stef&seanbabes,
oh dear. i totally understand what you went through. i was also still breastfeeding too when i had mastitis coz it was best solved with baby emptying the breast. and lots of hard, painful massaging to clear the blocked ducts. But my #2 then was a really sleepy baby and just slept mainly and didn't feed much. at one point, i was soooooooooooooo desperate i actually asked my hb to suck. to which he totally grossed out and refused to. Needless to say. so i had to see my gynae and was on medication for a while to clear the mastitis. i was so afraid it was going to lead to abcess...
But like you stef, I'm gonna persevere this time and breastfeed exclusively for at least the first six mths. just last evening, it was reported in the news that by breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months, we can save at least $700!! So all mummies, jia you!