Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for all babies for the first six months of life.(7) Pain and discomfort during nursing are stressful and can make it tough to keep going. Getting to the root cause is always the best approach as well as self-care and supplements aimed at keeping your overall health the best it can be.
Breastfeeding should never hurt, but sometimes it does happen. Ideally, your baby is nursing frequently and removing colostrum well, as your milk increases in volume over the next few days, the transition should be smooth and comfortable. Your breasts may increase in size and feel heavier, but do not become super full of milk, feel rock hard and be painful. Engorgement can make it difficult for the milk to flow and lead to plugged ducts and breast dysbiosis. Of course, these issues don’t just happen in the first weeks of breastfeeding, they can happen anytime we are out of balance and anytime during the months or years you breastfeed.
L. fermentum is one probiotic strain that transfers from parent to baby in breastmilk strengthening the baby’s immune system and offering protection against illness.(5)(9) Probiotic strains in breastmilk train the baby’s gut and equips them with the bacteria which can prevent illness as well as avoid allergies as your baby gets older.(4) In a randomized double-blind study, L. fermentum showed babies had 46% less incidence rate of gastrointestinal infections, 27% fewer upper respiratory infections, and 30% fewer total infections than the control group.(10)
Plugged ducts can happen when not enough milk is removed during feeding or pumping or and milk starts to get clogged in the ducts. More milk backs up and creates a blockage. It can feel like a hard lump under the skin and be painful. Infection can start here. If there is damage to the nipple from feeding your baby, a type of bacteria normally found on the skin called staphylococcus can get in and lead to mastitis. This can cause swelling of the breast tissue, pain, redness, and flu-like symptoms for the parent. Some people notice a decrease in their milk supply until the infection is resolved.
Lacta-biotic probiotics containing L. fermentum are like the superhero bacteria that fight against pathogens by not letting them adhere to the intestinal mucosa leaving them nowhere to live or take up residency in the gut. The balance of gut flora stays in check and you steer clear of breast pain while improving your overall chest health and the immune system of you and your baby.(3) Lacta-biotic offers relief from pain and breast discomfort that can be experienced during breastfeeding by reducing a bacteria called Staphylococcus.(2)
Probiotic supplements are very safe and found to be more effective than antibiotics in treating mastitis in breastfeeding women.(1) Antibiotics can disrupt the balance of bacteria in our gut, but Lacta-biotic helps restore the balance of bacteria in our intestinal tract and can be used as an effective treatment for mastitis.(1) The risk of recurrence of mastitis is significantly lower after taking a probiotic like Lacta-biotic that contains L. fermentum.(1) Probiotic protection continues even after you stop taking the probiotic as it contributes to a stronger immune system and overall gut health.(3)
Lacta-biotic probiotic can also be taken preventatively to avoid inflammatory responses that lead to breast pain.(5) Taking Lacta-biotic in the last trimester helps reduce the risk of developing inflammation and mastitis after your baby is born.(5) Antibiotics are typically given during a cesarean section birth and we know that antibiotic use increases the risk of developing mastitis.(11) Taking Lacta-biotic before breast pain, redness, or plugged ducts occur in the early weeks of nursing can reduce the chances of getting mastitis up to 51% helping to ensure comfortable continued breastfeeding.(5)
Gut health impacts the function of our brain and body including our breasts. A parent passes their gut health on to their baby through the birth process and breastfeeding. Breast milk provides everything your baby needs for nutrition. It contains probiotics and Human Milk Oligosaccharides. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that establish the gut microbiome and immune system of the baby. Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) are food for the healthy flora to multiply leaving no room for harmful bacteria to be problematic.
Our diet influences the balance of our intestinal flora.(8) Remember, for probiotics to thrive and multiply they need food. When that balance gets disrupted and causes problems including breast pain and mastitis. Lacta-biotic can help by restoring that balance in a safe and highly effective way.(6)
Prebiotic foods:
- Oats
- Bananas
- Onions and leeks
- Avocado
- Asparagus
- Garlic
- Legumes
Probiotic foods:
- Miso
- Sauerkraut
- Tempeh
- Kefir
- Real refrigerated pickles or other pickled veggies
Eating foods that are fermented and fiber-rich boosts your overall nutrition. Supplements and high-quality probiotics can help jump-start your gut health as well as relieve symptoms caused by imbalances. Lacta-biotic can help resolve dysbiosis and improve your breast health during lactation and offer benefits to your baby so they are healthy and thriving.
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Footnotes:
- Arroyo, Martin, Maldonado, et al. Treatment of infectious mastitis during lactation: Antibiotics versus Oral Administration of Lactobacilli Isolated from Breast Milk. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2010;50(12): 1551-1558
- 5-Lc40 Chest pain during breastfeeding.pdf
- Olivares, Diaz-Ropero, Gomez et al. The consumption of two new probiotic strains, Lactobacillus gasseri CECT 5714 and Lactobacillus coryniformis CECT 5711, boosts the immune system of healthy humans, International Microbiology (2006) 9:47-52
- Martinez-Canavate et al. A Probiotic dairy product containing L. gasseri CECT5714 and L. coryniformis CECT5711 induces immunological changes in children suffering allergy, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology 2009
- Hurtao et al. Oral Administration to Nursing Women of Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 Prevents Lactational Mastitis Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Breastfeeding medicine, Volume 12, Number 4, 2017
- Lara-Villoslada et al. Safety Assessment of Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716, a probiotic strain isolated from human milk, Journal of Dairy Research 2009 76 216-221
- World Health Organization, Mastitis Causes, and Management, 2000
- . Ding, C. Qi, Z.Yang, S. Jiang, Y. Bi, J. Lai and J. Sun, Food Funct., 2019, DOI: 10.1039/C8FO02182
- Maldonado et al. Evaluation of the safety, tolerance, and efficacy of 1-year consumption of infant formula supplemented with Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 Lc40 or Bifidobacteriu, breve CECT7263: a randomized controlled trial, BMC Pediatrics 2019 19:361
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21873895/
- https://journal.barpetaogs.co.in/pdfs/06.pdf
Other Resources:
Arroyo, Martin, Maldonado, et al. Treatment of infectious mastitis during lactation: Antibiotics versus Oral Administration of Lactobacilli Isolated from Breast Milk. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2010;50(12): 1551-1558
Olivares, Diaz-Ropero, Gomez et al. The consumption of two new probiotic strains, Lactobacillus gasseri CECT 5714 and Lactobacillus coryniformis CECT 5711, boosts the immune system of healthy humans, International Microbiology (2006) 9:47-52
Martinez-Canavate et al. A Probiotic dairy product containing L. gasseri CECT5714 and L. coryniformis CECT5711 induces immunological changes in children suffering allergy, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology 2009
Hurtao et al. Oral Administration to Nursing Women of Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 Prevents Lactational Mastitis Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Breastfeeding medicine, Volume 12, Number 4, 2017
Lara-Villoslada et al. Safety Assessment of Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716, a probiotic strain isolated from human milk, Journal of Dairy Research 2009 76 216-221
World Health Organization, Mastitis Causes, and Management, 2000
Ding, C. Qi, Z.Yang, S. Jiang, Y. Bi, J. Lai and J. Sun, Food Funct., 2019, DOI: 10.1039/C8FO02182
Maldonado et al. Evaluation of the safety, tolerance, and efficacy of 1-year consumption of infant formula supplemented with Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 Lc40 or Bifidobacteriu, breve CECT7263: a randomized controlled trial, BMC Pediatrics 2019 19:361
