Jack is fully breastfeeding, doesn't take a dummy or anything. My right breast is very sore. this morning it is red. a few weeks ago it was the same, and i phoned the out of hours doctor and told her i thought it was mastitis, so i was put on antibiotics. now i am sore again. anyway, i phoned a breastfeeding counsellor in my area, and she suggested that it might be thrush and not mastitis. Jack does have a bit of white on his tongue - even hours after a feed. it is a deep pain in behind the nipple, though i am not ithcy i am red this morning. the red is spreading quite quickly, already doubled in size since i looked at it this morning. Also he is up during the night for a feed every 2 hours, and he is 12 weeks old now. he should be sleeping better than that.

sorry i never had either, but suggest a visit to the nurse or doc to check it out.

i know that milk can taint the colour of the tongue for a while after a feed though - but thrush does look different

sorry not much help am i

i have got an appointment today at 3pm - a cancelation - and with a female doctor, so hopefully i'll get sorted.

Good look at the Dr's hun - let us know what she says.

Lizi

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I never had any sort of problems like that when I was breastfeeding Lewis, although I did often notice that the inside of his mouth, especially his tongue looked white even hours after a feed. I was worried that It was thrush, but the HV just said that it was the residue of breastmilk being left around his mouth because he didnt seem sore or anything and was feeding as normal.
Lewis also went through a phase where he wanted to be fed every hour during the night, It was exhausing trying to feed through it like the HV advised me to do and in the end I couldnt keep up with him no longer and started to wean him. He was Bottlefed through the day and then from about 5pm in the evening he was breastfed until he eventually went onto bottles all the time. I was gutted that i wasnt breastfeeding him and I still miss it now to be honest, but hes so much more settled now and happier so I suppose thats all that matters!
Hope all goes well with the Doctor
Keep us informed

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Thanks for all your replies. the doctor says it is mastitis, but I don't feel sick thankfully. she has put me onto antibiotics, so that should clear it up. i had it 3 weeks ago as well, and doctor says sometimes it can recur quite often. hopefully i'll not get it again.

Hello Audrey,

Sorry to hear about your problems - I had masitis, cracked nipples and nipple thrush when starting breastfeeding Theo. Almost eight months and four teeth later and I'm still breastfeeding him.

I had a couple of cases of mastitis but thankfully managed to avoid antibiotics. In order to prevent it reoccuring you need to make sure that your breast is being properly drained after a feed. Ducts which have become blocked can block more easily in the future. To do this you could try offering the breast you last offered first at the next feed to ensure its nice and empty. Another trick is feeding with your babies chin towards the blocked area - this helps the blockage to drain better (you could try getting on all fours while your baby lies on the floor if the blockage is in an awkward spot). Massage is very helpful - I used a hot water bottle first to help warm up and soften the blockage and then massaged the sore part in circular motions pushing towards the nipple to drain that milk out. Using heat before a feed also helps the milk to flow more freely. Your baby will be the best suction device you can use so just feed a bit more often on that side and it should hopefully help!

On a side note thrush - which the Doctor only seemed to grudginly diagnose for me is a different pain. Mastitis can make your whole body ache as if you have a fever, leads to a red patch on your breast, a sore lump and general aching. Thrush pain is a dull ache in the breast and a toe curlingly painful shooting pain when baby latches on. Some women also find the nipple is red and angry looking and you may have white patches on the nipple or in babies mouth (I didn't). If you do have nipple thrush make sure that both you and baby are treated as if baby isn't treated you will keep reinfecting one another.

i hope that's of some help - feel free to PM me if I can help in any way!

xxx

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Hi Audrey,

Is there anything that could have reduced the effectivness of your last antibiotics?

Think Emma has given you some really great advice The only thing I can think to add is that sometimes hand expressing after a feed can help to ensure the ducts are clear, however if you are feeding every few hours then you should be able to avoid this by feeding off the same side as suggested. Expression may also be good if you find that your breast is becoming full and the baby doesnt need to feed at that time - use heat and gentle massage to help.

Also you mentioned you had spoken to a breast feeding councilor - could they help verify your positioning just in case they can suggest anything to help.

You probably already have thought of this but just wanted to share incase

Lizi

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