Mum-of-seven shares photo of ‘good boob gone bad’ to show breastfeeding isn’t always magical

Other mums have thanked her for sharing the honest snap, saying photos of ‘perfect’ mums made them want to give up

A mum has been praised for sharing an honest breastfeeding selfie showing what happens ‘when a good boob goes bad’.

Lindsey Bliss, from New York, is a mother to seven children – including two sets of twins – and a birth doula.

In crippling pain from mastitis, she continued to breastfeed her baby and shared a photgraph of the visible effects of the condition.

The snap shows her breast is a deep red colour compared to the rest of her skin.

Lindsey captioned the photo: “When a good boob goes bad – AGAIN!

“I literally wanted Dan to bring me to the ER last night due to the most EPIC engorged boob, full body shakes, and a crushing headache.

“On the mend today from my bed. Why does this keep happening?”

She added the hashtag #breastfeedingisnotalwaysmagical – and other mums agreed with her.

One thanked her for sharing the photo and confessed breastfeeding is “the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” admitting she felt like a failure every time she saw a photo of a mum with perfect hair and a smile breastfeeding her child.

“I had days when my boobs hurt so much I wanted to give up,” she said.

Mastitis is a condition which causes a woman’s breast tissue to become painful and inflamed and is most common in breastfeeding women, usually within the first three months after giving birth.

Symptoms of mastitis include nipple discharge; a red, swollen area on the breast; lumps and a burning pain which can be continuous or occur only when breastfeeding.

You can find more information on mastitis on the NHS website.