Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland that can occur when you’re breastfeeding. It can cause pain in the affected breast, as well as flu-like symptoms. Here’s how to know if you have mastitis, treatment information, and how to prevent it.
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What is mastitis?
Sometimes, milk ducts can become inflamed. This can happen due to genetics, maternal medical conditions, recent use of antibiotics, and other reasons. When this persists, inflammatory mastitis may develop.
In some cases inflammatory mastitis progresses to bacterial mastitis, which requires antibiotics to treat.
How can I tell if I have mastitis?
Here are some of the symptoms of mastitis.
Mastitis symptoms in the affected breast
- The affected breast may hurt, and it may be warm and a bit swollen
- You may feel a lump in the affected breast that is very tender to the touch
- You may see red streaks on your breast
General mastitis symptoms
- You may have flu-like symptoms, such as a fever, chills, and aches
- You might have a dull headache
- “General malaise,” i.e., you just do not feel well, is also common
How do you know if you have a clogged milk duct vs mastitis?
If the issue is localized to your breast, you probably just have ductal narrowing, which is commonly referred to as a clogged duct. If your symptoms extend to the rest of your body, you likely have mastitis.
How do I treat mastitis at home?
If your symptoms meet the below criteria, then you can try to treat mastitis at home:
- Symptoms have been present for less than 24 hours
- Only one breast is affected
- Your baby is more than two weeks old
- You are not very ill
(If these do not all apply to you, or if you have questions or concerns, call your doctor.)
Below are some home remedies for mastitis. The goal with these is to relieve the inflammation causing the mastitis.
1. Rest and try to relax
It’s really hard to rest as a new parent, but let everything that you possibly can go, and rest as much as you can. Accept any help that is offered, and ask for it if you need to.
Mastitis can also be stressful, especially if it’s your first time dealing with it. Usually it resolves in a few days with conservative care, so try to relax as much as you can until you’ve recovered.
2. Stay on your normal pumping schedule
Try to pump the same that you did prior to the onset of mastitis. (If you’re nursing, continue to feed your baby as you normally would.)
If pumping or nursing on the affected side is very painful, try starting with the unaffected side until your milk lets down. Then you can start pumping on both sides (or switch sides).
Don’t use suction any higher than what is comfortable for you, and make sure that your breast shields fit appropriately.
3. Drink fluids
Make sure to stay hydrated.
4. Take ibuprofen
It will help reduce the swelling, inflammation, and pain, and is safe for breastfeeding. Per the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, you can take up to 800mg every eight hours.
You can also take Tylenol for pain.
5. Apply ice to the affected breast
Ice may also help relieve the inflammation associated with mastitis.
It can be applied every hour (or more frequently, if desired).
6. Take sunflower or soy lecithin
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine suggests taking 5-10g of sunflower or soy lecithin to “reduce inflammation in ducts and emulsify milk.”
7. Ensure any hands-on pumping or breast massage is gentle
You don’t want to further inflame your breast tissue.
8. Check your bra
Make sure that your bra is comfortable, supportive, and fits appropriately.
If you’re not using a nursing bra, you may want to consider getting one. Nursing bras are made for lactating breasts, with no seams or wires in places they may cause issues.
9. Consider gentle vibration
Gentle vibration, administered once per day for a few minutes, may help with mastitis. Some women use a lactation massager* for this purpose.
Remember that the vibration should be gentle – the goal is to reduce inflammation.
(*The lactation massager I recommend is available on amazon, or you can also get a 10% discount buying directly from LaVie with the promo code EPUMP.)
Do I need antibiotics?
If your symptoms have been present for more than 24 hours (and are not improving), both breasts are affected, your baby is less than two weeks old, or you are very sick, call your doctor. It’s possible that your mastitis has progressed from inflammatory to bacterial mastitis.
It is likely that he or she will put you on an antibiotic, usually for 10-14 days. You should also continue to rest.
Check and confirm if the antibiotic you’re prescribed is safe for baby; you may want to ask for an alternative if it’s not. (Mastitis on its own is not a contraindication to breastfeeding.)
Untreated mastitis can lead to an abscess (which can require surgery to resolve), so be sure to call your doctor if you feel sick for more than 24 hours or are really ill.
