![Gogglebox star praised for honest breastfeeding post after hospital dash](/upload/news/2023/08/05/82666.jpg)
Gogglebox's Ellie Warner has been praised by fans for sharing an honest account of her turbulent breastfeeding journey - that saw her making a dash to hospital.
The new mum, 33, spoke about her difficult experience after giving birth to son Ezra in June. Ellie said at one point she was left in 'so much pain' following a nasty bout of mastitis that she had to be rushed to hospital for a burst abscess.
In a very candid Instagram post, Ellie explaining she'd also sought treatment for her son, who was suffering from tongue-tie (a condition where the strip of skin connecting the baby's tongue to the bottom of their mouth is shorter than usual.)
Recalling her dramatic few weeks, Ellie said she had tried to be as prepared as she could before giving birth and attended a breastfeeding group to hear other mums' experiences and did her own research.
"As a first time mum I had no idea what to expect and was scared to be overconfident," said Ellie who admitted she was determined to breastfeed as soon as she fell pregnant.
Ellie says she got off to a good start after having an hour of skin-on-skin contact with son Ezra after giving birth with breastfeed coming 'naturally' to her.
However, a few weeks later Ellie said her son began to experience 'a lot of wind' and she sought private treatment for his tongue tie after being told her son was feeding fine as he was gaining weight.
Recounting her painful next steps, Ellie went on: "By this point I'd developed a blocked duct and tried various methods to clear it but nothing worked. Eventually it turned into mastitis. I went to the GP who prescribed antibiotics but after 10 days, it turned into an abscess."
"The morning that the abscess burst, I was in so much pain that I was crying. I was scared to feed off the affected boob and couldn't get seen by my own GP.I managed to get an appointment at the out-of-hours GP, who told me to go to A&E.
"I was beside myself and in a lot of pain, but the consultant in A&E was kind and referred me to the breast clinic the next day. I didn't want this to be the end of my breastfeeding journey, as I wasn't ready to stop. I was proud of what I'd achieved so far."
The reality star, who shares Ezra with her parter Nat Eddleston, was commended by her followers for showing the realities of motherhood and mastitis - which is an inflammation in breast pain among women who are breastfeeding, which can cause swelling, warmth and redness.
One wrote: "Thank you for normalising breastfeeding. Amazing, great breastfeeding awareness. Mastitis is painful hope it gets better soon. I loved my sling for breastfeeding." Another said: "Such a beautifully natural photo. This is what I need to learn!"
Ellie later shared a the shot of Ezra breastfeeding with the caption: "Today at the sling library! Can't wait to take it out for a test drive. Got a bit of mastitis, but it's getting better now thank god."
The star's fans were quick to give their recommendation for mastitis with many prescribing cabbage leaves. One wrote: "Cabbage leaves in ya bra really works." While another added: "Mastitis is the worse. I ended up feeding my son from just one boob and I looked like someone who could only afford one silicon implant."
Ellie announced she was pregnant on Googlebox back in December on the Channel 4 show, alongside her sister Izzi. Taking to social media at the beginning of June, the hairdresser confirmed the arrival of little Ezra, much to her followers' delight.