Are you kidding me? Like we haven't been through enough! I had literally just pushed a baby from my vagina and was beginning to heal, get into a breastfeeding and (barely any) sleep routine, when the breast pain set in. This wasn't normal bloody nipple, wrongly latched baby pain, this was piercing daggers to my breast agony. I used a heating pad, massaged in the warm shower, but then the shivers, body aches and headache started. I mean how is this even fair? Serious flu like symptoms with lack of sleep, and shooting breast pain that only feeding and pumping through seems to make better. It's not cool, but I sought out advice from other moms, nursed and pumped with tears drenching my cheeks, tried to sleep / rest when I could and soon enough, like a tropical storm, the down pour passed. The first time was so bad, I needed antibiotics to help clear the infection, but sadly it wasn't the only time with my two babies that I got mastitis. I learned to know the signs and quickly start the checklist of ways to clear the duct, fight the infection and ease the pain: nursing, pumping, hot showers for hours, heating pad. I even tried what other moms had had luck with: dangle feeding (very awkward on all fours), cabbage bra cups (sexy) and electric toothbrush (no longer for my teeth). I say try it all and whatever works! I know the excruciating pain of mastitis is an exit point for many nursing moms, so I'm extremely grateful to have made it to the other side, because there is joy and love on the other side of the pain.