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How long does mastitis usually last?
Usually 1-3 days, though it make take up to a week for the infection to completely clear.
Once you are feeling better, if your milk supply was impacted, it may also take a little while for it to recover.
What are the early signs of mastitis?
If you’re having any localized pain or tenderness on one breast, watch out for feeling more tired than normal, a low-grade fever, or just feeling “blah.” These are usually the first signs of mastitis.
Mastitis usually comes on quickly.
How can I make sure that this never happens to me and my boobs again? How can I prevent mastitis when pumping?
To avoid mastitis as an exclusive pumper, here are some things that you can do:
- Stick to your pumping schedule as much as possible.
- If you are prone to getting mastitis, you might want to try sunflower or soy lecithin to see if that helps.
- See your doctor to confirm that any previous cases of bacterial mastitis have resolved.
(Legendairy Milk reached out and gave me a discount code for their sunflower lecithin. Take 15% off with the code 15EPUMP!)
One other option that you can consider if you keep getting mastitis on only one side is try weaning from just the affected breast and continue pumping on your other side.
Have you had mastitis? Share your your experience with us, and what you did to resolve it.
References
- Katrina B. Mitchell, Helen M. Johnson, Juan Miguel Rodríguez, Anne Eglash, Charlotte Scherzinger, Kyle Widmer, Pamela Berens, Brooke Miller, and the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Clinical Protocol #36: The Mastitis Spectrum, Revised 2022.Breastfeeding Medicine.May 2022.360-376. http://doi.org/10.1089/bfm.2022.29207.kbm
- Bonyata, Kelly, IBCLC. “Plugged Ducts and Mastitis.” https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/mastitis/
- Newman, Jack. “Blocked Ducts and Mastitis.” https://www.canadianbreastfeedingfoundation.org/basics/mastitis.shtml
- Smiley, Rhondda. “Breastfeeding and breast abscess.” https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/breast-abscess/
Comments & Chitchat
Ali Beasley says
Hi! I am an exclusive pumper. My baby is 16 weeks old and I finally have my pumping sessions down to 5 times a day. I got mastitis a couple days ago and have been pumping every 2-3 hours to clear the ducts as much as possible. After a day of this, I noticed at least once that I have started to have letdowns at the two hour mark. I’m worried that I will have to retrain my breasts to get back down to only 5 times a day! Is that the case? Also, how long do I need to keep pumping them every 2-3 hours? I’m on antibiotics now (for the past 24 hours) and am feeling better, but the lump and redness is still there.
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Ali! Even if you’re leaking, it’s okay – you don’t need to pump each time you leak. You could maybe go down a little more gradually once you’ve completely recovered (like drop one extra session a day) but I don’t think it should be a long time to retrain. Maybe consider lecithin too! I hope that helps and good luck!
Marissa says
I am in a similar situation to this too! I’m seven months postpartum and an exclusive pumper. i dropped down to five sessions about two weeks ago and developed mastitis. I am now pumping six times a day to help with the infection and also I am on antibiotics. What is your recommendation on when I can go back to pumping five times a day?
Jessica says
I had mastitis with my first 9 years ago and ended up in the hospital for three nights. I prayed and did everything I could this time around to prevent it and sure enough, it landed me back in the hospital just two days ago. I was having a completely normal day when suddenly my right breast started to hurt. Hours later, I got insane chills. I felt like I was going to faint so we ended up calling an ambulance. When they got to me I had a 105 fever and a 185 heart rate! They took me into the ambulance and did cardio aversion (medication through an IV to stop and reset your heart). They had to do it three times before it worked. Each time it felt like I had died and came back to life! I got to the ER and could already tell them what it was. I was released about 12 hours later with antibiotics. I had to leave my 2 month old baby for the first time in a rush and since I hadn’t been pumping before, I didn’t have milk for her. Thankfully I have an amazing friend who brought over some of her breast milk while we were gone.
The infection is almost gone but it was quite a traumatic experience! Last time mastitis led me to quitting my BF journey but not this time. Me and baby and working through it (:
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Oh my gosh, Jessica. I’m so sorry to hear that and am glad you are okay!
