9 natural remedies for mastitis

Or, alternatively, the first time I got mastitis.

Its no secret around here that I'm an extended breastfeeder. As someone who enjoys the bonding experiences and extended health benefits that nursing provides to my babes (and me) the positives always outweigh the negatives. And this is a negative I thought I had gotten away with, har har.

I actually I had to look up symptoms of mastitis because I wasn't entirely convinced that's what I had.

My symptoms were:

Constant pain

Red wedge extending from nipple *the ultimate giveaway

Hard lump where the stagnant milk was located

Slight engorgement

I have a theory as to WHY I got mastitis this late in the game; Laurel has been cutting molars like nobody's business. They seem to come in in pairs. The week before she was constantly comfort nursing and once the molar cut the gum, she lost sight of the boob. And after a few days of neglect, here we are.

I'm thrilled to report that with these methods in place I only suffered for 5 days! Such relief! Ill take that over 10 days ~ 3 weeks as some information indicated. I couldn't EVEN 😱

Now, I'm not a doctor nor do I claim to be one. I just like being able to take my health into my own hands and saving doctor visits for absolute needs. Do what feels right for you. You know your body best. And that is my disclaimer. On with the goods.

9 natural remedies for mastitis:

•Massage- As much as it hurt, hand massaging really helped me feel 'in control' of the situation. I could feel exactly where the block was and by pushing down toward my nipple and applying pressure helped to get things flowing. I also used my japonesque eye roller for this task and it worked wonders! I keep mine in the freezer so the added cold also felt nice in contrast to the elevated heat in my skin.

•Swallowing chopped garlic- I did this twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. One clove, chopped into small dice pieces and swallowed down like a vitamin with water. Now, this is one that has some smell aftermath but I didn't care because 1) I eat garlic all the time anyway (looooove garlic) and 2) because of its natural antiviral properties, I may have also boosted my general immunity.

•Emergen-C drinks- Vitamin C is also recommended to help with mastitis so I drank one packet of Emergen-C each morning before my garlic for 4 days.

•Upping water intake- I tend to drink a lot of water in general but upped my intake to help flush my system.

•Tea tree Essential Oil- I used Plant Therapy organic Tea Tree oil in a coconut carrier oil and massaged onto my affected breast. I would suggest doing this at night, it can be a little messy.

•Offering affected breast first- Again, its going to be uncomfortable, but getting the milk flowing through is the ultimate goal. Just don't exclusively nurse from it, no need to get engorged also.

•Different nursing positions- get comfortable and switch it up. Football hold was my go-to. Laurel is also pretty active while nursing now, so she would be sitting up and latched. I tried getting her to latch with her chin facing the same direction as the red wedge (as suggested by La Leche League)  but that was a logistical nightmare 🤪 and she wasn't having any of it.

•Loose fitting bras- I swapped my underwire nursing bra for a bralette for better blood flow and comfort.

•Increasing sleep aka napping- I relish a good nap session. I let my body's needs dictate how long I napped for and it seemed each day varied. On Monday, my sickest day, I slept for an hour. It dwindled down significantly on Tuesday, 30 minutes. And Wednesday was the shortest at 15 minutes. Thursday and Friday didn't warrant extra rest. Just listen to your body, it won't steer you wrong.

I hope this is helpful! I am so grateful there are home remedies for most ailments and that these helped me get through a very painful experience fairly quickly.