{"id":6215,"date":"2022-02-02T13:33:17","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T13:33:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aloha-nutrition.com\/?p=6215"},"modified":"2022-02-02T13:58:56","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T13:58:56","slug":"how-i-healed-mastitis-without-antibiotics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aloha-nutrition.com\/staging\/1234\/how-i-healed-mastitis-without-antibiotics\/","title":{"rendered":"How I healed mastitis without antibiotics"},"content":{"rendered":"
This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra charge to you<\/h6>\n

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After almost 3 years of breastfeeding, I had my first case of mastitis a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully I was able to overcome it without antibiotics. <\/span><\/p>\n

I believe antibiotics are there for a reason and can be lifesaving, but I try very hard to avoid them when possible, since antibiotics kill both the bad and\u00a0good<\/em> gut bacteria, and increases your risk of getting thrush (yeast infection).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I meet so many moms who struggle with clogged ducts<\/a>, which then leads to mastitis. It is extremely painful. They then quickly jump to taking antibiotics, even at the first sign of mastitis, but mastitis in itself is not an infection, it’s just inflammation of the breast, which\u00a0could<\/em> turn into mastitis, which is why you want to be proactive…<\/span><\/p>\n

In this blog post, I am going to share how I overcame mastitis with <\/span>Breast Gymnastics, a term coined by Maya Bolman <\/a>and some other natural remedies I did. Before going into how I overcame mastitis without antibiotics, I wanted to review some signs of clogged ducts and mastitis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some common symptoms of clogged ducts are:<\/span><\/h3>\n
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  • a lump in one area of your breast that’s painful to the touch<\/span><\/li>\n
  • engorgement around the lump<\/span><\/li>\n
  • pain or swelling near the lump<\/span><\/li>\n
  • discomfort that sometimes subsides after feeding\/pumping<\/span><\/li>\n
  • milk plug\/blister (bleb) at the opening of your nipple<\/span><\/li>\n
  • movement of the lump over time<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    When clogged ducts are not addressed, they can turn into what is known as mastitis, which is inflammation of the breasts, which can quickly turn into infection of the breast.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Symptoms of mastitis may come on suddenly and include:<\/span><\/h3>\n
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    • fever of 101\u00b0F (38.3\u00b0C) or higher. If fever persists for more than 24hrs, it’s recommended to get antibiotics<\/span><\/li>\n
    • flu-like symptoms (chills and body aches)<\/span><\/li>\n
    • warmth, swelling, and tenderness of the whole breast<\/span><\/li>\n
    • breast lump or thickened breast tissue<\/span><\/li>\n
    • burning sensation and\/or discomfort while nursing\/pumping<\/span><\/li>\n
    • redness on the affected skin (may be wedge-shaped)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      At the first sign of these issues, I have seen many mothers digging<\/span> into their breasts and putting hot packs on their breasts, but mastitis (and clogged ducts) are inflammation and we want COLD compresses to help with inflammation as well as GENTLE touch and light strokes.<\/span><\/p>\n

      This is where breast gymnastics comes in. Breast gymnastics<\/a> is an exercise <\/span>where you gently (and ever so gently) pick up your breasts and move them around, providing your breast gentle movement.<\/p>\n

      We all know movement and stretching is important to our health. It helps with our circulation and helps get blood flowing. Well our breasts, which don\u2019t get any movement, need light gentle movement and stretching for proper breast health.<\/p>\n

      When you pick up your breasts and feel that stretch and move them side to side, you\u2019re essentially elongating those ducts and getting milk flowing, which prevents and alleviates clogged ducts!<\/p>\n

      Below is a video by Maya Bolman on how to do the exercises, you can also watch my Instagram Reel<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n