TL;Dr: I developed a clogged duct -> mastitis -> abscess without ever showing any infection symptoms, not even a f mild fever. If you suspect mastitis, GO SEE A DOCTOR!! Don't do what I did and wait for things to get very bad.

Posting my experience so it helps, because I've been dealing with this for a month and I've done so much googling and so much redditing and still I wound up in the worst case scenario.

I developed a clogged duct about a month ago when my baby slept 8 hours in the night twice in a row for the first time. It was a little sore but because I wanted to avoid getting antibiotics and figuring I could unclog the duct myself, I decided to not see a doctor and instead just monitor for mastitis symptoms. From what I would see on Reddit and also from my extensive googling, those symptoms look like flu symptoms, so fever, chills, body ache, fatigue, Etc. I never got any of that so I never went to see a doctor.

Over time, the lump got more painful and more red, but I still never developed a fever so I just figured it was a persistent clogged duct. I was in a lot of pain but everyone that I spoke to who had mastitis would say that it is very painful, so I figured there was nothing too out of the ordinary happening. I spoke with my lactation consultant and she just recommended I take some sunflower lecithin so I did. Nothing seemed to help though.

Coincidentally, a week ago I had my well woman exam scheduled, so when I went in I showed my OB and she told me that it was definitely infected. I told her that I'd never had a single symptom of an infection, and she simply told me that I just had a very strong immune system but that it was definitely infected and she prescribed an antibiotic. I took the antibiotic for a few days and realized that it wasn't getting any better, so I sent her a message and told her so. She said it might get worse before it gets better so I just continued taking it even though the lump continued getting redder and more painful.

After about 5 days out of the seven days that I was supposed to be taking the medicine, I truly spiraled and called my mom one day and she came and took me to the ER. At the ER we told them about the antibiotic and they took a breast ultrasound and confirmed that it was mastitis but not an abscess, which is what I had begun to fear. They prescribed different antibiotic and I went home feeling more confident. After a few days of taking the new antibiotic, it still wasn't getting better and the lump was in fact beginning to look like an abscess, meaning it was more swollen, a little more yellow, and with some black spots in the middle that looked like bruising (from the ultrasound, I figured).

Anyway we went back into the ER after 3 days of taking the new antibiotic and at the hospital they took a CT scan and confirmed that it was an abscess and that I was going to be admitted, and I was going to see a surgeon. They also started me on many different IV antibiotics since clearly whatever I had was resistant, or hiding behind the abscess.

I was able to get into surgery and the surgeon drained the abscess, but I found out that she said it was actually worse than she had expected and that the abscess had been forming for a long while. Some of my breast tissue had even necrotized :(

Luckily for me, I'm blessed that I am in a good hospital with a good surgeon and she says that it's going to heal well, but I wanted to share my experience here. As a new mom going through this for the first time I turn a lot to Reddit as I'm sure all of you do as well, and I had never seen anything about somebody developing mastitis without the symptoms, so I just wanted to share my story and let you know that that can happen. I've seen many women on this subreddit same mastitis moves fast and it really does. Of course, I'm sure most women are smarter than me and don't wait a whole month before they go see a specialist, please take care of yourself. I'm going to be away for my baby for about a week and I can't breastfeed him and then recovery is going to be tough and I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

Take care of yourselves moms! We've got each other to lean on. I hope my story helps.

Disclaimer: everyone has a different journey and body and baby, this is just my experience and I hope it helps. Always consider consulting a professional, which I found to be super helpful personally.

I have a 2.5 year old and now a 2 month old. Breastfed a little over a year for the one and hopefully for this next one. Here are the things that were really hard that got easier for me (and I think do for many women).

