Nursing a 2Nd Baby After Mastititis & Staph Infection

My first baby was just 5 pounds and wasn't interested in breastfeeding or eating at all for that matter. I pumped for the first 6 weeks and gave the breastmilk to her in a bottle. It worked fine, but was exhausting, so I decided to stop breastfeeding. I went to the doctor and got the dry-up pills, limited my liquids, wore a tight bra etc. I thought my milk was gone. All it took was a warm shower, no bra for 4 or 5 hours and my milk was back AND I had a breast infection. Oh my...I would have preferred giving birth again rather than have the pain it caused. I had a 103 fever and red streaks going down my arm. I knew it was because I had quit nursing and things got clogged up. When my 2nd baby arrived I was determined to have a successful nursing experience and I, like you was afraid I would for whatever reason get another infection. #2 was a very hungry girl! On the advice of all the wonderful moms in my Le Leche League group, I never had a problem. #3 came along and all was well with her too! The best thing they told me was to always nurse til you are empty, nurse often on demand, stay away from bras that are too tight or underwires as they can restrict the proper flow of the milk and cause your milk ducts to clog and head you right into trouble. Be sure to stay hydrated too.
You might want to talk with a lactation consultant or contact a Le Leche League group leader. I'm sure they could ease your mind. The book, "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" was my breastfeeding "bible". Congrats on the new baby coming! I hope all goes well for you!

Hi J.---Good luck with your next nursing experience. I nursed all 3 of mine and never had a problem so it is hard to relate to your troubles. But, I'd be it is possible to make this a positive experience even after that with your son.

It's been a long time since I've breastfed so I am not able to give alot of help that way. But, I wonder if you have looked at strengthening your immune system so that you are better able to handle the germs that our bodies face everyday. I have been studying wellness and disease prevention the past several years and one of the most profound things I've learned is that we have the ability to protect ourselves from disease (and infections) and just generally help our bodies to work better by the food that we eat. Specifically, we need to concentrate on fresh, raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes (beans) while minimizing, if not eliminating animal products and milk (www.strongbones.org).

It is my passion and priveledge to help people to lead healthier lives. My 'education' services are free of charge so please call me at your convenience and we can talk about how I can help you. I know for a fact, and I can share research to verify, that what I share WILL strengthen the immune system and as a result, keep you from mastitis or any other infection as easily, if at all.

Feel free to contact me at any time. In health, D.
248-625-87426

If you had no problems with your first one, remember that instead of the problems with the 2nd. Each experience is different. I expected nursing with my last one to be a breeze because I had no problems with my first 2 but it has not been. I am not sure exactly why there were differences but I think it is because during the first few weeks, I nursed exclusively but I also pumped in between feedings (to build up supply) and she is a bit tongue-tied. I have had mastitis, engorgement, and clogged ducts but, if I were to have another, I'd still nurse.
Also, remember lessons you've learned from your second child. Some preventive measures I've learned are to let her nurse as often as she wants and, if using a pump, make sure to completely empty the breast (no matter how long this takes!).
I don't recommend pumping during your 1st few weeks if you can at all avoid it because this can lead to chronic overproduction (mistake I made) which can contribute to the engorgements, clogged ducts and mastitis.

I was never hospitalized for mastitis and staph but had it pretty bad with my second baby. I gave up count but had either a plugged duct or mastitis at least 15 times in her first year. I too stuck it out for 18 mos, I didn't think I'd last that long, it was miserable never been so sick in my life! I used the antibiotics but also this "Nipple Cream" my midwife prescribed. It was some kind of cream that is made at an appothecary using all kinds of meds. It worked great and I'm also pregnant with #3 and shared my concerns with my midwife. She assured me they make the nipple cream at Beaumont but also not to worry about it because it depends on the baby. Something about their natural flora, bacteria in their mouth. I had no problems with baby #1, but was very sick with #2. A friend of mine had horrible mastitis with her 3rd but not her 1st, 2nd or 4th. Hopefully you survive this baby without any of the problems you had with #2, I'm hoping the same for myself!

Make sure everything you use to pump is *super* sterile, in fact I would buy new. Make sure you buy all new nipples for baby, sterilize everything. go no longer than 2 hours without nursing or pumping. Start super strong probiotics now, such as Primal Defense. You can get it in a powder also (get the unflavored) and mix it with the bottles that will be fed for baby. This will really help. All the cute little yogurts & stuff at the grocery are not strong enough. It takes 3 years to rebuild your good bacteria every time you take an antibiotic and you got whammied! Start with 3 a day and raise it gradually until you are at least 9 a day by the time you start bottle feeding. It can cause greenish blackish stool, this is ok as long as everything else seems fine. For more info, look at Patient Heal Thyself by Jordin Rubin. It is awesome. This is extreme advice, I understand, but you do have an extreme case. Good luck!!!

Hi J.,
I'm sorry to hear about all of the pain that you went through. I had 3 cases of mastitis with my first child, because I was so engorged, and had a lot of milk. I was not hospitalized, but I do remember much discomfort. I thought for sure that with my second child, that I would have a lot of milk production too, but when she was 2 months old, I was running out of milk, and tried different natural remedies that worked, and I was able to nurse her until she was 1 years old. With my third child, I was nervous that I would not produce enough milk, but Thank God, I did not have any problems nursing. For me, all three experiences were different.
I do remember pumping more often, if my children were sleeping and I was beginning to feel engorged. You learn from your experiences on what works and what doesn't.
I hope this helps, good luck, and God Bless you these next 7 weeks and beyond.
K.

Because every baby is different, every nursing experience will likely be different. Look at how different your 1st and 2nd were...your 3rd nursing experience is no more likely to be like #2 than it is to be like #1. Does that make any sense? Nursing was a disaster for me with my second, and I vowed to nurse #3 no matter what. I didn't prepare the bottles that I had stored and I kept no formula. Still, it was a disaster again. I beat myself up about it and still have guilt even though my babies were big, fat and healthy! If the worst happens and you have trouble...remember this; Bottle feeding doesn't make you a bad mom, just like nursing doesn't make you a good one! Yes, it's best, but billions of babies thrive and grow into healthy happy adults starting life on formula!

~L.