Hi, everyone:

I recently started working with a mom of a 6 month-old who reported that she had done well with breastfeeding until the 4 month mark at which time she got mastitis, and things spiraled downward from there. She's struggling with vasospasm, suspected yeast, another bout of mastitis, chronic plugged ducts, blisters on her nipples..... My guess is that she wasn't doing as well as she thought she was prior to her first round of mastitis (she did state a perceived oversupply early on). But, as we all know, we meet the client where they are and work from there. Where she is - well, it's kind of like being in the middle of a train wreck.

She's been doing some nipple rest now and then as she works to resolve the problems, and pumping was going fine. However, this past week, that took a turn for the worse as well. Now, when she pumps, her nipple and areola are becoming misshapen, discolored and damaged when she pumps. She's using a Medela Pump In Style on the lowest suction (sometimes keeping it on the letdown phase the whole time), and has been using varying sized shields - both hard plastic and soft, with the same result every time - and it is almost as painful as nursing. She's also tried using ointment on the shield - it helps with the initial pain, but stops working a few minutes into pumping.

I've recommended hand expression as an option, and she's working on that. She also has an appointment with a breast specialist to rule out abscess or other undetected issues. She's changed the pieces on the pump, and had planned to call Medela for their take on why it's suddenly so painful to rule out mechanical causes for her concern.

My questions to all of you are: whether you've experienced anything like this (the pumping piece of the puzzle) and if so, might there be a solution to help her pump more comfortably? 

 

Peggy Healy, MSW, IBCLC, RLC
The Art of Breastfeeding, Inc.
www.artofbreastfeeding.com
773-420-7534


 

 




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