How To Get Back To Breastfeeding Without The Pain

Soreness in your breast during nursing? You might have mastitis. Here's how to get back to breastfeeding without the pain.

Most mothers out there will develop a love/hate relationship with breastfeeding. On one hand, it can be considered one of the most natural and precious of bonding experiences between mother and baby; an almost sacred act of love. To quote David Suzuki, “A baby nursing at a mother's breast is an undeniable affirmation of our rootedness in nature.” On the other hand, while there's so much to love about nourishing and feeding your baby, it also comes with its fair share of hardships too. The many struggles that arise with breastfeeding – not to mention society’s perpetual squeamishness and stigma towards doing it in public – can make this supposedly pure and beautiful act unbearable.

The fact remains that while some mothers have no problems breastfeeding, enjoying the experience and weaning when they and their bubs are ready, many mums struggle to make it work. Being the sole source of nourishment for your baby is a lot to take on physically and mentally, and among the most dreadful of afflictions targeting breastfeeding mothers is mastitis, which occurs when there is an inflammation of breast tissue that is sometimes accompanied by an infection.

Bosom Bother

After nursing her daughter for four months with virtually no issues, mother-of-one Hazel C. started noticing tender and swollen lumps in one of her breasts. “I was still producing a healthy amount of milk, and my baby had no problem latching and consuming it. But there were times when she would only go for small amounts – I call it a snack round – before calling it a day,” she shares. “Plus, I wasn’t keeping up with my pumping as religiously as before since I returned to work.”