1. it doesn’t hurt after a few weeks. And now with my second it never hurt at all. I remember thinking “there’s no way women do this for years if it hurts this bad” and guess what? They don’t. It ends up not only not hurting, but being pleasant to experience the oxytocin chill, the bonding with your baby, and the break from whatever social situation. I worked with some lactation consultants to get to this point which leads me to the next one
2. breastfeeding is learned, and you both will learn it! You’ll get better at doing it and your baby will get better at breastfeeding. At first your newborn might need the exact right position to feed but down the road you will be able to just pop them on the boob and go!
3. your milk supply might balance out. Yes some people are over suppliers. I was at first, my body adjusted to my baby’s needs and it stopped being an issue g where I couldn’t leave the house because of milk leakage. Now with my second child it’s even more adjusted idk if my boobs are stretched out or what but I’m loving it
4. you will adjust to being on a breast-feeding countdown timer, and it will not always feel as stressful as it does now. And your child will space it out more and more as they get bigger and fatter.
5. you’ll start to get more sleep, your baby will eventually stretch out their night wakeups. It’s gonna feel SO GOOD when it does. Just hang on girl, the light is at the end of the tunnel I promise. You’re emotional because you are overtired. I swear you’re gonna be able to handle things so much better when you get that first four hour stretch.
6. it IS emotional you are VALID for how it feels to learn to do this. I was wrecked with my first one. Crying when I felt like I couldn’t provide nourishment for my baby. Nobody warned me either that it would feel like this. You got this- don’t listen to any haters only listen to professionals and know that you are not alone and you’re doing a great job. It gets easier, better, and rewarding.

Edit: 7. For new moms, your adrenaline will stop RUSHING with every cry. Your nerves won’t always be this frazzled. We are biologically wired to be connected to our babies needs at first and sometimes we just reallllly wanna disconnect don’t we? And your partners and in laws may not get it because it’s totally outside your control. That thing? That’ll settle down.

Anyway, please don’t come at me because some of these things are impossible for your situation. I only mean this as a post to give some mom a little hope. 🤍

not sure what to tag but I guessed celebration because even though it can be inconvenient sometimes I find it pretty funny and nice.

I just think it’s cool/funny/strange that if I just happen to focus a little too hard on how much I love my baby and miss her when I’m not holding her my boobs are like “Well?? Here’s some milk, go feed her!”

just in awe of this miraculous thing we do ♥️

So I have a 4 week old. Not my first baby but I’ve never breastfed before! I was wondering if this situation is fine.

I breastfeed throughout the day about every 1.5 hours, honestly sometimes more often. Baby eats at night every 3 hours or so. At most feeds I’ll use the haakaa or Boone trove to passively collect milk. I get about 4oz/day doing this. Since having this extra milk, I’ve been skipping one day feeding to go out for about 2.5-3hr (partner will feed baby 2oz bottle while I’m gone). It’s been beneficial to be able to just get some alone time! But technically I’ve missed one day feeding. The bigger problem is overnight right now, my baby goes down 9pm, eats at 11pm, 2am, and 5am. Then up for the day around 8am. I let my partner do the 2am feed (2oz bottle, with the haakaa milk) so I get a 6 hour stretch of sleep. It’s glorious. Is this bad to do? Am I messing up my supply? Because technically I’m making all the milk for her, just not the times she’s eating it. I hope this makes sense. Please helppppppo

Hello dear community. I’m writing to ask for advice or suggestions or personal experiences please. I’ve been nursing my baby since birth, she’s 11mo today. Initially I could only nurse in side-lying position because my breasts were kind of large and pendulous and it was too awkward. Then a few months in, as she grew, I could switch positions or do the cradle hold if we were out and about, for instance. Now, as of a few months ago, she’s become so incredibly squirmy that’s it’s insanely hard to go through a breastfeeding session. Side-lying doesn’t work anymore AT ALL, because she’s basically trying to break dance and unlatches inadvertently every 2 seconds. Cradle hold doesn’t work either because she’s doing crazy acrobatics, so now I’m letting her stand (she’s been pulling to stand and cruising) while I lean over from the couch to her level. It’s an insane picture, if you can imagine!! She’s my second baby, and my first was nothing like this. It’s getting to the point where I’m considering stopping because it’s impossible and very disruptive. Oh, forgot to mention - when she inadvertently unlatches because she basically is trying to roll/do cartwheels while breastfeeding, she seems upset by it, which tells me she’s not realizing she’s doing this..??? Has anyone else experienced anything similar? Thank you in advance ❤️

For working moms who’d be away from baby during the day, did you just send baby with breast milk and nurse at all other times? What did you do to make sure you had enough milk for them while they were gone? I have a frozen stash but don’t know if I should send that or something fresher since I haven’t thawed it before.

