Of all the concerns new moms-to-be have about breastfeeding, pain and complications are up at the top. Here is what you need to know about one of the biggest breastfeeding problems: mastitis. Don’t be afraid, because as long as you’re armed with knowledge, this will not end your breastfeeding journey. Here are the top mastitis FAQs that all breastfeeding moms should know.

For other new mom tips, don’t miss this post of newborn hacks for new moms and how to set yourself up for breastfeeding success!

This is a guest post written by Amy of the Postpartum Party.

Getting mastitis when you’re breastfeeding can be extremely painful and frustrating, especially for new moms who are still trying to get the hang of nursing.

But getting mastitis doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel on breastfeeding altogether. Many women are able to continue breastfeeding and have a positive and healthy breastfeeding journey even after getting mastitis. If your goal is to continue breastfeeding, then read through these tips for catching mastitis early and treating it so you can feel better fast!

What is Mastitis?

Mastitis typically happens when a blocked duct doesn’t clear. (source) It occurs almost exclusively in women who are breastfeeding and causes swelling and inflammation of the breasts. Mastitis often comes with an infection, but it doesn’t always mean you have an infection.

It’s most common to get mastitis within the first two to three months of nursing. After that time frame, most newborns have established regular eating patterns, which helps lower your chances of getting mastitis. 

What Are the First Signs of Mastitis?

If you have pain in your breasts and/or feel like you’re catching the flu, you could have an infection. Here are other signs to look for:

• Flu-like symptoms, including a fever, chills, and fatigue
• Tender or swollen breasts
• intense pain in the breasts either during breastfeeding or continuously
• Breasts that are warm to the touch
• Red patterns on the breasts
• Generally feeling unwell

Can I Breastfeed with Mastitis?

You can still breastfeed, even with mastitis. In fact, breastfeeding might help relieve some of the pain. Women with mastitis may feel like they just need to get the milk out, and pumping and breastfeeding might bring relief.

Breastmilk also has antibacterial properties that can help protect your baby from infection. You don’t need to worry about spreading the infection to your baby through breastfeeding. 

How Can I Treat Mastitis At Home?

If you think you might have mastitis, you should seek medical care immediately. You might need an antibiotic if it has turned into an infection.

You can manage the pain in the meantime with these tips:

• Pain Reliever: Pain relievers like Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen can help reduce your pain and lower your fever.
• Breastfeed: You can breastfeed in the meantime. As painful as it can be, breastfeeding can help you heal faster.
• Warm Compress/Warm Shower: Use a warm compress on the breast. You can also take a warm shower before breastfeeding to encourage letdown and help relieve engorgement.
• Reduce Pressure: Wear loose-fitting wire-free bras and tees. Keep pressure off your chest area in general.
• Rest: Try to rest as much as possible. Anytime your body doesn’t feel good or you have an infection, your body needs extra rest and TLC.
• Take Lecithin: Taking the recommended dose of Lecithin may help resolve and prevent clogged ducts.

Can Mastitis Go Away Without Antibiotics?

Not all cases of mastitis turn into an infection. Check with your doctor to see if you have an infection and need antibiotics.

What Can Happen if Mastitis Goes Untreated?

Not treating mastitis properly can make it worse and can be extremely painful. You do not want to leave mastitis untreated. Any infection that goes untreated could lead to worse complications.

What Increases Your Risk of Getting Mastitis?

There are some factors that may increase your risk of getting mastitis including:

• Not regularly emptying breast milk through nursing or pumping. Make sure to feed your baby on demand for the first several weeks until regular feeding patterns have been established.
• Cracked or irritated nipples. Find and use a good nipple cream along with other helpful breastfeeding supplies to prevent cracked nipples and make breastfeeding easier.
• Past bouts of mastitis. Unfortunately, if you’ve had mastitis in the past, it does make your chances higher for getting it again.

Listen to your body and if you feel feverish, have flu-like symptoms, have redness or tenderness in your breasts, or just feel off, get checked out. The longer you wait to treat mastitis, the worse it is, and it can definitely escalate quickly.

Breastfeeding is such a personal thing and mastitis can really complicate things. If you still want to breastfeed and feel discouraged from going through mastitis, just know that it is temporary. It’s possible to get your milk supply to go back up and still have a positive breastfeeding journey!

