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Mastitis. This is an inflammation of the breast. If your breasts are sore; have red streaks; or have a hard, red area, you may have mastitis. Some women also get a fever and chills. If you think you have mastitis, call your doctor. In the meantime, continue to breastfeed or pump to drain the milk from your breasts. Switch between warm compresses and gentle massage right before breastfeeding and then apply cold compresses after a session. Mastitis caused by an infection may need treatment with antibiotics.

Oral thrush. Sometimes babies develop a yeast infection in the mouth called oral thrush. Babies with this have cracked skin in the corners of the mouth, and whitish or yellowish patches on the lips, tongue, or inside the cheeks. The infection can spread to your breast and cause:

shooting or burning breast pain either during or after feedings

pain deep within your breast

strong pain in the breasts or ni***es that doesn't get better after your baby properly latches on or you reposition your baby

ni***es that are cracked, itchy, burning, or are pink, red, shiny, flaky, or have a rash with little blisters

Call your doctor if you or your baby have any of these symptoms.

Inverted or flat ni***es. Women who have inverted ni***es (ni***es that turn in rather than stick out) or flat ni***es (that don't become as erect as they should when a baby is nursing) may have a harder time breastfeeding or have ni**le pain. If either is the case, talk to your doctor or a lactation consultant about ways to make nursing easier and reduce any pain.

WHAT ELSE CAN CAUSE BREAST PAIN?
The most common causes of breast pain include:

A plugged milk duct. Sometimes milk ducts get plugged. You may feel pain in an area of your breast or a lump may form under the skin where the duct is plugged. To help unclog the duct and ease pain:

1).Take warm showers or use warm compresses on the area. Massage the area several times a day. Then, breastfeed your baby right away.
2).Position your baby’s chin so that it points toward the clogged area during feeding. This will help that area of the breast empty sooner.
3).Gently massage the lump while your baby feeds. It may take 2 to 3 feedings for the lump to go away. 4).You also can use a manual (hand) or electric pump for a few minutes to help draw out the clogged milk while gently massaging the area.
5).Apply cold compresses (ice wrapped in a thin towel) between feedings.
6).If the lump doesn't go away within a couple of days, or if you have a fever, chills, aches, or red streaking, call your doctor

IS IT NORMAL TO FEEL PAIN DURING OR AFTER BREASTFEEDING?
When babies latch on properly, some moms feel a few moments of discomfort at the very beginning of a nursing session. After that, discomfort should ease. You may feel a gentle tug on your breasts while your baby feeds, but it shouldn’t hurt.

If you feel discomfort during nursing, stop nursing and reposition your baby to get a better latch. Your ni**le ar**la (the ring around the ni**le) should be mostly in your baby’s mouth. When babies are latched on wrong, it can hurt or feel like a pinch each time your baby sucks. Over time, this can lead to painful, sore, cracked ni***es.

If you have pain during breastfeeding, talk to your doctor or lactation consultant to make sure your baby is properly latched or that something else isn't going on.

IS IT NORMAL FOR MY BREASTS TO GET ENGORGED?
During the first 2–5 days after birth, it’s normal to have engorged (very full) breasts as your milk supply increases. But if your baby nurses (or you pump) every 2–3 hours, your breasts should not feel engorged.

Engorgement can lead to sore, painful breasts or a breast infection. So it’s best to try to avoid it. The longer you wait to breastfeed or pump, the more uncomfortable and engorged your breasts may get.

If you can't feed your baby right away, use warm compresses and try to pump or manually express your milk. One way to express milk is to put your thumb on top of your ar**la and a finger below it. Gently but firmly press your thumb and fingers back against your chest wall. Then compress your fingers together to express (push out) your milk.

WHAT IS A TONGUE-TIE?

Tongue-tie, also known as ankyloglossia, is a condition some babies are born with that limits their tongue movements. To do its job well, your tongue needs to be able to reach almost every part of your mouth. That full range of motion lets you make different sounds when you speak. It also helps you swallow and sweep away bits of food to keep your mouth clean.

But for babies with tongue-tie, there’s a problem with the lingual frenulum. That’s the small stretch of tissue that connects the underside of your tongue to the bottom of your mouth. It might be too short and tight, or attached way up near the tip of the tongue.
Either way, it ties the tongue in place. For some, it’s not much of an issue. For others, it can lead to problems breastfeeding. Later on, it can affect eating and speaking.

Doctors don’t always check for it, and it’s not always easy to notice. But even if your child’s pediatrician doesn’t find it until later, it can be treated.

INDIGESTION AND HEARTBURN IN PREGNANCY
Indigestion, also called heartburn or acid reflux, is common in pregnancy. It can be caused by hormonal changes and the growing baby pressing against your stomach.

You can help ease indigestion and heartburn by making changes to your diet and lifestyle, and there are medicines that are safe to take in pregnancy

SYMPTOMS OF INDIGESTION AND HEARTBURN INCLUDE:

a burning sensation or pain in the chest
feeling full, heavy or bloated
burping or belching
feeling or being sick
bringing up food
Symptoms usually come on soon after eating or drinking, but there can sometimes be a delay between eating and developing indigestion.

You can get symptoms at any point during your pregnancy, but they are more common from 27 weeks onwards.

THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP WITH INDIGESTION AND HEARTBURN
Changes to your diet and lifestyle may be enough to control your symptoms, particularly if they are mild.

EAT HEALTHILY
You're more likely to get indigestion if you're very full.

If you're pregnant, it may be tempting to eat more than you would normally, but this may not be good for you or your baby.

Find out more about a healthy diet in pregnancy and foods to avoid in our previous posts.

CHANGE YOUR EATING AND DRINKING HABITS
You may be able to control your indigestion with changes to your eating habits.

It can help to eat small meals often, rather than larger meals 3 times a day, and to not eat within 3 hours of going to bed at night.

Cutting down on drinks containing caffeine, and foods that are rich, spicy or fatty, can also ease symptoms.

KEEP UPRIGHT
Sit up straight when you eat. This will take the pressure off your stomach. Propping your head and shoulders up when you go to bed can stop stomach acid coming up while you sleep.

STOP SMOKING
Smoking when pregnant can cause indigestion, and can seriously affect the health of you and your unborn baby.

When you smoke, the chemicals you inhale can contribute to your indigestion. These chemicals can cause the ring of muscle at the lower end of your gullet to relax, which allows stomach acid to come back up more easily. This is known as acid reflux.

Smoking also increases the risk of:

your baby being born prematurely (before week 37 of your pregnancy)
your baby being born with a low birthweight
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or "cot death".

AVOID ALCOHOL
Drinking alcohol can cause indigestion. During pregnancy, it can also lead to long-term harm to the baby. It's safest to not drink alcohol at all in pregnancy.

MEDICINES FOR INDIGESTION AND HEARTBURN
Medicines for indigestion and heartburn during pregnancy include:

antacids – to neutralise the acid in your stomach (some are available over the counter from a pharmacist)
alginates – to relieve indigestion caused by acid reflux by stopping the acid in your stomach coming back up your gullet
You may only need to take antacids and alginates when you start getting symptoms. However, your GP may recommend taking them before symptoms come on – for example, before a meal or before bed.

If you're taking iron supplements as well as antacids, do not take them at the same time. Antacids can stop iron from being absorbed by your body.

If antacids and alginates do not improve your symptoms, your GP may prescribe a medicine to reduce the amount of acid in your stomach. 2 that are widely used in pregnancy and not known to be harmful to an unborn baby are:

ranitidine – a tablet you take twice a day
omeprazole – a tablet you take once a day