Any advice to prevent mastitis while weaning

MickeyM04

I've started the process of weaning DD.  She's been on some formula since 4 months and right now she is about 50/50 formula and BM.  This is the first week I will not be pumping at work, and I have enough freezer stash to keep her on 50/50 formula and BM for probably about another month or so.

When I weaned DS, I got horrible mastitis.  My body does not seem to respond well to weaning.  When I drop a pump or a nursing session, by the next session, I'm just EXTREMELY engorged, and it usually takes my body a week or so to adjust, but then I just seem to make up for it by making a crap load of milk at the next feeding.  For example, when I dropped my middle of the day work pump, I went from getting 14 oz at 3 pumps, to getting 14 oz at 2 pumps. Then I dropped to 1 pump and I was still getting 8-10 oz.  (Clearly I have an oversupply.)  Now, even though I was typically pumping/nursing 6 times a day and I have taken three months to drop to 2 times a day (i.e. I'm not rushing the process), I am still having horrible engorgement, clogs, etc.   

With DS, I weaned over the course of 6 weeks and I still ended up with a horrible case of mastitis.  This was reducing pumps/feedings 1 at a time over the course of 1 per week.  This time I am going even slower and I am already starting to experience similar problems.  Is there a way to prevent mastitis?  I always thought you were supposed to reduce 1 pump/nursing session at a time but this just does not seem to work well for me.  

mythreeboysandadog

I am mastistis prone as well.  My suggestion would be to take weaning even slower.  Instead of dropping a session completely, reduce the time in 1/2 for a week before dropping it.  That way your body goes from, say, making 5 oz. a feeding, to 2.5, and then nothing.