Cheryl,

I hope I am teaching a grandmother to suck eggs here, but why was this
woman's mastitis deemed to be infective mastitis and not obstructive
mastitis in the first place?  I know that things have moved on, but if it
was obstructive mastitis, then prbably the cause of that needs to be
identified as best as possible (bearing in mind that there might be a
multi-causal explanation) and addressed.  From your remark about cracks in
the nipple I woudl go back to the attachment of the baby to the breast, the
way the mother is holding her baby and also how the mother is sitting as she
begins a feeding.  These three things are often pushed together as
'positioning', but in a case like this probably need to be examined and
addressed seperately.  Whatever else is done to deal with the subsequent
difficulties, she risks difficulties re-occuring if the causes are not
addressed.

Magda Sachs
Breastfeeding Supporter,
The Breastfeeding Network, UK

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