Breastfeeding and taking Lecithin from the very start?

[Katiegirl]

Hi all. I breastfed my first baby Anna until she self-weaned a week after her first birthday. The first 10 weeks were very difficult, I had severely cracked nipples, breast refusal, thrush and mastitis 3 times. Thankfully everything improved after 10 weeks and we had a lovely breastfeeding relationship until Anna chose to wean herself.

I am pregnant again and would really like to avoid the mastitis this time around (if possible) - last time I took Lecithin after my 2nd or 3rd (can't remember) bout of mastitis and I am wondering if it is ok to take this supplement from the moment the baby is born?

All my issues were in the left breast only and after the 3rd bout of mastitis I started to drop feeds from the left side with the idea to wean completely off it and only feed on the right - but thankfully I only got to dropping 2 feeds from that side and things started to improve. I will watch the left side again and do similar things if I have problems - but would love to know about what people think of starting Lecithin straight away.

Thanks!

[Barb Glare]

Hi,

You did a fabulous job breastfeeding Anna so well for so long.
It can't hurt to take Lecithen supplements from the start.
However, it's unlikely that you are "prone' to mastitis, and I wouldn't expect it to be an ongoing issue. It was more likely linked to early breastfeeding management. Most women have relatively too much milk in the early days. And often complications of birth (sleepiness, jaundice) mean babies may not feed well, leaving mum's nipples cracked and damaged and open to infection.
Whenever your breasts feel uncomfortably full, feed your baby or express some milk until they are comfortable. This will prevent painful engorgement and make it easier for your baby to latch on.
If you haven't done an ABA breastfeeding class yet - it may be well worth your while. The more you understand about breastfeeding the better it goes.
From personal experience, I suffered repeatd mastitis with my first child. (In hindsight, I went back to work very early and my breasts were often painfully engorged) With my other children I rarely suffered it at all