Newborn life comes with a whole plethora of newness. Not only are you keeping a little human alive, you are also trying to survive as a new mom too. Gone are the long showers, scrambled eggs with avocado toast as soon as you wake up, and sleeping through the night. They aren’t gone forever but they are on pause for now. Baby needs us!
Baby needs to eat too. Unfortunately for me, I did not prepare for the journey of breastfeeding – I focused my energy on the present moment, involving my time with pregnancy workouts, fuelling my body with all the good things for the development of baby, and enjoying my final days of life without children. Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing, however I do regret not focusing more on my “Fourth Trimester” preparation (hence why I highly recommend the book Fourth Trimester available on eBook). When I was in the late stages of pregnancy, I was too tired to read and also unfocused, and so, I really didn’t know a thing about breastfeeding until I was in the OR and they pushed Riley onto my chest. Thank god for my doula and the nurses! They truly were a godsend in showing/guiding me on what to do, as well as my mother intuition suddenly appearing when Riley was born.
All that said, if there was one piece of advice I would give to a newly pregnant first-time mama, it would be to take some time to research and learn about nursing your child to health and wellbeing. Prepare yourself mentally and physically for what’s to come – after all, breastfeeding is equal in hours to a full-time job!
Fast forward to week 3 of my motherhood and I woke up feeling groggy, achy, and endured a massive headache that I couldn’t escape. My breasts also felt extremely hot…and I mean HOT. That same day, I awoke from a nap with a fever and instantly knew what this all could mean…I had heard the term “mastitis” in the hospital, on an influencers Instagram story, and from my doula, but I never fully paid attention because why would I get something like that right?
Mastitis as defined by the Mayo Clinic is “an inflammation of breast tissue that sometimes involves an infection.”
And infection did I have. Long story short, I took the antibiotics prescribed for mastitis for 7 days and was able to relieve myself of the pain that is clogged ducts, mastitis, and nipple pain (the latter still remaining and I’m still working on my latch daily). The mom guilt for taking antibiotics while breastfeeding was MAJOR. I struggled everyday with the shame of letting my baby down by having a strong drug run through my breastmilk and into her new tiny human system. I thought about her gut flora, her microbiome, her future – but after reaching out to some mama friends, I realized how common it was to have mastitis and that ultimately I needed to heal to provide Riley with the best fed future. I also took time to read the research on the antibiotics and trust the acuteness of the medication prescribed by a medical professional. The antibiotics were essential for me to heal (and safe for babe), and so I did. It cleared up within the 7 days and Riley continues to breastfeed happily to this day (we are now in week 5, almost 6!).
Mentally, it was one of the toughest weeks thus far, given that I was also handling the hormonal drop, emotions of becoming a mother, and recovering from my cesarean.
What’s important to know is that mastitis is common so if you end up with the infection, know you are not alone and the resources are out there. Lean on your healthcare team and your mom community. Don’t be ashamed!
Preventative medicine – in this case preventative strategies are essential in keeping clogged ducts and mastitis at bay. This is something I didn’t realize and so here are my learnings in hopes that a new mama reading this will have some helpful tips to help guide her down a positive breastfeeding journey.
My Tips to Avoid or Endure Mastitis:
- Be sure to have baby nurse on each breast, and empty it, at each feeding
- Continue to breastfeed, even if mastitis is diagnosed, my doctor said it was essential to have her clear out the infection. The plus is that our bodies have this innate ability to produce the antibodies and adapt to the infection in order to produce the right things in the breast milk for baby to not be affected by the infection. Our bodies are magic!
- If baby only takes to one side during a feeding, try self-expressing (or even pump) the other side
- Always offer both breasts at every feeding
- When they say to nurse at every 2-3 hour interval in the newborn stage, they mean it. Not only for your supply, but also for baby’s weight and your breast engorgement. Follow doctors orders as you have your checkups for baby.
- Self-express! Whenever you need! It really helps eliminate engorgement and can help you stay more comfortable.
- Massage from the get-go. Massage as soon as you start getting your colostrum and begin the breastfeeding journey.
- Take the hot, hot, showers, and rub those boobs!
- Hot water soaked disposable breast pads work as hot compresses and are great to stimulate the flow before a feeding. Aim for 5 minutes before each feed.
- The cabbage leaf trick actually works! Place the cabbage in the fridge and after a feeding it can feel really nice to place cold cabbage leaves on your breasts (avoid the nipple – click here to learn more)
- Drink a ton of water, flush the system
- Super important: Get all the help you can on a proper latch. How your baby latches on to your boob will determine how your BF future. Hire a lactation consultant, doula, or whoever you can if you feel you need extra support. Lots of great online resources if you head to YouTube or Kellymom.
- Trust yourself and your intuition. If you feel a clogged duct, seek help. I learnt a little too late that you can have your partner suck out the clog…as gross as that may sound, it’s a popular way to avoid mastitis!
- Have your mama friends on standby and don’t be shy in asking them about anything weird that comes up for you. Chances are they have all the wisdom you need.
- Wear relaxed fitted nursing bras that are made of cotton for breathe-ability. I linked my favorites below.
- Nipple cream! I personally use Earth Mama linked below, which is safe for baby and soothing
- Use disposable nipple pads…I bought the re-useable, washable ones from Etsy however they can be less sanitary that one-time use pads. Not ideal for the environment but using them could avoid an infection that goes through your nipple.
I hope my mastitis story has been helpful and I’m wishing you only the best on your baby-led breastfeeding journey! When in doubt don’t forget: Fed is best 💕
Please note that I am in no means a doctor or lactation expert, and to always consult your healthcare team.