About the guest poster

Amy blogs at The Postpartum Party where she covers everything related to pregnancy, motherhood, and those first few years where your life totally changes for the better (although sometimes it feels like the worst). She lives in California and loves to write, travel, decorate, and binge watch her favorite TV shows.

I get tons of questions every month regarding the ins and outs of breastfeeding. To make it simpler for people to find the answers they’re looking for, I’ll be doing a series of Breastfeeding FAQs. First off: waking baby to breastfeed. If you have any questions you’d like me to answer as part of this series, just leave me a comment and I’ll add it to my list!

All too often, new breastfeeding moms are sent home from the hospital with these overly simple directions: “feed every 2-3 hours.”

If you’re like most new moms, that instruction gives you more questions than answers. Am I not supposed to feed if it’s been less than 2-3 hours? If the baby sleeps a long stretch, do I need to wake them up to eat every 2-3 hours? What if it is time to eat but the baby is too tired or not interested in feeding? At what point can they go longer than 2-3 hours?

I’m here to break down this question in great detail.

Birth to 2 weeks of age

Let’s start at the beginning. When your little one is first born, frequent feeding is both necessary and expected.

First of all, their stomachs are tiny so they can’t take much at each feeding. They must do small, frequent feedings to stay full.

Secondly, the newborn removing colostrum is what encourages your milk to come in. So those frustrating cluster feedings have a great purpose! Once your milk comes in around day 3-5, your baby will likely still want to breastfeeding often as they are working on their most rapid period of growth. You want to encourage these nursing sessions to help baby regain the weight they lost following birth and continue to grow and gain.

(For more on starting out on the right foot with breastfeeding, read 5 Tips For Breastfeeding Success.)

For those first couple weeks, those feedings are so crucial you don’t want to let your baby sleep through them. You want to feed on demand, but try to stay in the 2-3 hours between feeding range 24 hours per day. That means you feed when baby demands, but also offer the breast if it has been 3 hours since the last feeding.

The goal is to not go longer than 3 hours between feeding while you’re still establishing your supply.

One common problem? Newborns are SO sleepy! They make wake to eat but then can’t manage to stay away long enough to complete a feeding.

Sidenote: How to keep your newborn awake when they fall asleep at the breast

Night feedings are probably the least fun part of new mom life, so the last thing you want is a sleepy baby waking you over and over again because they can’t stay awake long enough to get a full feeding. Here is where the difference between foremilk and hindmilk matters!

Here are some simple tips to gentle encourage your newborn to stay awake for their feeding:

• change their diaper before the feeding instead of after
• keep baby undressed during the feeding
• stroke under the baby’s chin or start to pull your breast away to stimulate sucking
• rub baby’s skin with a cold wipe if necessary

So when can I stop waking baby to breastfeed?

Somewhere around 10 days to 14 days of age you should have a pediatrician appointment. At this time, the doctor will weigh your baby and the goal is that baby has returned to (or surpassed) their birth weight.

If he or she has regained their weight loss, has no medical concerns and is not a preemie, you are in the clear to let baby sleep longer stretches at night. Now you can truly feed on demand.

But it’s been longer than that and I’m still waking baby up. What do I do now?

Sometimes parents get in the trap of waking baby to feed for much longer than is necessary. Remember the goal is to have baby sleep progressively longer stretches in the night, resulting in better quality sleep for both of you.

If you continue to wake your baby to breastfeed, he will get used to frequent night feedings and will consume fewer calories in the daytime hours. You want to break this habit as soon as possible to get baby eating more during the day and sleeping longer stretches at night.

(Note: this does not mean eliminating night feedings. It is normal and appropriate for breastfeed babies to continue feeding during the night for up to six months and beyond.)

The first step is to stop setting any alarms you have that wake you up to breastfeed. The only noise that should wake you in the night to feed should be the sound of your baby crying (this is the definition of feeding on demand!)

For the first few nights, you might find that your baby wakes up right on the schedule you were previously waking him on. This just means the habit was a strong one. Give it some time and the feedings should begin to space out.