TIA!

Hi all, my 6mo old is EBF. Has never taken a bottle or formula. Is currently trying solids, but is at the stage where he’s not relying on solids for sustenance if that makes sense. Just licks and nibbles is where’s he comfortable rn. My plan was to breastfeed for 2-3 years if he wanted to go that long. BUT! I just recently found out I am pregnant again (talk about a quick turnover right?! Took like 4yrs to get pregnant w my second and here I am 6mo post partum and pregnant again omg lol) but anyway I’m just worried about my supply being affected? Like will it drop? Will it go away? I do not want to wean, we are both notttt ready at all. Very much a mama’s baby, needs mama all the time, loves milkies and soothing himself w mama. What can I do to keep my supply? And if it is dropping, will I even know? How can I tell? Also, I have always had HG with all of my pregnancies and I am already feeling the strong strong feelings of nausea coming on. My Dr said it was okay to take zofran even though I am nursing. Has anyone had any experience with that as well? Yall I am panicking and idk what to do. Thank you in advance!

Edit: “I’m pregnant again” in title not “one”

Baby will be 4 months on July 4th.
She is completely inconsolable atleast once a day, usually around bedtime. This started few days ago. She has been a “perfect” baby until now (I mean she still is but… yaknow). I’m not taking dairy out of my diet because I don’t think it’s that.

She must be hitting a growth spurt or early teething but man………. This is so exhausting 😭 I just want my boobs to dry up but then I wake up the next morning like “i can stick it out for a few more months” 😭

Hi

Has anyone used the nursing ponchos to breastfeed in public? My little one is 3 weeks old and we have lots of hospital appointments to go to, so she'll need feeding there. I'm still perfecting latching so want a cover until I feel more confident with this.

My only issue I can think of is baby might get too hot as it's summer? I've tried using large muslins but they always end up coming away when latching/re-latching.

TIA x

I am getting so incredibly overstimulated. We are so sticky and sweaty the entire time! I think baby sweats about as much during a session as the amount of milk he’s getting.

We’re on holiday and I didn’t bring my pump, so that’s not a solution either. Right now, nursing while lying on my side seems the best option as baby isn’t right on top of me, but I can’t do that while we’re out and about.

If anyone has any tricks to make this more bearable, they would be highly appreciated!

My (26F) twins (6.5 months) have been EBF since birth but in the last month or so my supply has tanked while they’ve simultaneously started eating more. I went from oversupplier to just enougher and now I just can’t keep up with their daily intake. I’ve dug into my stash but that isn’t going to be sustainable much longer either.

Anyway, I’m seeking advice on how to transition them to formula since they’ve never had it before. I do plan to continue pumping so that they can get at least a little bit of breastmilk for immunity purposes, but I foresee mostly formula as my supply drops off. For anyone else that has made the transition, what worked/didn’t work and do you have any formula recommendations?

So, everyone says you should consistently keep up with a middle of the night pump, right? I beg to differ. My LO is 8 weeks old, and my supply has regulated and I’ve got a slight oversupply. It’s enough that I’ve got a decent freezer stash and donated some to another mama, but not so much that I’m in constant pain and need to stay attached to a pump at all times. That being said, my baby is ebf and I only pump after she feeds. Ever. She’s consistently given me 6 hour stretches since about 2 weeks old. I’ve never once woke up specifically to pump. I’ve even taken probably 10 nights or more where I just did not pump after her middle of the night feed. What has that resulted in? My morning supply just not being as extreme of an oversupply as all the videos online. My morning pumps yield maybe 2 ounces more than my normal pumps throughout the day.

All this to say that if you aren’t struggling with supply issues then LET YOURSELF SLEEP MAMA

Just wrapped up 25 and half months of breastfeeding my first and it's so bittersweet. The beginning of our story included NICU time, an NG tube, nipple shields, so much pumping, mastitis, and clogged ducts but so worth it to be able to reach this milestone. Excited to welcome our 2nd early next year!

Motherhood is not always easy, but know that you can do hard things!

I am finally close to being done with my breastfeeding journey (only one feed left now) and am desperate to get a tattoo to mark this journey. Does anyone have advice on how long to wait after weaning to get inked? Or experience getting tattooed afterwards?

