This baby I have been struggling with mastisis and a host of other nipple problems including bleeding and cracking. Before Mavis I didn’t really understand people who would complain that the pain was so bad they couldn’t nurse until last December it happened to me. For 2 months now I have been trying a host of remedies including focusing on latch and getting a new bra that fit properly.

Finally I called Le Leche League and they suggested I consult a doctor to make sure there wasn’t something else going on. The word “cancer” kept popping into my head. So even though I felt it was more of a surface problem that could be solved as Le Leche League suggested by trying to stretch the time between the feedings to give the tissue time to heal I made an appointment.

It has been a long time since I went to the doctor and I do not have a relationship with any doctor currently so I was forced to try a new one. She seemed very nice and after the exam said I was really low risk for breast cancer and said she suspected mastisis and prescribed antibiotics and Ibuprofen.

However I had no tissue samples taken or anything to confirm infection except the suspicions of the doctor and I was uncomfortable taking antibiotics under these circumstances. Especially since following the advice of Le Leche League seemed to be helping.

I called my aunt Patty in southern Minnesota. She said her 2nd baby had been very hard on her and she had mastisis 3 times which she cured with charcoal poultices. First her husband used hot and cold compresses to begin the treatment. Then she made a compress like this,

Charcoal Poultice

2 Tbsps activated charcoal powder
2 Tbsps ground flax seed
water to make a runny paste.

Put the paste on a paper towel or rag and fold over (this really helps with the clean up). Place over the breast and wrap tightly in plastic. Tape if necessary.

Charcoal is great for absorbing impurities. For more on this look at Agatha Thrash’s book Charcoal available from Country Life. This is best done over night. When I went to bed with the poultice on I was itchy and pretty uncomfortable. It is still too early to tell the complete results but the itching is gone. Now we just need to heal the cracks.