Normal baby sleep typically starts with the longest stretch and then resumes normal eating pattern. For example, baby might do one five hour stretch and then wake to feed every 2.5 hours, something like this:

• sleep 10pm-3am
• 3am feeding
• sleep until 5:30
• 5:30 feeding
• sleep until 8am
• feed and wake for the day

Won’t my breasts get engorged?

Sometimes breastfeeding mothers don’t want to space out night feedings for fear that they will wake up engorged and potentially develop clogged ducts or mastitis. They may want to continue pumping on the same schedule to avoid this possibility.

I would urge to avoid getting into this cycle. Remember that breast milk supply functions on supply and demand, so if you continue to pump, your body will continue to produce this amount. Getting into a cycle of oversupply will create more problems than it will fix.

If you must pump in the night, only pump enough to relieve engorgement and do not empty the breast. Gradually reduce pumping sessions until you are in sync with your baby’s longer sleep stretch.

Remember that it is completely normal to wake up with very full breasts in the morning. After the first feeding of the morning is a great time to pump if you want to build up a stash. This is a far better method than pumping throughout the night, which will also give you a stash but at the expense of your night sleep.

Still pregnant? Want to be as prepared as possible for breastfeeding?

The Ultimate Breastfeeding Class from Milkology covers it ALL. If you want to take a breastfeeding class but don’t have one near you or can’t work it into your schedule, this is perfect. The video format feels like you’re learning from a guru in person, but you can do it at home in your sweats whenever works for you.

The course is extremely thorough, and comes with some amazing bonuses like the Common Breastfeeding Issues Troubleshooting Guide, and Tips From Pumping Moms in the Trenches. It costs $19 and at the end you will be that breastfeeding expert that all your friends call when they have problems.

Do you have more questions about waking baby to breastfeed?

Always check with your doctor or lactation consultant if you have specific concerns. For general questions, feel free to leave me a comment!

Once you’ve made the decision to breastfeed your baby, it’s natural that you want to do all you can to set yourself up for success. But it’s not always easy preparing for breastfeeding when you’re still pregnant and aren’t completely clear on what it’s going to be like. Here are some things you can do to prepare for breastfeeding that will actually be helpful when the time comes.

Leave your nipples alone

Somehow, rumors got started that you need to toughen up your nipples before the baby arrives. (I’m wincing in pain imagining all these women abusing their nipples while pregnant and desperate.)

Ladies, leave the nipples alone. 

It’s true that when you start breastfeeding, your nipples will likely become blistered and cracked for the first few weeks, especially if your baby has a bad latch. This can be painful, and lanolin cream will be your best friend until you and your baby get the whole latch thing down.

But you can’t really do anything ahead of time to avoid this stage.

In fact, your breasts change on their own to prepare for breastfeeding. The areola grows bigger and darker to help the baby find it. And the bumps on the outer rim of your nipples, called Montgomery’s glands, are making oil to keep your nipples lubricated and free from bacteria.

If you have flat or inverted nipples, it is unlikely that anything you do is going to change their anatomy. Many women have found nursing using a nipple shield to be helpful in this case.

Arm yourself with knowledge

The absolute most effective way to ensure breastfeeding success is to learn as much as you can about breastfeeding ahead of time. This is not something you want to blindly stumble into.

I highly recommend taking a breastfeeding course. Sometimes the hospital you deliver at offers one. If not, Milkology has a very thorough online breastfeeding course that allows you to learn from home on your own time. I took the Ultimate Breastfeeding Class and found its coverage extensive, including: 

• The biggest mistake women make that can sabotage breastfeeding
• The most effective breastfeeding position to get a deep latch
• 2 simple ways to ensure your baby is getting enough milk
• A powerful strategy to make more milk whenever you need to
• 7 places to seek out and find your super support tribe
• BONUS: The breastfeeding troubleshooting guide- perfect for getting quick answers when things go awry!

Milkology has since added two more online courses including the Back to Work Pumping Class and an Exclusive Pumping course. I have heard nothing but amazing feedback about these two! You can take one on its own or as an add-on to the Ultimate Breastfeeding course.

Get the right supplies

It seems like every time I turn around there are new breastfeeding products out there. I’m not one for overspending, which is why I wrote this post about the breastfeeding essentials you actually need.

