Breast Abscess Practical Tips – Can You Continue to Breastfeed?

If you’ve just been told you have a breast abscess, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed, sore, and wondering what it means for your breastfeeding journey. You’re not alone in this, and the good news is: in most cases, you can keep breastfeeding.

What Is a Breast Abscess?

A breast abscess is a painful, swollen lump filled with pus that forms within the breast tissue. It’s one of the more serious breastfeeding complications, but thankfully, it’s rare—only about 6% of moms with mastitis (a breast infection) go on to develop an abscess.

Abscesses usually show up when mastitis isn’t treated early. Your body forms a pocket of infection that can’t drain properly. Because your breasts are full of milk, the pressure builds, and the infection can quickly get worse without intervention.

Common Symptoms of a Breast Abscess

• A sharp pain in the breast
• A red, swollen lump that feels hot to the touch
• Pus draining from the nipple
• A high fever and flu-like symptoms
• No improvement after a full course of antibiotics

Getting a clinical exam or an ultrasound is the best way to know for sure if it’s an abscess. If you’re unsure, trust your instincts and check in with your doctor. Early care makes a big difference.

What Causes a Breast Abscess While Breastfeeding?

Abscesses often follow untreated or recurring mastitis, and certain things can raise your risk:

• Cracked nipples (which let bacteria like Staph aureus enter the breast)
• Poor latching technique
• Diabetes
• Breast surgeries like implants or lumpectomies
• Use of corticosteroids
• Smoking

The key? Treat mastitis fast, feed frequently, and ask for help if you’re unsure about your baby’s latch or your symptoms. Learn more about mastitis treatment and symptoms here.

Can You Continue Breastfeeding with a Breast Abscess?

Yes, you absolutely can. In fact, keeping milk flowing is one of the best things you can do to help your body heal. Stopping suddenly can make things worse, increasing pressure and inflammation.

Why Continuing to Breastfeed Helps

• It keeps milk moving, which prevents further buildup
• It supports your milk supply
• It reduces the risk of another blocked duct or infection
• It’s safe for your baby—your body filters out harmful bacteria

Even if nursing on the sore side is too painful, try pumping or hand-expressing. Use different holds – like the football hold or dangle feeding – to relieve pressure on the sore area.

Practical Tips for Breastfeeding Through a Breast Abscess

Here are a few steps that make a big difference:

• Use warm compresses before feeding or pumping to help with milk flow.
• Start feeds on the unaffected breast first to trigger letdown, then switch to the sore side.
• Try gentle massage during feeding to ease drainage.
• Take prescribed antibiotics—your doctor will choose ones that are safe for breastfeeding.
• Keep the area clean and dry if your abscess is draining.

Treatment Options

Treatments vary depending on how deep or large the abscess is:

• Smaller than 3 cm: often drained by needle (aspiration) in a clinic.
• Larger abscesses: may need a small surgical incision and a drain.

If aspiration is needed, ask your doctor to send the fluid to a lab to ensure you get the most effective antibiotic. You can read more about aspiration vs. surgical drainage here.

What If It’s Just Too Painful?

Some days, the pain may make you want to quit. That’s real—and it’s okay to feel frustrated. If nursing directly isn’t possible, pumping or hand expressing can maintain your supply while you rest the breast. Even partial breastfeeding is still valuable.

Reach out to a lactation consultant or your doctor if:

• The swelling doesn’t improve within a few days
• You’re in severe pain
• You’re unsure about the safety of your treatment
• You’re thinking about weaning and want support to do it gradually

If the abscess is too close to the nipple to breastfeed or express from that side, you can continue feeding from the other side and allow the affected breast to dry up.

After a Breast Abscess Is Treated

Once the abscess is drained, healing begins from the inside out. The cavity may need to be packed with sterile gauze until it closes up completely. Most moms feel relief almost immediately after aspiration or surgery.

Breast tenderness, swelling, and inflammation usually fade within days. And yes—you can still breastfeed.

