After all the euphoria of the coming of your new bundle of joy and the warm congratulations comes a very painful predicament - mastitis.
Waking up at odd hours to breastfeed the baby is really not a problem.
You and your partner have agreed on a set routine regarding cleaning up the baby and the diapers, but then suddenly, breastfeeding has become a torture.
And this is all because of mastitis.
One of the breasts swells because of infection.
A sore area can be observed which is painful when touched.
Breastfeeding becomes almost intolerable, and you are almost dreading the next feeding time.
As the infection worsens, you can become chilly and think you might be coming down with flu.
You could feel alternately hot and cold and sweat profusely.
You could also develop a massive headache.
Despite receiving all kinds of advice about shifting the baby to bottle, you are hesitant to do so and do not like to give up this otherwise beneficial and joyful activity so easily.
Generally, mastitis hits only one breast.
Let us know more about this common ailment.
Primarily, being new to this process, the mother does not know yet the best position when breastfeeding the baby.
Thus, not all the milk is sucked from the breast and the milk duct becomes clogged.
Another cause can be irregular breastfeeding because perhaps you have to work, or you do not want to bare your breasts while in public or when among other people or the baby is sleeping so soundly and that would be break time for you.
As soon as you feel that a part of your breast is sore because of the milk ducts being clogged, you can prevent its developing into mastitis by massaging it lightly.
The direction should be downwards as if pushing the milk to the nipple.
As you keep on doing this, you will observe that the bump subsides because the duct milk has been cleared.
You can encourage the baby to feed more regularly and at the same time massaging the breast towards the nipples as the baby suckles.
If breastfeeding the baby as often as necessary is not possible, then you can use an electric of hand breast pump.
Sometimes, even all these do not work and the milk duct still becomes inflamed and consequently infected.
Modern medical professionals advice not to stop breastfeeding from the infected breast as this will have no effect on the baby.
Although you might feel a bit apprehensive feeding your baby from the infected breast, it will be the pain which will make you want to forget about this endeavor completely.
This will make the milk ducts all the more clogged and perhaps even develop abscess.
If it has gone this far, then you will have to go consult a doctor and drain out the abscess.
If you are feeling physically uncomfortable and unconvinced about feeding your baby from the infected breast, then you just have to discard the milk from that breast and breastfeed with the other breast.
As your body adapts to this situation it will produce the right amount of milk on the uninfected breast to feed your baby.
As soon as the infected breast gets well, you can continue with your prior feeding schedule.
If mastitis strikes your breast and stays there for several hours, it would be advisable to take some antibiotics and this you will have to consult with your physician.
Let him know that you are breastfeeding so that he can prescribe you with the proper kind of antibiotic.
To avoid experiencing the same problem, you have to ensure that your baby is properly positioned during breastfeeding.
The baby should not just suck on the nipple but if possible the entire areola to get as much milk as possible.
You should be sitting upright or if lying down, the baby should not lie on the breast.
The baby's stomach tummy should touch your stomach while his nose and mouth should ace the breast squarely and not blocking it with his arms or hands.
Mastitis generally dissipates totally after two days.
Do not get discouraged or traumatized by this setback.
Rather, you should try to keep the proper feeding position all the time, feed the baby as needed and avoid skipping breastfeeding as much as possible.