You don’t need to drop all kinds of money on breastfeeding products (isn’t breastfeeding supposed to be cheaper than formula?) but you will need a few basics like a pump, nursing bras, and boppy pillow.

Have a realistic plan

There is something to be said for setting expectations. When it comes to life with a newborn, especially if this is your first, you might need to lower the bar. Like way, way down.

Don’t plan on accomplishing anything during your maternity leave other than bonding with your baby and recovering from birth. Those two tasks are not small, they are enormous. Throw in breastfeeding, and it’s almost too much.

If you expect it to be difficult and it turns out smooth, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. But if you jump on the “breastfeeding is natural, therefore this will be easy” train… reality is going to hit you hard.

Remember that maternity leave is not a vacation or a sabbatical. You won’t be doing pleasure reading in your free time. You’ll be tired and dirty and wishing for a shower and 3 uninterrupted hours of sleep. Now you can’t say nobody warned you!

Having a survival plan can help a lot. Is Grandma begging you for some baby time once the little one arrives? Schedule her for 2-4pm on Wednesdays and make sure you get a midweek nap and shower.

One plan I often hear is “I’m going to pump a bottle so my partner can do night feedings.” This is one plan that doesn’t often work out. For one, finding a time to pump when your newborn is attached to you 24/7 is a challenge. Another obstacle is getting the baby to accept a bottle. Lastly, your supply might require you to do all the night feedings. It’s a well-intentioned plan to have someone help with night feedings, but may not be realistic once the little one is actually here.

Take everything else off your plate

I know what you’re saying. “What? How?”

You are the mom, the entire household revolves around you and your infinite wisdom of how to run a household.

But if you are determined to breastfeed, it will help SO MUCH if you make that your number one priority in the weeks following birth. And that will require you to let a lot of other responsibilities go.

Newborns have tiny bellies and need to eat very frequently, sometimes every hour. They also aren’t super efficient at breastfeeding, so nursing sessions can last 20-30 minutes. If that sounds like that doesn’t leave you a lot of spare time, you’re right!

For the first couple weeks, delegate as much as possible. Get help with the cleaning. Set up a sitter for your older children if you have them. Remind your spouse how a washing machine works.

Prepare dinners ahead of time by making freezer meals during your pregnancy. Here are 21 freezer meal recipes to get you started!

Secure your support system

I spend a lot of time in breastfeeding mom groups, and one of things women say is the hardest thing about breastfeeding isn’t cracked nipples or night feedings.

It is the lack of support.

Emotionally, it is devastating when you are giving it your all and you hear comments like “why is he so small? I don’t think he’s getting enough from you” or “can’t you do that somewhere else?”

Having the support of family and friends can make the difference between quitting breastfeeding and reaching your goals. Talk to family members beforehand and let them know you need their support. Distance yourself from people you know will be toxic to your breastfeeding relationship (at least temporarily). Connect with people who are also breastfeeding or who you know are supportive of it. You don’t want to do this alone!

Join a group

Even if you have family and friends supporting you (but especially if you don’t), it’s a good idea to join a breastfeeding group.

Not only will these connections give you emotional support, they can also be a wealth of knowledge for when you have questions and concerns along the way.

Local groups in person are fantastic if you have one near you (check with your healthcare provider or lactation consultant). There are also tons of online groups too. I like the Milky Mamas Breastfeeding Support Facebook group because it’s large and active so you will get a quick response to anything you post. There are a lot of knowledgeable moms on there who can answer absolutely anything. 

You can even join it during pregnancy just to read and learn from others’ questions. That would be a great way to prepare for breastfeeding.

Surrounding yourself with other nursing mothers (even if virtually) helps normalize what you’re going through and makes you feel less alone.  

What are YOU doing to get prepared for breastfeeding?

Have you taken any of these steps? Or do you have a different plan? Let me know in the comments!

One common problem for breastfeeding moms is that they are constantly hungry, but don’t have the time and energy to prepare healthy food. It is so easy to reach for the junk food when your hands are full and your stomach is empty! I reached out to lactation consultant Andrea Tran to help us find some ideas for easy, healthy snacks for breastfeeding Moms.

