Anyone who’s had mastitis will know it’s a bad deal.
I had mastitis for the first time when Roo, our fourth baby, was three weeks old. It began with a lump in my left breast, which surprised me because Roo had been nursing frequently and latching on perfectly from the beginning.
Mastitis could have resulted from an unnoticed injury to my nipple, sustained during pregnancy when my toddler tried nursing again but had forgotten how to latch on properly. Still, women without sore nipples also get mastitis and nobody knows exactly why.
I knew well enough that a breast lump is far from an innocuous thing and that if it persisted I’d get into real trouble. I continued nursing on demand but the next morning the lump was still there. My head felt heavy and I didn’t feel too good. By noon, it was as if someone had hit me with a ton of bricks. I had to lie down. My left breast ached and felt hot to touch.
I’ve never had mastitis before but I had done enough reading to know that a painful breast lump and an accompanying fever meant mastitis was likely. I had also developed some slight redness on the affected breast, which is a common indicator of mastitis. I remembered vaguely that the best treatment for it was bed rest so I promptly got into bed.
The next day I intended to visit my lactation consultant but she was on leave. I thought of going to the GP as antibiotics are often prescribed for mastitis but according to Dr Jack Newman: “Generally, it is better to avoid antibiotics if possible since mastitis may improve all on its own and antibiotics may result in your getting a Candida (yeast, thrush) infection of the nipples and/or breast.” He also states that a mother can recover from mastitis without taking antibiotics.
I didn’t like the sound of Candida, so I decided to wait and see if my body could fight the infection successfully. It took about four days of fever and chills and a couple more days of rest before I fully recovered. I’m glad I didn’t need antibiotics, but had things failed to improve I’d most certainly have taken them. Mastitis was so painful; it gave me splitting headaches!
Here are 10 things that helped me:
1. Bed Rest
Getting straight to bed – and staying there – was the best thing. I don’t like being stuck in bed, but this time I felt really rotten. Extra rest is important to help your body fight an infection.
2. Get Comfortable
When you have mastitis, you may experience chills. I felt feverish and my teeth were chattering with cold simultaneously. I kept my socks on and dove under the blankets.
3. Keep Hydrated and Eliminate Sugar
I drank three litres of water a day and soups too. I also kept away from sugar because sugar feeds an infection. I almost never say no to dark chocolate, but this time I just had to!
4. Take the Baby to Bed
I kept Roo in bed with me and nursed her lying down so I could rest. Whenever I needed to use a different nursing position, I nursed sitting up in bed.
5. Deal With the Pain
I thought that since I had survived four drug-free births, I could surely tolerate a breast problem without paracetamol, right? Wrong! My breast hurt so excruciatingly I could hardly put on a shirt without wincing, not to mention a bra. After two torturous days of yelping whenever Roo latched on, I finally caved in and took paracetamol. I was still grimacing at every feed, but at least I could rest or sleep without sharp, shooting pains waking me up.
6. Use Different Nursing Positions on the Affected Breast
Tough as it is to breastfeed with mastitis, it’s important to nurse often – and properly – to get rid of the lump. Expressing milk had never been as effective for me compared to nursing directly, so there was no way out. I made sure Roo had a good latch each time. We alternated between the side-lying position, the cradle hold and the football hold to ensure my breast would get emptied properly.
7. Use a Nursing Pillow
Whether or not you have mastitis, a good nursing pillow makes all the difference. It helps you get positioning right, which is so crucial in nursing. It also gives your arms adequate support. And when you have mastitis, a nursing pillow will save you.
My Bumble Bee nursing pillow has seen me through thick and thin for eight years! The C-shaped pillow is firm enough to support Roo’s weight and fat enough to raise her to the best position for a good latch.
8. Use Frozen Cabbage Leaves
I’d heard of women resorting to cabbage leaves before but never thought I’d be desperate enough to try them! I used them twice a day (after feeds) and kept a bag in the freezer so there would be an ample supply on hand. I wrapped the leaves around the breast and left them on until they wilted. How far this treatment actually helped is uncertain since I was also nursing around the clock. The ice-cold feeling was a wonderful pain reliever though.
9. Get Help
Although Sweet Man got me breakfast in bed and kept the older kids well occupied, I still needed my mother. She brought me the cabbage leaves and cooked good food. It was just great having her around.
10. Stay Positive
I kept my spirits up by taking lots of photos of Roo and messaging friends. Warm showers at the end of each day, enjoying the happy faces of my other children and appreciating the connectedness in our family lifted me above what might have been a miserable time of bed rest.
Mastitis isn’t nice. I’m so glad Roo and I got past it!
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Jin Ai traded refugee work for diapers, dishes and homeschooling. She blogs about parenting, home education and life as mom to four kids at Mama Hear Me Roar.
