On Sunday November 25th I woke up with lots of pain in my right boob. I assumed it was clogged with milk and I needed to get it out. I pumped the milk out before we headed back home from Jersey. But… after pumping it out, the pain didn’t go away. I felt sick. I had a headache, I felt chills, and had fever-like symptoms. I didn’t want to take any pain medication because I just don’t like taking pills or anything that’s not required.
Anywho, I got home, and my husband realized my boob was red. At this point, it felt like it was going to fall off. Lol! I noticed this lump in my boob and of course, I got on Google. Lol! I was Googling information about doing a Mammogram while breastfeeding. As always, Google had so many different answers. I texted my best friend and told her about my symptoms. (She’s literally my personal doctor lol) She mentioned that my boob is probably just clogged but it could be something called Mastitis. She told me I should go to urgent care or the doctor the next day for sure. Ugh. I hate going to the doctors but the pain and redness on my boob had me really nervous.
The next morning, I called the doctors in hopes of getting an appointment the same day so that I didn’t have to go to the emergency room. Luckily, I was able to get one in a few hours. After getting my vitals done, as soon as the doctor walked in, she felt my boob and immediately told me she’s going to look into Mastitis. WOW. My best friend called it. Lol! So, let’s get into what Mastitis actually is!
Mastitis is an infection in your breast tissue. Basically, you’re not emptying all the milk from your boob and it becomes inflamed which results in the infection. (Of course, when I heard “infection” I started freaking out because I thought I would not be able to breastfeed anymore) My doctor also stated that only 10% of breastfeeding mothers get Mastitis. It’s said that most breastfeeding mothers experience it during the first 6 to 12 weeks after having a baby however, it can come later.
The great thing is YOU CAN CONTINUE TO BREASTFEED! It’s honestly a bit painful and it’s said that a lot of moms stop because of Mastitis but you don’t HAVE to! Continuing to breastfeed can resolve Mastitis because your baby is allowing the milk to continue to flow and emptying your boob at the same time. Antibiotics is required! My doctor prescribed me antibiotics and I was told to eat Hersey and popcorn with the medication to calm my stomach and avoid diarrhea. (Hersey’s AND popcorn? Sounds good to me! Lol!)
As a new mom, I figured it would be helpful to share my experience and symptoms in case it could help someone else. I honestly never heard of Mastitis until then and I was freaking out because what are our first thoughts when we hear “there’s a lump in my breast”? For me, it’s Breast Cancer. Especially because of my family history. For once, going to the doctors was a relief. Lol!
Symptoms of Mastitis could be some of the following:
- Redness/sore boobs
- Fever-like symptoms (chills, fever, weak)
- Lump in your breast
What should you do if this happens?
- GO TO THE DOCTORS (obvs) – to get prescribed antibiotics that are required
- Continue breastfeeding and/or emptying your breast (pumping the milk out)
- Put a warm compress on your boob
Sidebar: I’ve also read that using cabbage leaves on your boobs naturally relieves inflammation. Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor and did not try this myself so I am not sure this would work. Additionally, there can be other symptoms and resolutions to look into.
Below are some ways I read about to prevent Mastitis:
- Making sure baby’s latch is done properly
- Wearing loose/comfortable clothing
- Washing your hands before touching your breast
Are you a breastfeeding mother? Do you know anyone that’s breastfeeding? Share this post to help prevent Mastitis and to allow mothers to continue their breastfeeding experience! As always, like, share, comment below!