Make your snacks count!

Snacking is essential for the breastfeeding mama. 500 calories. That’s how many calories a breastfeeding mom is advised to eat in addition to her pre-pregnancy dietary needs.

Yay! Grab me a bag of Oreos! Or at least 9-10 Oreos. They’ll have the calories, but good nutritional value? Not so much. You want to make those calories count.

New moms are busy. They are crazy busy. The truth is that eating healthy is not difficult. You just need to know what are good choices. Then it becomes easy.

It doesn’t feel easy when we are standing in the grocery aisle staring at sugar-laden granola and protein bars. The snack chip aisle is even worse. Just because something is shaped like a vegetable doesn’t mean it really is that vegetable. And who needs all that salt and fat?

Challenges of healthy snacking:

• Get 500 extra calories
• The calories should have good nutritional value.
• The food needs to be quick and easy to prepare.
• They need to taste good! Let’s face it, something that tastes like sawdust is not going to be eaten more than once.
• The snacks should be portable, so if you are running errands you can throw them in your purse or an insulated lunch bag.
• Bonus points if they are lactogogues (good for your milk supply). 

The good news is that there are lots of things to choose from. Here is a list of 10 things that you can snack on throughout the day, that work for the times when you are on the go. They will also give you energy and calories to keep making lots of milk!

10 Healthy Snacks For Breastfeeding Moms

CHEESE

String cheese is easy to eat and easy to carry around. You can eat it while you drive or push a stroller. They come in a variety of flavors.

YOGURT

Greek yogurt that is mixed with frozen cherries that have thawed. Pick full fat yogurt for a good calorie count. The thawed cherries will have a delicious juice that gives the yogurt a nice flavor without added sugar. To save on time thawing the cherries you can pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds. Let’s be real, when mama wants to eat, she wants to eat now!

TRAIL MIX

Nuts and/or dried fruit. Pick your favorites. If you are organized you can make individual bags of a mix. If you’re not organized you can just eat from the bag.

EGGS

Hard boiled eggs. You can make a dozen all at once and keep them in the refrigerator. If a dozen seems like too many, do half a dozen. Hard boiled eggs are super simple and quick in an Instant Pot.

JERKY

Organic turkey jerky provides you with protein and that is an instant energy booster. Gotta love a snack that requires no prep.

OATMEAL

If you have time, oatmeal muffins. Oatmeal is good for your milk supply. Go easy on the sugar. Adding dried cranberries will help make them sweeter. You can also add fresh blueberries. Make a double batch and freeze some. That will allow you to grab one or two as you are ready to walk out the door and they will be thawed by the time you are ready to eat them.

BERRIES

Is there any fruit yummier or healthier than blueberries?

Speaking of blueberries, make a big batch of blueberry pancakes for breakfast and eat the extras for snacks. You can use protein pancake mix. I have an easy protein pancake recipe mix that uses protein powder instead of pancake mix.

• • ½ mashed banana
  • 1 egg
  • 1 T almond milk
  • ½ cup blueberries
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1 scoop protein powder
  • Or, in place of the blueberries you can use chocolate protein powder for a yummy, healthy, chocolatey snack.

FRUIT

Fruit is the perfect grab and go snack. If you are not on the go you can dip apple slices into nut butter for some extra nutritional value. It tastes good too.

NUT BUTTER

Nut butter is a great snack. You can just get a scoop with a big ole tablespoon or you can buy individual serving packets to throw into your purse. 

YOUR FAVORITE LACTATION RECIPES

Energy bites can easy to throw together and will provide you with snacks for a few days. Pinterest has hundreds of recipes. Look for something that has oatmeal, brewers yeast and flaxseed for milk production boosting properties. Some recipes have chocolate chips, which of course can add sugar. Choose dark chocolate chips for their antioxidant properties.

Got breastfeeding questions? The Ultimate Breastfeeding Class by Milkology has answers. This course is extremely thorough, and comes with some amazing bonuses like the Common Breastfeeding Issues Troubleshooting Guide, and Tips From Pumping Moms in the Trenches. For $19, you will become that breastfeeding expert that all your friends call when they have problems.

