When it's going well, breastfeeding can be a truly amazing experience. It's healthy for mom and baby, it's a great way to bond, and it's something that can leave us feeling in awe of our body's power. There is something pretty incredible about looking at a baby's sweet rolls and dimpled elbows and knowing that our body made the milk that made that happen (to be clear, though — the sweet rolls and dimpled elbows of formula-fed babies are also delightful).
But we also need to get honest about the fact that sometimes breastfeeding isn't an amazing experience. Cracked nipples are thing. Babies with tricky latches are a thing. And mastitis is definitely a thing!
Mastitis, which is an inflammation of breast tissue that often includes clogged milk ducts and an infection, is a fairly common breastfeeding challenge that can really knock a nursing mother out. The condition causes pain, flu-like symptoms, a fever, and chills, and requires a check-in with a health care provider to make sure it gets cleared up. Thousands of women get mastitis every year, including some celebrity moms, who've opened up about their battles with this painful condition. Here are their stories.
Troian Bellisario
Pretty Little Liars star Troian Bellisario is a proud mom of two little ones, and she's also been open about the fact that nursing isn't always easy, especially when mastitis is part of the mix.
In an August 2019 Instagram post, she wrote: "I would never have thought something so simple would be so complicated. My milk came in immediately (so lucky!), my daughter has always eaten well (little bit of reflux but all good), and breastfeeding her was never painful or frustrating (so rare). But the mastitis, waking up in the middle of the night to pump, pulling off on the freeway to pump, or hiding in dark corners of houses while pumping or else I can't sleep — it's so painful."
Chelsea Houska DeBoer
Teen Mom 2 star Chelsea Houska DeBoer revealed in 2018 that she suffered a painful bout of mastitis following the birth of her third child, daughter Layne. She tweeted that she was hoping to never feel that pain again, which is something any mama that has experienced the condition can definitely relate to!
Kristen Bell
If there is anything we can count on from Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, it is that they're not afraid to get a little TMI. This includes telling talk show host Drew Barrymore about Kristen's experience with a clogged duct and mastitis when nursing her second child and Dax's role in helping extract the clog. We'll let you watch the clip to learn all the cringe-inducing details.
Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi
Reality TV star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi happily welcomed her third child, son Angelo, in 2019. She was less happy when, about a month after his birth, she found herself experiencing the fever and chills that are classic signs of mastitis. "Jesus take the wheel," she exclaimed on Instagram at the time.
Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore became a mother of two in October 2022 when she and husband Taylor Goldsmith welcomed son Ozzie. Mandy recently shared in an Instagram story (captured by People) that she was nursing a lot in an attempt to "cut this mastitis off at the pass." Here's hoping that worked for her.
Meghan King
Real Housewives of Orange County star Meghan King is a mother of three and a mastitis warrior. In 2018, she wrote candidly on her personal blog about her experience with the condition. "Mastitis is a nasty, cringe-worthy word no woman ever hopes to utter. I unfortunately have gotten to know that word well." She went on to describe the challenges of having multiple clogged ducts and all of the many methods she tried to heal herself after mastitis made her feel "the worst I ever remember feeling in my adult life."
Kristin Cavallari
Dax Shepard isn't the only male celeb who has put in the work to help his partner unclog a duct in order to treat or try to prevent mastitis. Kristin Cavallari revealed that her then-husband, Jay Cutler, took one for the team. "Jay had to get [the clogs] out for me. Sucking harder than he's ever sucked before. Ya know what, Jay saved my life."
Jaime Pressly
Actress Jaime Pressly had a highly unusual experience with mastitis. In 2014, she shared that her untreated mastitis (she didn't realize she had the condition) led to significant scar tissue developing in her breasts.
"I went in for surgery to remove the scar tissue, and some lumps were basically caused by bacteria I got during breastfeeding. Once the doctor got inside, he realized it was in more areas than he thought, and 2 hours turned into 7 hours of surgery. I had almost a full mastectomy, but I still have my breast tissue left. It wasn't a choice I made, and it had nothing to do with cancer."
Lauren Paul
Lauren Paul, wife of Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul, shared her mastitis experience in an Instagram post in 2018. "This post-labor chapter has been rough at times," she wrote. "Recovering from labor is no joke. I'm definitely on the mend in that department but … breastfeeding. Oh man. While it's been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, I have developed mastitis twice within 3 weeks. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's an infection from breastfeeding that creates severe flu-like symptoms. Yesterday I was fighting a fever that almost hit 104. It was the sickest I have ever felt. The pain and aches were unbelievable. For the mammas who have been there, I know you feel me."
Emily Maynard Johnson
Former Bachelorette star Emily Maynard Johnson is the mother of six kids, including son Jones, born in August 2022. Back in 2017, she told People that mastitis led to her having to stop breastfeeding altogether. "I breastfed Ricki, I breastfed Jennings for a while and then Gibson. It's so hard with other kids running around. And then I got mastitis (a painful infection of the breast tissue), which is like the worst, worse than childbirth I feel like. I just quit. I didn't want to tell anybody that I quit. I was trying to hide formula."
Audrey Roloff
Audrey Roloff, who appeared on Little People, Big World with husband Jeremy Roloff, told Us Weekly that she had "reoccurring mastitis" while nursing her son Bode. She further revealed that she had it four times and was also dealing with aftereffects from labor, including pelvic separation. That's a rough road!
Lauren Burnham Luyendyk
Former Bachelor contestant Lauren Burnham Luyendyk, who married bachelor Ari Luyendyk Jr., ended up hospitalized with a severe case of mastitis in 2021. At the time, she was nursing 6-week-old twins and ended up requiring X-rays to check for severe infection and abscesses. Thankfully she made a full recovery!
Tiffany Thornton
Former Disney Channel star Tiffany Thornton (who appeared on shows including Sonny With a Chance and So Random!) grappled with mastitis in 2021. "I've been battling mastitis for a week now," she wrote on Instagram. "And today is the first full day I've felt alive! I have never had mastitis before, but let me tell you: it was the WORST! Like the flu times 100! My first antibiotic didn't seem to help at all, so it wasn't until day five when I got the second antibiotic via a shot at my doctor's office that I felt any real hope of feeling better soon."
Brooklyn Decker
Grace and Frankie star Brooklyn Decker blames an underwire bra for her bout of mastitis. She opened up about it during an appearance on the Me Becoming Mom podcast. "What I didn't realize until I had mastitis — eight months postpartum with a 104 fever, it was horrible — what I didn't realize, which I should've known, is that underwire bras can cause mastitis and can affect milk production and all that."
Cortney Rae Hendrix
Cortney Rae Hendrix, who appeared on the reality show Married at First Sight with former husband Jason Carrion, welcomed her first child in 2021 with her current husband, Sherm. In 2022, she experienced the redness and pain associated with mastitis but made a full recovery.
*Disclaimer: The advice on Mom.com is not a substitute for consultation with a medical professional or treatment for a specific condition. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified professional. Please contact your health-care provider with questions and concerns.
