A few questions (Mastitis and weak latch)

[FemmeEnceinte]

Hello ladies!

Well, recently I've noticed one of my breasts seemed more hard/engorged than the other even though I bf for the same amount of time on each side and make sure to use the same side again if she's not on for long/doesn't suck hard. Today it just feels sore and lumpy. I'm not sure if it's general pains but thought it would be worth getting ahead of a problem if it is one.

Also, I seem to have so much milk that LO stops sucking properly after about 5 minutes. It literally pours into her mouth (and all over her face if she accidentally latches off ) so I think she gets full quickly and then just sucks gently for a while. It's not very comfortable though, it tickles and feels odd and starts to make me feel very uncomfortable so I end up latching her on and off, trying to get her to suck properly because she still wants to feed.

Any advise appreciated!

Thanks x

 

[CountingDown]

Congrats on your little babe hun, she is gorgeous!! When I had mastitis the first signs I had were flu like symptoms, they I got a bright red rash on the affected breast which then began to feel very hot and tender and lumpy to touch.

It sounds like you may have a blocked duct, can you feel a lump in your breast? Perhaps try some warm compresses on the affected breast and if you can feel a lump try gently massaging it towards you nipple if that makes sense.

During a feed Olivia will suck vigorously at first to induce a letdown and after will suck gently until she has finished. Can you still hear/see your lo swallowing when her sucking changes? It could be that she is comfort sucking whilst she is taking a quick break from feeding, bfing can be quite tiring for them especially when they are so young.

If you are worried about your latch perhaps get your midwife/hv/bf counsellor to check your latch the next time they visit.

HTH xx

 

[MelanieF]

Mastitis can get very bad quite quickly if the latch isn't quite perfect. It's so common to have difficulties latching, and it's also really normal to find one side easier to latch than the other (often due to being right or left handed). If the latch is right and the baby is feeding frequently then it clears up quickly, though. Are you still under MW care? Can you get the latch properly checked by a really knowledgeable helper? You say you've got lots of millk (hooray! Well done you!) and a rather over active let down? There's a great article on that here https://www.llli.org/NB/NBJanFeb07p26.html.

HTH

Mel

 

[thelilbump]

I agree, with mastisis you get flu like symptoms quite quickly. Try massaging your boob downwards when your feeding or when you're in the shower. General pains tend to start aswell about a week in for me i think, they do pass though.

Where about in lancs are you?

 

[FemmeEnceinte]

Thank you ladies!

Well, the lumpiness and tenderness has just disappeared this evening! Just like that! I tried massaging while feeding and massaging in the shower so maybe that helped more than it seemed to at the time. Whew, I feel so much more comfortable.

As for the latch, she's latched on well but she's fussy and does what she wants to. It took me a week of latching on and off to get her to take a good mouthful and not just the tip. She kept latching well and then pulling back to just the tip. That was a painful week... cracked nipples, blisters and lashings of lansinoh (miraculous stuff!). Anyway, now she's much better at it and there's no more pain but she seems to just settle into sucking really gently sometimes. Possibly for comfort but I suspect that it's probably because she doesn't have to suck very hard. Hopefully, once I've been feeding her a while the supply will regulate and it'll sort itself out.

Thanks again

x

 

[thelilbump]

glad you've sorted it. Yea once your body regualtes itself a bit more she'll have to work that tad harder!