Before I had my 3rd baby, I was looking all over the internet for information on breastfeeding after an abscess. I didn't find anything at all. I even asked the doctor and she didn't have any cases of mothers choosing to breastfeed after an abscess, so she didn't have any information for me. I felt very alone and I wasn't sure what to do.
I wound up going ahead and trying it, figuring that if I got multiple clots, I'd quite before it could progress to the point it had. I spoke with my doctor and we had a plan in place to start antibiotics at the first sign of a clot that wouldn't disappear since I had no symptoms of mastitis the last time around.
I'm happy to report that we're now 4.5 months into it and I haven't had a single clot yet. In the beginning when I was overproducing, I simply used the pump (a Madela) to empty both breasts completely to prevent any clots. Around 3 months I was able to stop doing that, by slowly decreasing the pumping to once every other day, then every 3 days, etc.
I think it helps that my son has a strong suck, so nothing gets left behind. We co-sleep and he nurses throughout the night, so in the morning I'm never engorged. I think that's the key - frequent nursing with a strong suction and not letting them get engorged. At 4.5 months, my supply has leveled out and I'm not overproducing any more.
So, if you've suffered an abscess, there's light at the end of the tunnel. You can breastfeed another baby without any problems. :-)
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