When you are growing another human being you want to make sure you are using good ingredients. That is what your diet is. That doesn’t mean those ingredients shouldn’t taste good. These snack ideas give you a lot of variety, nutrition and taste. That is the perfect breastfeeding diet trifecta!

What are your favorite healthy snacks for breastfeeding moms?

I would love to hear from you in the comments!

About the guest poster

Andrea Tran has been a lactation consultant (IBCLC) for 25 years.  You can find her on Breastfeeding Confidential, where she provides education and support to breastfeeding moms that is inclusive, accepting and non-judgemental.

Have you heard about Instagram-worthy Starbucks sensation, the Pink Drink? Breastfeeding moms swear it boosts milk supply. Let’s see if it really does, and I’ll show you how to make it yourself at home!

If you’re reading this in preparation for breastfeeding, make sure you prepare yourself well without breaking the bank. This post guides you through the essentials you’ll need: Everything I needed to breastfeed my baby for a year.

And if you’re finding that breastfeeding makes you HANGRY, I have some suggestions for easy, healthy snacks for breastfeeding moms!

How to order

You won’t see the Pink Drink on the menu at your local Starbucks, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get it. It’s a very well-known drink from Starbucks Secret Menu. Not all baristas are familiar with every item on the secret menu, but it’s highly likely they will know this one.

Just in case, you can order it by it’s official name (recipe?) which is the Strawberry Acai Refresher made with coconut milk instead of water. That’s a bit of a mouthful, which is probably why people just call it the Pink Drink.

What does it taste like?

Some people describe it as a strawberry milkshake, but it is definitely a thinner consistency like milk or juice, not thick like a shake. It’s also slightly less sweet than a milkshake and more tangy. When I first tasted it I thought there might be pomegranate or passion fruit in there, but I was actually tasting the acai flavor.

Does it boost milk supply?

First of all, if you’re at all dehydrated, your milk supply will suffer. So drinking ANY liquids, including a large delicious one like the Pink Drink, will help your supply if that’s the case.

But specifically to this drink- it’s the coconut milk that gives breastmilk supply a boost.

Coconut is said to be lactogenic, meaning it helps with milk production. It contains healthy fats necessary for breastmilk and as well as lauric acid and capric acid. These antimicrobial fatty acids are what give breastmilk its virus-fighting power.

So what do the actual nursing moms say? Two women from my breastfeeding support group weighed in.

Karla says, “I’m OBSESSED with the pink drink!!! It upped my supply same day!”

Misty, mom of a 5 week old, says, “I pumped each side only 5 minutes and got 3 ounces after drinking one.”

The evidence might be anecdotal, but if you’re struggling with supply it’s worth a try and certainly won’t do any harm.

(Check out this post for more about milk supply and how to tell if baby is getting enough!)

How to make the Pink Drink at home

Two simple ingredients will get you a drink that is very similar to the Pink Drink: coconut milk (any brand, I used Silk) and Ocean Spray Cran-Strawberry.

Comparing the two in a taste test, they do taste very similar. The homemade version was slightly less tangy, most likely because there is no acai flavor. I was also able to taste the coconut more in the homemade version, so if you don’t like the taste of coconut you might not love it.

You can see in the picture that I used unsweetened coconut milk. I think in the future I’d try making it with regular sweetened or even vanilla coconut milk. But the unsweetened still tasted good and I’m sure had less sugar and fewer calories than the Starbucks original. So if you’re concerned about losing the baby weight, the homemade version is a better option.

Not only does this drink taste very similar, it will also save you money. I happen to love numbers, so let’s figure out exactly how much more affordable it is.

The grande Pink Drink I ordered cost me $4.75.  According to Google, a Starbucks Grande holds 16 ounces. That comes out to about 30 cents per ounce.

The two 64 ounce bottles of coconut milk and cran-strawberry juice mixed together will get you 128 ounces of the (homemade) pink drink. Together they cost me $6.35 at the grocery store. 128 ounces divided by $6.35 comes out to only 5 cents per ounce! 

So the Starbucks version is costing you six times more.

What are your thoughts on the Pink Drink?

Have you noticed a benefit if you’re a breastfeeding mom? Or is it all just baseless hype? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!