Continued Breastfeeding Benefits Post-Surgery

Many moms are told to stop breastfeeding, but continuing has big benefits:

• Breast milk contains healing properties that help fight infection.
• Feeding helps drain the breast and reduce swelling.
• Your baby is not at risk—even if milk contains pus, it’s not harmful.

If you have a nipple incision where baby would latch, take a break from feeding on that side until it heals. Use a nipple shield or pump if possible.

How to Prevent a Breast Abscess

The best defense is early treatment and regular milk removal:

• Don’t wait to treat mastitis or blocked ducts
• Feed often and don’t skip sessions
• Use warm compresses before nursing or pumping
• Make sure baby is latching well
• Switch up nursing positions to fully drain each area of the breast
• Rest, hydrate, and give your body the care it needs

When You Might Need to Stop Breastfeeding

In rare cases, like if the infection doesn’t respond to treatment or if surgery affects the milk ducts, a doctor may recommend weaning from one breast. If that happens, you can still nurse from the other side or switch to pumping while your body heals.

Most of the time, continuing to breastfeed is not only possible but encouraged. Your milk is still safe. Your baby still needs you. And you’re still doing an amazing job.

The Bottom Line

A breast abscess is painful and exhausting, but it doesn’t have to be the end of your breastfeeding journey. With the right care and support, you can get through this—and come out stronger. Keep going one feed at a time. You’ve got this.

If you’re unsure or just need a listening ear, talk to a lactation consultant, healthcare provider, or another mom who’s been there. You’re not alone.

Featured Comments

“I Got Through It—And You Can Too” – Stacey’s Story

When I was pregnant, I was set on breastfeeding. I read everything I could get my hands on. But once my baby arrived, nothing went as planned. He struggled to latch, and by day five—when my milk finally came in—my nipples were already cracked and bleeding. I was painfully engorged.

A week later, I came down with mastitis. I got antibiotics, which helped with the fever and chills, but the lump and swelling didn’t budge. A second trip to the doctor confirmed it: I needed surgery. They removed a 6 cm lump and inserted a surgical drain. The wound had to be packed with gauze every day as it healed from the inside out.

It was a tough time. But I used a nipple shield on the sore side, and that made all the difference. Within a couple of weeks, my nipples and incision were healing, the pain was easing, and I was left with just a small scar and some tenderness.

If you’re a new mom planning to breastfeed, my advice is this: learn what you can, talk to other moms, and don’t give up just because it’s hard in the beginning. Most challenges can be worked through with the right support. And honestly? A good lactation consultant is worth more than a dozen well-meaning doctors—because they’ll help you keep going, not tell you to stop.

“Even with Milk Leaking from the Wound, I Kept Going” – Louise Baker’s Story

I went through surgery for a large breast abscess that didn’t respond to antibiotics. Thankfully, the surgeon made the incision away from the nipple, so I was able to keep breastfeeding. For the first time in weeks, I felt relief.

But a week later, during a check-up, the surgeon saw milk leaking from the wound and immediately told me to stop breastfeeding and take medication to dry up my supply. She said the wound wouldn’t heal otherwise.

I was devastated. My baby was only eight weeks old, and I had every intention of breastfeeding for at least six months.

Thankfully, we were about to return to the UK from India (where I’d given birth and had the surgery), and the surgeon agreed to delay the medication until I got a second opinion.

That second opinion changed everything.

The UK doctor was pro-breastfeeding and reassured me I could continue. And they were right—despite the leaking, I had no infection. The wound took a bit longer to heal, but it stayed clean and closed up completely.

To any mom up late, Googling for answers like I was: don’t stop unless you truly have to. Milk leaking doesn’t always mean there’s a problem. Sometimes, it just means your body is working hard to heal and feed your baby at the same time.

If in doubt, get a second opinion. Keep going—you’ve got this.

“Four Weeks of Leaking, But I’m Still Breastfeeding” – Sam’s Story

A couple of months after surgery, I’m still breastfeeding—and I’m so glad I stuck with it. My abscess was 5 cm deep, and it took almost four weeks for the milk to stop leaking from the wound. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

At one point, I was convinced the abscess had come back. It turned out to be just part of the normal healing process. Since then, I’ve had no issues and no setbacks.