Ilse says
Hi Amanda,
Three weeks ago I gave birth to a wonderful son. Sadly he has trouble latching, so I decided to go the EP route (I have been an EP-er for my daughter 2 years ago, so it was an easy decision). With the Medela Symphony I got my milk flowing and my supply was good, between 6 and 7 oz per session. All was going well, until 4 days ago.
It started with a crack in my areola. To prevent more damage I switched from the Symphony to the Medela freestyle. A day later my breasts started to hurt. And despite all actions I took to prevent mestitis, I got mestitis in both breasts.
I’m on antibiotics and ibuprofen and an feeling a lot better already.
But my supply has dropped significantly, to about 3 oz per session. Do you have any advice how to (quickly) bring the supply back up? I’m hesitant to do power pumping at the moment because the crack in my areola isn’t fully healed yet.
Any advice would be more then welcome.
(ps Congrats on passing the CLC exam! I love your site and it is my go to for all my EP questions.)
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Ilse! Thank you so much! I’m so sorry about the mastitis and am so glad to hear that you’re feeling better! I think I would try oatmeal and hand expressing first? (You can try it at different points in your pumping session and see if it helps at all?) Good luck!
Kate says
Thanks Amanda! Should I still be using my electric pump or just expressing? I notice my affected breast is now filling up alot faster than the other one (which i kept at a regular schedule). How can i still slowly move back to the regular schedule, I’m worried the extra pumps is signaling the affected breast to make more milk (which was how I got mastitis to begin with since that one breast makes more than the other!)
Amanda Glenn says
I would use the electric pump and slowly push the sessions further apart. So if you’re doing every 3 hours now, you could do 3 hours and 15 minutes tomorrow, 3:30 the day after, and so on. But if you think hand expressing would be better, that’s fine! I was never very good at it so always used the electric pump. Do whatever you think will be best, there is no right answer.
Kate says
Hi
I’ve had mastitis for the past week and have been pumping the affected breast every 3 hours to empty it. My regular pumping schedule is every 4-5 hours. Now that i’m at the tail end of my antibiotics and i’m feeling alot better, can I go back to my regular pumping schedule? Or do I need ease into it? I don’t want another clog/bout of mastitis!
Amanda Glenn says
Hi Kate! I would ease into it, but if it’s going well, you can probably get there in less than a week. Good luck! Glad you’re feeling better!
arielle says
My son was born Nov 15 2019, and being Feb 3rd, I have now had mastitis 3 times. Twice in my left and now once in my right. I originally came here seeing if there might be any information on using the haakaa without Epsom salt but decided to leave a note in the comments to any other mama who might be scrolling through.
You can do it! Every time I’ve had it, I went from pumping 4.5-7oz per session (every 3 hours) to maybe an ounce and a half combined. It’s really disheartening and I know any mama who’s trying to provide the best they can for their little one can get down pretty easy about it. Don’t loose hope! It sucks now but don’t let it be the thing that makes you give up either! I’m on my 3rd time and no doubt I’ll get it again but I’ll keep pushing forward! I can do this and I know you can too! If you don’t believe in yourself, turn believe in the me that believes in you!♥
Claudia says
I know your post it’s more than a year ago.. it I’m in my 4th mastitis and I am about to wean … Did you ended up getting more infections? Thank you
Winnie says
i’m a FTM and exclusively pumping and have found this website to be extremely helpful. I was recently diagnosed with mastitis with my left breast. and have been pumping extra long to empty out the infected side. i wanted to ask, how long do i need to do that for? until the antibiotics are completed?
i read that mastitis is more of a problem for breast feeding moms. I want to avoid this in the future. i’m thinking i got this because I haven’t been emptying it out. I pump for 15 minutes every 3 hours. I’m guessing i need to increase hte time per session. how do i know when the breast is empty?
Thanks!!
Amanda Glenn says
Hi Winnie! I would do that until you stop having pain in your breast. I don’t think you need to do that until the antibiotics are done.
I think if your breasts feel pretty soft at the end of the 15 minutes, you should be okay. Maybe try doing breast compressions while you pump and see if that helps?
