A mother form Queensland, Danielle, tried everything in the book to relieve her painful mastitis. The mother-of-two had mastitis three times before while breastfeeding her 9-month-old son and when she began to wean him, it came back again.
“I had tried everything – heat packs, rubbing it, pumping, hot showers – everything,” she told Kidspot, who shared her story.
Mastitis is very common, it affects one in five breastfeeding women in Australia. Mastitis is an inflammation in the breast tissue and it occurs when breast milk is being produced faster than it is being removed. As well as being severely painful, women with mastitis often experience flu-like symptoms, too.
WATCH Breastfeeding tips from The Australian Breastfeeding Association. Article continues after video…
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So when Danielle, 21, read in an online mother’s group about a slightly unconventional way to unblock milk ducts while breastfeeding, she did not hesitate for a second.
The post suggested massaging the breasts with a buzzing vibrator.
“It didn’t hurt to use the vibrator – it was the least painful of everything I had tried before,” Danielle explained.
But did the unusual hack work for Danielle, who also had mastitis while breastfeeding her daughter who is now 3-years-old?
It sure did! Danielle was surprised that the vibrator cleared her blocked milk ducts within just 10 minutes of using it.
Worried that the mastitis would come back again, Danielle continued to use the vibrator and hasn’t had any issues with blocked mild ducts since.
The relieved mum says that she gets mixed reactions when she tells people of her success with the vibrator, she said that while some are surprised by her technique, others are not at all.
But at the end of the day, she is just so pleased to have found something that actually worked. Her only wish is that she discovered this miracle trick three years earlier when she was having terrible trouble while breastfeeding her first child.
As strange as using a vibrator to massage your breasts might seem, we’re all for doing whatever works best for you.
For more information on breastfeeding and mastitis visit, The Australian Breastfeeding Association or make a visit to your trusted GP.
