Soothing remedies for sore breasts and advice about mastitis from the people who know – breastfeeding mums
Mastitis can make life pretty miserable for new mums, and make the wonderful experience of feeding your baby sore and tricky. But experts and mums alike agree the best way to soothe and cure mastitis is to feed through it.
Always visit your GP with any symptoms, in case you need a course of antibiotics to treat the infection. But to make yourself more comfortable, what else do mums recommend? We asked our MFM mums on Facebook for the best advice for mastitis sufferers. Here's what they shared:
Cabbage leaves – keep them in the fridge or freezer and use as cold compresses to reduce swelling and soreness.
Cold compresses – if savoy cabbage leaves don’t appeal, try a medical cold compress or nipple shield to reduce the pain.
Heat – a nice hot bath with hot or warm flannels on your breasts can help. You can even feed your baby in the bath if this makes you more comfortable. Alternatively, even a hot water bottle can bring some relief.
Treat it like the flu – Get plenty of rest and keep your fluids up. This is especially important as you’ll be trying to empty your breasts by feeding and expressing regularly and you may be feverish and losing fluids through sweating.
Massage – gently massaging your breasts may help reduce blockages. Some mums have found rubbing raw honey onto any particularly sore patches works a treat.
You can also take paracetamol and ibuprofen for the pain. Modifying your breastfeeding technique may also help.