Lynn Hawkins says
I have a one year old and I have read that it is uncommon to get mastitis when your baby is older; however, I have had mastitis twice in 3 weeks, opposite breast. The only thing I can figure is that I am not getting good letdown since he is older and that the additional hand pumping isn’t extracting all of the milk. I have tried everything I have found written about ways to get letdown and all those ‘warm fuzzy’ solutions are not working for me. Let down is triggered by oxytocin, do you know of any sources where oxytocin nasal spray can be obtained that is reliable?
Amanda Glenn says
Hi Lynn! I’m so sorry, I don’t. Have you tried vibration at all? Some people find that that helps. A warm compress before you start pumping might also help.
Lacie says
I’m currently weaning from breastfeeding all together. I have exclusively pumped since my son was born. I was just diagnosed with mastitis on 4/19/19 and prescribed meds to help clear it up. My question is, since I am weaning should I be emptying my infected breast completely until this infection is gone or just stick to what I was doing before I got mastitis and only hand expressing or pumping enough out until I am comfortable? I don’t want to make the mastitis worse by not completely emptying my breast but I don’t want my body to think it needs to keep making more milk either. HELP.
Amanda Glenn says
I would empty completely and get over mastitis before moving ahead with weaning. Sorry!
Kim says
Hi,
I got mastitis 3 days ago. The doctor put me on dicloxacillin and told me to pump every 3 hours. My regular pumping schedule 4 times a day (6am, 11:30am, 5pm, 9pm) and am an over producer (46 oz a day). Do I really need to pump every 3 hours? I have been on the affected boob but I got another clogged duct today. Is there anything I should do? Should I go back to the doctor?
Thanks!
Amanda Glenn says
So sorry you’re dealing with this! I do think that is good advice – you really want to keep it as empty as possible. If your symptoms aren’t getting better after 24 hours I would call them. Good luck!
Kim says
Thank you! One more question (sorry!): Once I’m all healed from mastitis, can I go back to my regular pumping schedule or do I need to ease back into it?
San says
I’m in the middle of weaning and also currently on antibiotics for mastitis The tenderness on my right breast has gone away. I pump 4x/day and am pumping to empty the breast currently to get rid of any infection. Should I continue pumping 4x/day and move to longer stretches between pumps or do I need to finish the antibiotics before I continue weaning? I don’t want to keep pumping to get my milk supply back up and start all over. I’ve had clogged ducts and mastitis throughout this entire pumping journey. I’d just like to wean and dry my milk supply up but it’s taking a lot longer than I thought it would. I take lecithin everyday and doing everything to try to dry my milk up: altoids, cabbage leaves, no flow tea. I just have not tried Sudafed.
Amanda Glenn says
Hi San! I think you should ask your doctor about the antibiotics, but my guess is that if you have completely recovered and are just finishing the course, it’s probably okay to start again? So I wouldn’t recommend weaning by moving the sessions further apart, I would try dropping one session at a time:
https://exclusivepumping.com/weaning-from-the-pump/
It sounds like you are doing all of the right things! Best of luck in weaning and so sorry you’re dealing with mastitis.
Ada says
On my first day back to work, I started pumping with my new spectra s2 pump (i use Medela symphony at home and nurse with baby). By the end of the day, i was getting chills and my breast was tender. My pump sessions all day (done on time) yielded normally what I can pump at home. There was also no lump I could feel. Is it possible that the new pump caused mastitis? (Flange seems correctly sized). I have both breasts infected with slight pink streaks. i’m thinking it was an infection and coincidentally happened on my first day with the new pump. Really don’t want to bring the symphony back and forth to work!
Amanda Glenn says
Hi Ada! I’m guessing it was a coincidence? I got mastitis a few times out of nowhere (without changing anything), so I don’t think it’s definitely linked to your using the S2. I would pump as much as you can to get rid of mastitis (using both pumps) and then see if it happens again. Good luck!!!!! I hope you feel better soon!
Megan says
Thanks! Feeling much better, but my supply tanked! As of yesterday, I’m down 10 ounces!!!
Amanda Glenn says
Ugh, so sorry to hear that! Hopefully it recovers soon!
