Ugh, mastitis. The thought of having it scared me since first learning about it in the breastfeeding class I took during my first pregnancy.
After my daughter was born, I was so diligent about doing everything right to avoid getting mastitis. I got by with almost no issues – I had a clogged duct one time that cleared within a day.
Flash forward a year later. I have a newborn son and am breastfeeding again. He’s 6 weeks old, it’s just days before Christmas, and I end up with mastitis. It wasn’t from not feeding him frequently enough, or from not emptying the breast completely…. none of that. I got it from accidentally punching myself in the boob 😫
How I Ended Up Getting Mastitis
When taking my daughter’s high chair apart to give it a good wash, I yanked the buckle strap out of the insert, and whack….punched myself right in the boob. Hard. It hurt for a quick minute, but I moved on and didn’t think any more of it… until the next day.
The next morning, it was a little sore and bruised looking.
When the Symptoms Kicked In
Two days after the incident, I woke up with a pounding headache. It lasted the entire day. Later that night, the flu-like symptoms had begun, and they hit me like a ton of bricks. I had horrible cold chills, then sweats, and body aches, all on top of the pounding headache. I had a fever of 101. I thought, where the heck did I pick up the flu?! Then I remembered my bruised boob. It wasn’t even all that sore, just bruised looking. I then realized I had mastitis. I fed the baby one last time for the day and went to bed in hopes of sleeping it off.
The Night of No Sleep
That was one of the absolute worst nights of my life. There was no sleeping. I was freezing, then sweating with hot flashes, still had a pounding headache, and was so nauseas. I fed the baby so many times that night to try and keep the milk flowing and clear any blockage. I was so weak and could not stop shaking. I was almost afraid to pick him up. I went back and forth between having ice packs on my forehead and laying on a heating pad. A hot mess.
It was the longest night ever…. besides the night I was in labor with Asher. I took my temperature throughout the night and it was only going up.
In the morning, I called my OBGYN office and asked for an emergency visit. I told the woman on the phone, I actually think I might die. Thirty minutes later, I was there for my visit.
Getting Prescribed Antibiotics
My midwife confirmed that I had mastitis, due to the trauma of whacking myself in the chest. She prescribed me antibiotics to take care of the infection. I soooooo did not want to take them. I mean, I’m crunchy on a regular basis, but breastfeeding has taken my desire to avoid antibiotics to another level. I’ve been working hard to build up my baby’s gut flora, and the last thing I wanted to do was wipe it out by feeding him antibiotics through my breastmilk. But I also didn’t want to die. I explained that to my midwife and she understood, but told me I definitely did not want to end up with an abscess. She said that would make life a WHOLE lot worse. She recommended that I take a high dose of probiotics while on the antibiotics. She mentioned taking probiotics may also reduce the chance of the baby getting thrush during my time on antibiotics.
We picked up my prescription on the way home, and also got some probiotics for myself and for the baby. I started the antibiotics that night.
My fever was down the next morning, and I was beginning to feel better. My infected boob was HUGE though, and sore… incredibly sore that day. It was the clog. The antibiotics were clearing the infection, but I still had the clogged duct where I hit myself. I had to get it unclogged, so did a lot of feeding the baby on that side, massage, and warm compresses.
A cold cabbage leaf did provide me with some relief of the pain, despite the lactation consultant warning against it. While on the phone with her, I asked about the cabbage leaf trick. She said cabbage leaves have the effect of reducing milk supply, so she only recommends it if a mother has an over-supply or if she’s trying to wean the baby. I was in tears from the pain and desperate for some relief, so decided to try it anyway… only for a little while. The coldness of it was such a relief, and it helped with the swelling.
Eventually, the clog cleared, and after a few days on the antibiotics, the rest of my mastitis symptoms disappeared. Despite my resistance to taking the antibiotics, I’m glad I did in this situation. Mastitis is certainly nothing to mess with!
If you’re a mama, soon-to-be mama, or someone who just wants a good laugh, check out this video of #Momsplaining with Kristen Bell and Katie Lowes on The Ellen Show. Kristen shares her experience(s) having mastitis, and it’s the best.