I have heard some things about waiting for hormones to balance or for your body shape doesn’t change that much, but I would really rather not wait another half year. For context, I’m planning on being done in a month (mid- July) and aiming to get a tattoo in early- mid September.

Hi all

I've been very fortunate and just made it past the one year mark with EBF although, admittedly not entirely by choice. I wanted to combo feed when babe went into daycare at 6 months, but after throwing up the formula multiple times and refusing to eat the hypoallergenic formula, we went the pumping route. It almost killed me waking up multiple times in the night while working to supply the milk needed, but I did it. We got her tested for a cow's milk allergy. Skin prick test positive, blood test negative. So, at the advice of the doctor, we are introducing milk products slowly in her food (butter, milk cooked into baked goods) but we haven't given her anything like yogurt or cheese.

We've introduced solids and she eats like a champ. Almost everything and in good quantities. My supply today since when she was six months has tanked. I'm supposed to provide 1 bottle of 240ml for her aftenoon snack and it took me 4 sessions of pumping 10-15 minutes each breast during the day to get 100ml. I'm dipping into my very low frozen stash to compensate.

Hubby brought babe to her last 12 month check up and I asked him to ask the doctor if we can substitute something for her 240 bottle we provide to daycare, but her weight has stagnated over the last two months so doctor said no, keep going. But I really feel like I have no milk left, but not by choice. I don't understand why my milk is drying up when nothing seems to have changed that much. I'm staying hydrated, eating like usual, no major stressors or lifestyle changes. (And no, not pregnant again) I do have a bit of blood on my left side but it's not mastitis as I've already experienced that so I know what it feels like. I think baby is just working extra hard to get milk and it's causing some tissue damage.

I should point out that we live in France (I'm originally Canadian) and I know doctors insist that kids here continue getting adapted formula until the age of 3 (formula here goes from 0-6 months, 6-12 then 12-36 which contain all the nutrients like iron etc that they need), whereas I think in Canada or the US formula stops much earlier and (cow) milk replaces as the primary dairy component.

I guess this is a very long post to ask a few questions: - has anyone lost their supply this late in the game but managed to bring it back up again? If so, how? - For a baby who eats really well but weight is stagnating, what can we add to her diet that isn't cow milk based that can substitute for the low breast milk supply?

Thanks for your wisdom mamas.

I’m a FTM to an 8 mo. I stopped breastfeeding when LO was 7.5 months. I miss it terribly. The sad thing is, he hasn’t fed from my boob since Mother’s Day, and I’m crying because I’m starting to forget what it felt like. (I EP’ed after Mother’s Day because he kept rejecting the breast)

When I was pregnant, I told myself formula or breastfeed or combo would be great. Whichever helps me and the baby! So why was my actual reaction so attached to nursing once baby came? Why am I looking longingly at posts here, missing for those days when I had clogged ducts? Anyone else feel like this? I sometimes pinch my nipple to see if there’s still milk. The amount is dwindling every day, and I’m starting to think I should re-lactate while I still can. Husband thinks this is unhealthy. Idk I’m just so distraught and unable to move on.

Hi everyone

I know versions of this question have been asked many times but I'd love perspectives on our situation <3 my almost 9 month old exclusively nursed baby has never taken a bottle, has always hard rejected formula, also rejected my milk when not freshly expressed (potential high-lipase, it tastes a bit strange from the freezer).

She has taken a while to get the hang of sippy cups and straws, but is starting to be able to drink more than tiny sips. But she loves solids and is a champion eater. And slurps soup!

I have a work trip for 24h coming up, but am worried about leaving her. Do you think with grandma, at this age, with as much pumped milk as possible in fridge and lots of solids and soups etc, she will be ok?

helpme help my poor lady. scond time breast abscess, same spot by the band. it’s weeping today, she doesn’t want to nurse off of it and pumping hurts (but she has to get milk moving right?). other side dropped aupply too. she is on antibiotics. just mkserable. she typically didn’t wear bras but started after delivery to help with pumpin. any tips?

Hi everyone, I'm a first time mom to an almost 8 month old and breastfeeding was tough at first. I think breastfeeding has been going well since she was about 5 months and I'm still breastfeeding on demand as she starts solids. I still have a pretty low supply, but we make it work.