Megan says
I’m on day 4 of mastitis and finally feeling better, but still pain in my breast. I typically only pump 4x/day for 30 min a piece which gives me an average of 32 oz. I’ve been pumping every 3 hours or so for 30-60 min with mastitis to try to keep empty and producing about 28 oz. I have to return to work in a few days, do you think I could return to pumping four times a day? I don’t want a reoccurrence or to hurt supply more, but I know I cannot pump as often at work. I was going 6 hrs between some pumps during the day and 8 at night.
Amanda Glenn says
Hi Megan! So sorry you’re dealing with this. I think that would be fine once the pain in your breast goes away. Do you have a manual pump at all? Not sure if you could get away to pump the affected side only for a few minutes more often while you get over this. Just an idea. I hope you’re 100% better soon!
Kaisa says
Thanks!!
Kaisa says
Hi there!
I got mastitis in my left breast and caught it quickly. I was put on antibiotics and have continued pumping. However after 2 days of having it my milk supply dropped. I typically pump about 30 ounces a day and yesterday I had to power pump practically all day to get 25. And today it’s dropped again. Do you think my supply will just diminish or will it come back?
Amanda Glenn says
Hi! Diminishing milk supply when you have mastitis is normal. Do you think you’re over it now? And how old is your baby?
Kaisa says
I have been on antibiotics for 4 days and I have been doing hot shower, dipping breast in hot water, warm diapers in bra, and massage. I don’t feel like I have the flu symptoms anymore. I can still feel a soft lump in the breast and it’s a little tender but know where near what it was when I first got it. My baby is also 3 months old. I have about 4-5 days of milk that I am ahead in but it just worries me.
Amanda Glenn says
OK great, I would keep doing what you’re doing! Obviously, anything can happen, but my guess would be that if you stick to your schedule, you will either level out where you are or slightly increase when the mastitis is completely gone. Good luck!
Laura says
Thank you for this! I have been exclusively pumping and no mastitis to date. I decided to cut pumping out completely and tried to go cold turkey — almost 24 hours without pumping (taking Sudafed and applying cold cabbage leaves frequently as per your blog post) and I have started to see a redness under my nipple this evening. I don’t have the flu symptoms or fever yet. I took a hot shower and pumped till my breasts were empty. Is it possible to avoid from the fever, etc. or is it inevitable?And is there anything else I can do?
Amanda Glenn says
Hi Laura! You definitely did the right thing. Hopefully it was just a clog and you got it out. How have things been going over the past few days?
Faride says
I got mastitis in my right side. Resolved it using warm compresses and castor oil packs at night. I’m much better now but my milk supply is extremely low. The right side was my good side and now is producing very little. I’ve been trying to pump more frequently but it doesn’t seem to pick up! It’s so frustrating! Does it ever get back to where it was? Any tips?? Thank you
Amanda Glenn says
So sorry you had to deal with this! I would keep pumping as much as you can, and try power pumping and oatmeal. How old is your baby?
Stacy says
Hi Amanda 🙂 I currently have mastitis in my right breast, which has always been my “sad boob,” usually pumping only 1oz each session. Since I started my antibiotics last night, the redness has spread almost complete around my areola now, and when I try pumping I get nothing out. Not even a drip. I have been letting that boob drip when I pump the other side and take hot showers, but do you think that would be enough to help fight off the infection? I’m worried that since I’m not draining it at all it’s not going to heal. And the pain is exceuciating. And still bad with my pain meds 🙁
Amanda Glenn says
Oh geez I’m so sorry you are dealing with this. I would definitely keep trying and would use warm compresses and massage to try to drain the breast. I really hope it gets better soon!
Kristin says
Is it ok to feed the baby the expressed milk from the affected breast?
Amanda Glenn says
Yes!
Hannah says
My son is almost a month old, and I’ve had mastitis non stop in different parts of my right breast for over a week! I’ve been on antibiotics, I’ve massaged, used hot and cold compresses but it just keeps coming back. I express every 2 hours for at least an hour at a time to make sure both breasts are fully empty. It’s the most painful and infuriating thing ever!