To any mom going through this: trust your body, trust the process, and keep going if you can. Healing can be slow, but it doesn’t mean breastfeeding has to stop.

“My Abscess Healed—and the Surgeons Were Wrong” – Kim’s Story

Two weeks after my baby was born, I developed a breast abscess. I’d had a long labor followed by a c-section, and my immune system was shot. What started as a red spot quickly became a deep infection. Antibiotics didn’t help, so I had surgery—a 2 cm incision and a 1.5 cm deep wound.

Before the procedure, the surgeon warned me: if milk leaked from the wound, I’d have to stop breastfeeding. Two days later, it did. A second surgeon gave the same advice—stop breastfeeding to heal.

Thankfully, the hospital midwives and lactation consultants told a different story. They said milk in the wound might slow healing slightly, but it wasn’t harmful—and it could even help keep the area clean. One LC explained that milk leaks often happen because milk ducts are cut during surgery. A breast surgeon confirmed that unless I had a fistula, there was no reason to stop nursing.

So I kept going. I used a large dressing to protect the wound and nursed in short sessions at first. Nighttime was messy—my dressings would soak through, and I’d wake up covered in milk. After four weeks, it was still leaking. But at five weeks, it stopped. Now, at eight weeks, the wound is nearly closed—and I’m still breastfeeding.

I couldn’t pump from that side, so my supply dipped a little. But my baby is still mostly breastfed.

If you’re facing this too, don’t panic. Don’t let one person’s opinion end your journey. Find someone who understands breastfeeding and wound healing. You can get through this.

“My Abscess Wasn’t the End—It Was the Start of a New Plan” – By Anonymous

When my daughter was six weeks old, I had surgery for a breast abscess—and that’s when the milk started leaking nonstop from the wound. I was constantly changing bandages. My surgeon said I’d need to stop breastfeeding if I ever wanted to heal. I was heartbroken.

I kept pumping for a few more weeks, but the leaking continued. As a last resort, the surgeon stitched off the leaking duct to shut it down. It worked. Ten months later, I’m still pumping and giving my daughter breast milk. It wasn’t easy, but it was possible.

My symptoms started at just three weeks postpartum. I thought I had a clogged duct. I tried home remedies, but after three days, it was worse. A doctor diagnosed an abscess and prescribed antibiotics. I had no fever, so I’d missed the signs. Then I had an allergic reaction to the meds. I had to pump and dump for days—emotionally brutal.

Eventually, I was hospitalized for four days. The abscess was huge, and I needed surgery. The surgeon drained two ounces of pus—instant relief. But I left with a drain tube and raw, peeling skin on my nipple. Pumping was painful, and I had to get creative using a nipple shield to work around the tubing.

Slowly, my supply returned. I even tried to nurse again, but my daughter, used to bottles and dealing with a tongue tie, struggled to latch.

Now at three months, I’m pumping and supplementing. The affected side produces less, but somehow, I’m making it work. I’ve learned how little awareness there is about breast abscesses—and how isolating it can feel.

But I got through it. And if you’re in it now, you can too. You’re not alone.

References

• Breast Abscess – StatPearls — StatPearls Publishing (2023-06-26). Overview of causes, diagnosis, and treatment; explains the relationship between mastitis and abscess development in breastfeeding mothers.
• Breast Abscess — NHS (Reviewed 2023-06-14). Provides practical treatment guidance and clearly states that continued breastfeeding is safe and often encouraged.
• Management of Lactational Mastitis and Breast Abscesses: Review of Current Knowledge and Practice — International Journal of Women’s Health (2014). Outlines traditional vs. modern treatment strategies (needle aspiration vs. surgery), and antibiotic safety during breastfeeding.
• Maintaining Breastfeeding During the Treatment of Breast Abscess — Breastfeeding Medicine (2022). Focused on continuing breastfeeding during abscess treatment, including evidence-based reassurance for mothers and care providers.