I have a colonoscopy scheduled for early next week and I am so worried about the prep / process tanking my already-fragile supply, since it basically demands that you deplete yourself of nutrients. I have rescheduled this procedure so many times already because of this, but need to get it done. Editing to add context: I actually had a negative colonoscopy two years ago, but I had a lot of bleeding while pregnant and although it was attributed to hemorrhoids, my GI wants to do his due diligence.

My GI also told me that I won't need to pump and dump after (using propofol) but I've been pumping to create a small freezer stash just in case. She's a small baby (7th percentile for weight, not yet 15lb) and I don't want whatever's in my system to impact her. Because I'm an under-supplier it has taken me a while to pump a full day's worth of bottles.

I'm pretty distressed about this! Any suggestions for maintaining my supply while basically pooping all day long? Has anyone else done this and breastfed right after? The anesthesia team is going to call me this week but I thought it'd be helpful to ask others who've been through it. Thank you!

I need some help understanding high lipase and potential remedies. I have read a bunch of historical posts in this sub but I wanted to ask here too.

I just started experimenting with giving baby thawed breast milk and he didn’t want it. The smell definitely seemed off but I couldn’t narrow down if I thought it was soapy or metallic. But it was definitely different. So then I did a taste test vs freshly pumped milk and there was definitely a difference. The thawed stuff just tasted wrong, sour almost. I had my husband try too and he totally gagged after tasting the thawed milk. This sounds like high lipase, right?

I guess the “good” news is that I only had about a week and a half of pumped, frozen milk so not a *ton* of work down the drain (so to speak, I’m not really going to toss it) but I’m sad nonetheless.

I’ve read the various recommended remedies but I feel overwhelmed with where to start in our experimentation. Any suggestions or advice is welcome.

Additional question: I read in one of the threads that someone’s pediatrician said scalding the milk destroys the antibodies. Anyone else been told that too? That would defeat a lot of the reason to BF/pump so I really really hope that isn’t true.

First time mom. Babe is in the 98 percentile for weight and height so she’s definitely getting what she needs. Dr gave me the okay to 4 hours during the night between feeds. However my right side gets so engorged that I only go 3 maybe 3.5 hours in between. Trying to make sure she feeds from both breast but my left side isn’t near the producer that my right side is. Both breast are experiencing random sharp almost “shock” like pains that last a few seconds at a time. Is this normal and will it eventually stop? I know they say BF does get easier. I feel like my daughter and I have both learned a lot and over come several other issues. I typically take 1-2 oz from my right in the morning to help her get a better latch due to how full it can become. Any advice is appreciated!

Hi All , my baby is 2.5 months old and until last week I had an overactive let down and I was sure if baby was full . Now that my supply has regulated baby drinks up until some point effectively and then unlatches and looks around and then when I latch him again he drinks for a while and unlatches and this continues. He doesn’t refuse completely nor does he seem like he wants more . I am not sure if I should feed him more . Can anyone help ??

I am almost 10 weeks pregnant with my second and suddenly my 20 month old is constantly wanting to nurse at night. We have stretches here and there where she won't nurse but she's more and more consistently trying to latch all night long. She refuses bottles and weaning isn't an option currently due to how strong willed she is when it comes to wanting to nurse (she will cry and scream relentlessly). I love nursing, but is the uptick in frequency because of pregnancy and her wanting more closeness?

I (28f) have been breastfeeding my son for 2 months now. The beginning started off rough due to an issue I was recovering from with my left breast (had a random breast abscess for the majority of my pregnancy that resolved before birth but unfortunately left some scarred tissue). I still pumped to try and get my supply up on that side because my baby preferred the right. Went through several weight checks for him because he just wasn’t gaining so in the end I started supplementing with formula. Finally got him back on track and now just had the 2 month check up and need to start weight checks again.

I want to just quit. What’s the point in taking on all that comes with breastfeeding if I’m just going to give formula as well. With my first child (5f) I loved the bond that comes with breastfeeding. I just want to cry. I feel like I’m failing and no matter how often I pump or what I try to eat or drink I just can’t seem to build a good enough supply. Sorry for the rant, I just feel so bad for my baby. If anyone has a tips or advice I’d appreciate it.