Can you say breast pain? Mastitis, simply put, is an infection in the glandular portion of the breast. It is a common problem of breast feeding mothers and needs to be treated aggressively. What you will feel as a nursing mother is not only a sore breast but what we physicians call “constitutional symptoms”. That means you will feel achy all over and probably have a low grade fever. The answer is antibiotics. Now! This can progress rather rapidly and you may get really sick.

What also helps is to KEEP BREAST FEEDING. This may hurt but it is important to keep the milk flowing to avoid developing an abscess. Even when you are on antibiotics, KEEP FEEDING. The antibiotic laden breast milk will not harm the baby. There is also no reason to stop breast feeding long term.

You may gain some comfort in Tylenol orally as well as applying heat such as a hot water bottle or a hot shower, allowing the water to cascade over the breast tissue.