Millie Mackintosh has been praised by fans for her candidness after revealing she has stopped breastfeeding her three-month-old daughter Aurelia due to severe mastitis. The Made In Chelsea star, 32, shared her struggles on Instagram, detailing the intense pain she experienced.
Mastitis causes inflammation and can lead to infection of breast tissue, with symptoms including severe pain, swelling, warmth and redness. Millie admitted that every feeding session left her 'crying in pain'. She tried combi feeding but had to stop when the pain became unbearable.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Millie told her 1.4 million followers: 'I really felt the pressure during my first round of mastitis to continue feeding... I was literally crying in pain every time I needed to feed.' She recalled a comment that resonated with her: 'it’s ok to stop too, it doesn’t make you a bad mum'.
Now Aurelia is purely on formula, and Millie says she still cherishes feeding time, noting that her daughter 'clutches my fingers, pulls me close and stares into my eyes'. She described the experience as 'one of the hardest things I've ever done'.
Fans flooded the post with supportive messages. One wrote: 'This will benefit soooo many people - well done for sharing.' Another added: 'Good for you. In no way does it make you a bad mama.' A third commented: 'I couldn’t agree more... me and my babies was the most happy when the bottle appeared and that’s ok.'
