I'm puzzled. A mother of a 4 month old developed mastitis yesterday and the MER is not operating while the baby is on the breast. Only after more than 20 minutes of pumping does she get milk. She is following all the usual suggestions religiously and has taken 3 IIbuprofen in 24 hours. She doesn't think there is a connection in slowed MER with Ibuprofen.. She is afraid that she will have to give up BFing. During today's discussion she admitted noting that the MER was having problems 2 days before the mastitis arrived. She notes that the milk comes down better when standing up, rather than lying down. She had a blocked duct a month ago which i suspect was caused by too much activity and I will explore this possibility again with her. My questions now: can mastitis cause the slowed MER and does she (or I?) just need reassurance that a baby-induced MER will soon return? (There is no smoking, other med's or alcohol excess in her home). Thanks! Anne Kaeser, IBCLC Germany