink water and relax as a prevention method.
Also, when you have a clog duct sleep on your back until they clear. And since you have had antibiotics make sure you increase your probiotic intake for your baby to get.
Good luck and stick with breastfeeding as long as you can!

Make sure you change the position you are nursing in. If you always nurse in the same positions, certain ducts won't get emptied, which can lead to infection. Also, try to completely empty one breast at each feeding. So instead of worrying about feeding off both sides, stick to one side until your son decides he is done. You can then offer the other breast once one side is empty. If he is snacking a lot and not emptying one breast every other feeding, you can pump out the rest. Masitits is horrible and I feel for you. Good for you for not giving up. You can sometimes feel a clogged duct before it turns into mastitis. If you feel one starting, hot compresses and massage it to try to get it to dissolve. Also, feeding from that side first until it gets unclogged in different positions can be helpful.

S.

Here are a couple of other ideas that I haven't seen mentioned yet:

When nursing, massage the breast - it helps clear the ducts and prevent clogging....it can also increase milk production. Simply use two fingers and run them from the outer breast down towards the nipple...you can also do this in the shower if you'd like.

Use hot compresses before nursing to help "loosen things up". This sounds silly, but I used my babies diapers for the compress...they are the perfect size and shape. Run them under hot water (as hot as you can comfortably stand) and then just place one over each breast.

Lastly, a word of unrelated advice...but I wish someone had told me this when I was on antibiotics for a plugged duct...I developed thrush after being on antibiotics. So far, my daughter and I have passed it back and forth 3 times. I would recommend taking acidopholous to help keep yeast in check and prevent a case of thrust to begin with.

Good Luck!

I had this with my son and it is very uncomfortable not to mention I felt like I had the flu. I was told to nurse threw it always starting with the breast that is clogged. While nursing try to wram it with a warm cloth or rub where it is. Then once done nuring try to pump or release the rest manually as most the time they don't releave you completely. Only do this while the infection is there. I hope this helps you.