I will look forward to reading responses to Barbara Latterner's question
from breastfeeding specialists who work with a larger group of women,
but as far as I am concerned mastitis is just as common, if not more so,
in toddlers than in young babies. When I was surprised by this, I did
some reading and thinking and came up with a few ideas:
1) Toddlers who are teething, chewing food and doing a lot of different
things with their mouths lapse into nipple feeding during the feed, and
hold the nipple differently in general than smaller babies who nurse in
a more "focussed" and deliberate manner. Their gymnastics can affect
positioning, too.
2) Toddlers change their patterns from day to day, with more of a
variation... One day they like lunch and supper and nurse in a relaxed
and comforting way; the next day they get hungry because only yucky
stuff is offered, so they nurse intently and hungrily. One day they are
busy figuring out how to get up on the dining room table and the next
day they get frightened and spend the day in mom's lap. Change in
pattern is a good recipe for mastitis, for some dyads.
3) When babies grow into toddlers, their mothers' lives often change,
too... More separation, changes in routine, a different kind of stress,
etc. (as above)
4) The return of menses or pregnancy can both affect the baby's nursing
pattern (possible change in taste, production) and the mother's
physiology (general well-being and comfort level), and this may have an
effect.
Others will no doubt have other things to add.
Jo-Anne

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