The Best and Worst of Breastfeeding: Overcoming Mastitis

My baby was four weeks old when I began to notice a stinging sensation in my left breast each time he would latch on. I thought that this was normal, since I had only started feeling comfortable breastfeeding my son, Vito, when he was about two weeks old. In fact, my cracked nipples had only just started to heal at this point.

I thought I had gotten breastfeeding down pat. After all, I had been expressing milk with a mechanical pump and breastfeeding every one to two hours. Everything seemed to be fine until one day, I noticed that my left breast was significantly larger—and notably more engorged—than the other. It felt tender to the touch, hot, and I felt acute pain each time Vito latched on. What was worse, I began to experience cold sweat and waves of nausea.

And then I knew the worst had come: I had developed mastitis.

Askdrsears.com defines mastitis as an inflammation of the breast due to clogged ducts and restricted milk flow. Normally, mastitis occurs when the baby has not mastered the correct latch, which was the case in my situation.


Nursing in tears
“I can’t…I can’t,” I wailed one Monday morning, at the height of the infection. Vito was trying to nurse, but I was in too much pain to let him latch on. I was told by my ob-gyn that the most natural solution and relief for mastitis was to rest and let Vito nurse as often as he could on the engorged breast. However, I seemed to lack the willpower to do so.

My mother, bless her soul, came to tend to me and Vito, showing me and my husband how to apply warm and cold compresses to the swollen breast, and how to stimulate let-down with a gentle massage. She coached me gently each time I needed to feed Vito, stroking my head with each tear that fell from my eyes as the baby nursed.

Click here to read more about Martine De Luna's experience breastfeeding with mastitis.

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Read on to learn more about Martine De Luna's experience breastfeeding with mastitis.

My ob-gyn, who was a family friend, diligently monitored me though she was remote. Her constant guidance and advice put my mind at ease, helping to relieve the pain a little bit. “It will all be over in a few days,” she assured me, giving me tips on how to nurse Vito in various positions to assure that the clogged ducts cleared up completely.


Unconditional treatment and love
My support system—my husband and my mom—were my cheering squad throughout this ordeal with mastitis. My husband proved himself true to our vows, to stick with me “in sickness and in health.” My mom—who had undergone a similar experience herself when I was a newborn—was my advocate, offering wisdom, kind words, gentle touches.

I succumbed to tears each time Vito nursed, but my husband or my mom would hold my hand, providing moral support and prayers. Nursing in pain was rather a two-edged sword: My son was being nourished, being sustained though I was steeped in discomfort, yes, even suffering.

It was one of the most difficult yet defining moments in my life.


Recovery and prevention
As I continued to nurse Vito as instructed, I noticed the pain decrease each day. It wasn’t until around five or six days that I really was able to nurse comfortably again. As I learned to help Vito latch on properly, my breasts began to empty more effectively, thus regulating the milk flow and let-down. By the time a week and a day had passed, I declared myself free from pain—and forever changed.

The mastitis never recurred. Today, it’s just a distant memory. However, the experience permanently altered my view of breastfeeding, and more significantly, of motherhood as a whole. I believe we as moms are truly given a supernatural type of strength to hurdle such challenges as mastitis so that we can truly imbibe the calling to be selfless nurturers to our children. Now more than ever, I know I can do anything for my child. I survived mastitis, therefore, I can survive motherhood.

Photo from sxc.hu