DJ says
I have symptoms of Mastitis but my OB said that since I don’t have redness or soreness, she is not sure. I currently have fever of 100.5 but it goes up to 102 in evenings. Debating if I should start antibiotics or just try to fight it out with Advil?
Amanda Glenn says
I would try fighting with advil, rest, and pumping as often as you can. Good luck!
Holly Wulf says
Hey Amanda, I have been exclusive pumping for almost 2 months now and have mastitis in my right breast. I pump seven times a day for 23 minutes each session. I don’t feel like I can realistically add another pumping session in as I am a stay at home mom and take care of my infant plus my 3 year old. How long should I be pumping each session to make sure I don’t get mastitis again? I am both blessed and cursed that my infant will sleep from 9 PM until 4 AM. By the time I wake up when she does my breasts are engorged. I pump at 4 AM 6:30 AM around 9 AM 11 AM 3 PM 6 PM and 9 PM.
Any advice would be much appreciated!
Amanda Glenn says
Hi! I don’t think I would adjust your schedule – I think that looks good. The three things I might try are: 1) taking lecithin, 2) starting to treat a clog at the very first sign of pain, and 3) sticking the schedule religiously and pumping until empty. I hope that helps! Good luck!
Karen says
Omg! Thank you so much!! I fear that if I don’t wean off my left breast it will turn into even more episodes of mastitis. I’m so glad to hear that someone else has been through this too!!!
Karen says
I’m so glad that I found this site. I am currently infected with my second episode of Mastitis. First time, my LO was 3 months old, and again today, he is almost 4 months old. I think that the first episode may not have completely healed. Both times were in my left breast.
I have read everything on the internet and almost everything talks about baby position, draining your breast while breast feeding, etc. But I have been pumping full time from the beginning (I knew I was going back to work very soon and would be pumping eventually anyways). So I have been doing everything they say to do, from the beginning: heat before pumping, massaging before, during, and after pumping, pumping on a schedule, not skipping pumping times, etc.
However, I still got mastitis twice. This time, I think I finally found a very very very large lump deep in the middle of my breast (my left breast is very large, dense even before getting pregnant). I’m trying to massage it out and it is very firm. I’m thinking this is abscess? I will give it a few more tries and if I don’t make any progress on it, I will go to the Dr and see if it needs to be drained.
Is it possible to wean off one breast and keep pumping from the other?
I’m just discouraged because I think that I have tried everything possible to fix it, and it’s not working. So I would at least like to keep my right breast milk production up.
Amanda Glenn says
Hi! Yes, it is! Check this out:
https://exclusivepumping.com/weaning-from-one-breast-when-you-are-exclusively-pumping/
Cassie says
I have been EPing my baby for 8+ months now. I would get painful clogged ducts almost daily, both sides. I now take sunflower lecithin 1200 mg 3-4 times a day (along with plenty of massage and making sure I empty completely) and I don’t get any clogged ducts anymore! I think anyone who gets clogged ducts should give lecithin a try! It’s been an absolute lifesaver.
Suzanne says
I had mastitis with my fourth exclusively pumped baby which turned into an abcess. I have never experienced more pain in my life. Abcess eventually opened into a massive hole and I had to give up pumping as the hole was just on the edge of my left aereol. Dr perscribed me two antibiotics to take at once and also for approx a week my GP would drain it.
It was a very scary and painful experience, bubs is now 7 months old and my left breasthas healed nicely and I’m now (accidently!) pregnant with my fifth child, I am extremely worried that I will get mastitis again, finger crossed I don’t!
Amanda rubright says
Ive had mastitis for 3 days going on 4. I have been prescribed antibiotics but my fever still stays at 99.8 and its gotten to 102.5. I’ve used a hot compress and that does work wonders but still can’t get rid of this.
I don’t have it in my right breast, just my left. I look like a botched porn star. I tried taking a picture of my soon to be 3 week old, and clear as day you can see a legitimate WEDGE in my breast. Sigh* can’t show off these lovely breast feeding boobies.
I have to say, not a lot of women exlclusively pump that I know. Finding this site made me happy and feel less alone. Not being able to nurse my son made me down for the first week.
I hope to see more posts from you. I will be liking your Facebook page!