LOVE Island star Camilla Thurlow broke down in tears as she detailed her painful breastfeeding battle.
The 34-year-old gave birth 11 days ago and has admitted she’s struggling to feed her newborn, Brodie.
Mum of three Camilla uploaded a snap of herself crying as she spoke frankly about what she’s going through.
“Been a bit quiet on here because mastitis is hell,” wrote Camilla.
“Raynaud’s nipple or nipple vasospasm is hell.
“I had this with Nell too and I know lots of people out there will be dealing with feeding issues and to be honest they are all awful.
“Honestly I’m fuming at myself. This is my third time breastfeeding and I’ve totally lost the knack of correctly latching a newborn.
“I’ve also let distractions get the better of me and not focused properly on the latch.
“I really struggled for the first six weeks with Nell (partly due to the possibility of tongue tie) but much more to do with latching and positioning.
“When I had a much better experience with Nora I thought part of that must have been what I had learnt, but i think it was all Nora.
“With Brodie, who is very similar so far to Nell, it’s like being back to square one.
“The one positive is he seems great and is gaining weight.
“Of course sometimes the issue is that perfecting that deep latch and taking off and relatching is harder when there’s other things going.
“Equally I should have focused more and realised sooner that it is still so important because now feeding pain also makes me feel like I’m not being 100 per cent mum.”
Camilla also spoke about her struggle splitting time with her three kids as she sits in pain with her mastitis, which is inflammation of the mammary gland in the breast.
Camilla continued: “Nell in particular is very interested in feeding and I just can’t bear for her to sit close to me while feeling at the moment even though she’s such a good girl she’s also a normal toddler and she also wants to touch Brodie at any opportunity. I just can’t bear to be touched while feeding.
“Any movement or disruption to the latch is so painful so I’m constantly flinching away or asking for more space.
“My little Nora is a cuddler and I don’t think she’s getting a proper snuggle when we have time to have a cuddle because I’m so uncomfortable.
“So the main focus of any nursery days this week and every night feed has to be improving.
“Love to all those struggling.
“Sorry, I know all of this will have been a bit too much information for some people but a tricky feeding journey and being in pain takes so much from you in those early weeks and I just thought it’s worth sharing when it’s not all perfect and easy and to send love and hope that you get all the support you need to do whatever feels right for you.”
What is mastitis?
According to the NHS website, mastitis usually only affects one breast, and symptoms often come on quickly. They include:
- a swollen area on your breast that may feel hot and painful to touch – the area may become red but this can be harder to see if you have black or brown skin
- a wedge-shaped breast lump or a hard area on your breast
- a burning pain in your breast that might be constant or only when you breastfeed
- nipple discharge, which may be white or contain streaks of blood
You may also get flu-like symptoms, such as aches, a high temperature, chills and tiredness.