Dezerie,
Welcome to Lactnet, and congratulations on your baby.
We know that higher than needed milk supply can predispose any mammal to
mastitis, as can poor drainage of the breast.  Breaks in the skin
barrier (cracked nipples) especially in the germy hospital environment
can allow ascending organisms from the baby's mouth to the nipple, which
reflux up the breast along with the unconsumed milk (see work done by
Donna Ramsay in Peter Hartmann's lab).

We sometimes see recurrent mastitis in mothers whose infants have
sucking problems and fail to drain the breast evenly.  Helping the baby
to latch more deeply and supporting proper sucking help to drain the
breast well, and getting the milk supply under control are important
strategies along with antibiotic treatment.

I think that all of us encourage continued breast drainage during
mastitis, whether by infant, pump, or both, to prevent progression to an
abcess.
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  NYC

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