Breastfeeding After Mastitis Isn’t Easy, But One Mom Shows It’s Possible

We all know “fed is best” when it comes to figuring out how you’ll feed your babies. There’s a lot of controversy around breastfeeding vs. formula feeding, but honestly, babies just need to eat, right? But if you’ve made the decision to breastfeed and run into problems, it can be incredibly difficult and demoralizing. One mom’s story about breastfeeding after mastitis may help other moms out there who’re also struggling.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPgQnj-g0UA/?taken-by=jenna_michele

Jenna Blackley faced struggles from the beginning of her breastfeeding journey with son Bodhi.

Jenna says Bodhi had difficulty latching from the very start, and was losing weight. She was told to nurse, pump, then syringe feed her baby, which led to many sleepless nights. In a picture she shared on Instagram, she details some of the other issues she had while trying to breastfeed.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPDdtC8AhaS/?taken-by=jenna_michele

Bodhi had a posterior tongue tie, which doctors were able to partially clip. Then, Jenna was diagnosed with mastitis that didn’t respond to antibiotics. She eventually had to have 3 abscesses removed from her right breast.

The incision was made in her nipple, and had to be kept open so the milk could drain. It left her unable to nurse at all on her right side. That’s a lot to go through, but Jenna says it made her resolve to breastfeed Bodhi even stronger.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPbzGcVA7ZX/?taken-by=jenna_michele

“I don’t think I’ve ever battled so hard to succeed at something in my life. Breastfeeding is not easy and it’s not for the weak minded, but it is important to me.”

The mastitis, surgery, and subsequent recovery took a toll on Jenna. She and Bodhi still faced struggles, but she said she was battling through it all because she felt it was the best thing she could do as his mom.

Breastfeeding after mastitis isn’t easy. Especially if you’ve experienced some of the complications Jenna describes.

We respect her decision to stick it out and keep trying! She’s his mama, and she did what she felt she needed to do. We all make decisions as parents, and it’s how we feel about those decisions that matters. We hope things got a bit easier for Jenna and Bodhi since she shared her story.

Also read:

(Image: Facebook / Jenna Blackley)

Similar Posts