# Fever when milk comes in?



## closedaccount15 (Dec 25, 2007)

I apologize for the length of the post.

I had a c-section on the 4th. I want to preface by saying I went to L&D last Tuesday and saw the midwife today and they have looked for signs of infection, mastisis, UTI, did an EKG, took blood tests, etc, and found no signs of bacterial infection. I am just trying to figure this out because I am curious and it's annoying!

So I came home on Friday after the c-section, Sat, I got chills really bad and had aches and pains like the flu, called the OB on call and she asked if I was nursing and having let down pains. I was, and she explained that it was hormonal from my milk coming in and to call if fever is above 100.4 a few times or 101 call right away. I can't remember if I got a fever on Sun or Mon, but I spoke to my doula on Tuesday who suggested I go to L&D just to rule out anything bad because I had a low fever on Tues of 99. It went away and came back while I was in L&D and then went away on it's own and they were even kind of stumped. So that is when they said everything was fine and probably viral. One nurse said she wondered if it had to do with nursing.

So I have been waiting it out, fever/aches/chills has come and gone once a day every day since last Tuesday at no specific time, although mostly in the evening. I didn't get it this past Monday but got it again today, fever went to about 100.7, and then after an hour and drinking gatorade it went back down. Dh thinks I am dehyradted so I have been drinking water and gatorade, and that does help for a bit. But it seems odd it would go away and come back for being viral or anything very serious. I don't even think it's serious, just very annoying and frustrating when it hits and it is tiring me out and kind of leaves me a little helpless for an hour or so.

I also think I might have oversupply issues, which I had with my first, so I thought there was a connection. Any thoughts?


----------



## KempsMama (Dec 1, 2008)

The only reason nursing would be associated with a fever is if you have mastitis, which would include a red line down your breast, redness and tenderness. If you don't have any of those symptoms, I would think you could rule out mastitis.

I would go to the doctor though. Even a low grade fever post C-section could signal an infection.


----------



## ChelseaWantsOut (Oct 2, 2008)

This happened to me, too, and I didn't have a cesarean. My midwife called it milk fever and had me eat lots of garlic and take goldenseal.


----------



## closedaccount15 (Dec 25, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KempsMama*
> 
> The only reason nursing would be associated with a fever is if you have mastitis, which would include a red line down your breast, redness and tenderness. If you don't have any of those symptoms, I would think you could rule out mastitis.
> 
> I would go to the doctor though. Even a low grade fever post C-section could signal an infection.


I have been to the doctor - twice per mentioned above, L&D and the midwife within 7 days - they have ruled out bacterial infection of any kind, they ran blood tests for white blood cell count, EKG, UTI testing, looked for mastitis, did internal exam of uterus and external exam of stitches, and found nothing. So that is the reason for my post. No one can explain this fever and they don't believe it's an infection. So maybe I just have the flu or something? I thought the flu would go away within 7 days though. My only guess is the one person who visited me was my mom the day before i started getting sick and she went a party before coming to see me, and I got sick because my immune system is down?


----------



## closedaccount15 (Dec 25, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ChelseaWantsOut*
> 
> This happened to me, too, and I didn't have a cesarean. My midwife called it milk fever and had me eat lots of garlic and take goldenseal.


Interesting - I'll look that up, at least I have a name to see if that is what it is.


----------



## Oliver'sMom (Jul 17, 2007)

I also had what my midwife called "milk fever" when my milk came in with my first. It was exactly how you described for the first two weeks after my milk came in. Even after months of nursing whenever I would let down I'd get a huge hot flash then feel like I was dying of thirst. Hormones are some crazy powerful things and seem to quite often be misunderstood.

Luckily none of this has happened the second time around.

Hope you feel better soon!!


----------



## ChelseaWantsOut (Oct 2, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver'sMom*
> 
> Even after months of nursing whenever I would let down I'd get a huge hot flash then feel like I was dying of thirst.


Yup, me too! It's like waves of heat in my hands and face especially.


----------



## Oliver'sMom (Jul 17, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ChelseaWantsOut*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> ...


Bizarre! It was exactly the same for me! I also had painful let down. I'd feel a sharp burning pain starting under my arms, then it would flow through my breasts to my nipples...so not fun.


----------



## carepear (Nov 16, 2010)

Interesting. I had chills alternated with hot flashes but thought it was normal postpartum hormone changes.


----------

