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
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."
