Breastfeeding has been shown to have many health benefits, for mother and baby - and Cassandra Fellingham is pleased and proud she was able to breastfeed all three of her children. Yet two years ago, breastfeeding her third baby left Cassandra, 34, suffering from a condition that nearly killed her. She'd developed mastitis, which affects one in ten breastfeeding women and occurs when a milk duct, which transports milk to the nipple, becomes blocked. Milk builds up in the breast, leading to painful inflammation. Cassandra Fellingham got mastitis so bad when she breastfed her third child (r) she nearly died. Pictured with sons Miles, five, and Jensen, two . There are 15 to 20 milk ducts in each breast - these can become blocked for a number of reasons, such as the baby not latching on properly and draining the breast effectively, or feeding irregularly. It can also be caused by pressure from a bra that's too tight. Often, the condition clears up on its own - if the mother continues breastfeeding, this helps to drain the breast, clear the blockage and the problem resolves. However, for some women the stagnant milk becomes infected, causing flu-like symptoms such as aches and shivers. This may happen because bacteria enter the breast through a small crack or break in the skin, or as a result of bacteria in the baby's mouth and throat entering during breastfeeding. In this case, a course of antibiotics is required to clear the infection - mothers can take a type that is safe for babies, allowing them to keep breastfeeding. Cassandra knows these symptoms well - she had mastitis with her first child, Shikiera, now 15, and her second, Miles, now five. 'Both times I'd got pain, then a hardening of the breast, followed by aches and feeling rotten,' says Cassandra, a self-employed PA who lives with her partner and children in Littlehampton, West Sussex. 'I saw my GP and was given antibiotics, which cleared it up within a few days.' The bacteria that had caused the mastitis had spread to her bloodstream . So when Cassandra had her third child, Jensen, now two, and started feeling unwell, she knew what was wrong. 'When Jensen was eight weeks old, I got the familiar pain in my left breast - then I started to ache and feel as if I was coming down with flu. I knew without a doubt this was mastitis again.' She called her GP and, because of her history, the doctor gave Cassandra antibiotics straight away. But whereas with her first two children the medicine worked quickly, this time it did not. 'Over the next two days the pain in my left breast got worse. It was also like the worst flu ever - I was hot, then cold, then dizzy and the aches felt like I'd been kicked. I lay and shivered beneath a blanket.' Luckily, her partner Wayne, 44, an accountant, was able to help look after the other children. Despite her condition, Cassandra was keen to continue breastfeeding. 'I'd read lots about mastitis and knew the best way to clear a blockage was to keep on feeding,' she says. However, three days after the mastitis began, with Wayne out, Cassandra's condition worsened dramatically. 'I started feeling breathless and lay down in bed, but suddenly the room went black. I was slipping in and out of consciousness.' Her quick-thinking daughter, then just 13, grabbed a thermometer and took her mother's temperature - it was 41c. In one moment of lucidity, Cassandra grabbed the phone and called her doctor, who told her to get to A&E. Wayne hurried home and stayed with the other children. Cassandra managed to climb into a taxi. Not wanting to be parted from Jensen, she took him with her to Worthing Hospital. By the time she arrived, she could barely string a sentence together and was hallucinating. She recalls hearing the consultant talk to another doctor and mentioning the word 'sepsis'. 'I was terrified. I knew this was very serious,' she says. Cassandra was raced down to a high-dependency ward and attached to wires to monitor her heart, with a drip inserted for fluids. She was also given two sets of intravenous antibiotics. Blood tests confirmed Cassandra had sepsis - blood poisoning. The bacteria that had caused the mastitis had spread to her bloodstream. For two days, Cassandra battled for her life after being diagnosed with sepsis - blood poisoning . Less than 1 per cent of cases of mastitis lead to sepsis, says Dr Ron Daniels, a critical care consultant and chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust. When sepsis occurs, the body's immune system sets off a series of reactions, including inflammation, swelling and blood clotting, which can mean the blood supply to vital organs is cut off. If it isn't treated quickly, sepsis can lead to organ failure and ultimately death. 'Antibiotics are the single most important thing - if they're delivered in the first hour, then that doubles your chance of survival,' says Dr Daniels. 'But for every hour of delay, the risk of death increases by 8 per cent. 'We estimate that 102,000 people get sepsis every year in the UK. Out of that figure, 37,000 die.' Sepsis is most likely to occur as a result of conditions such as pneumonia, gallbladder complications or urinary tract infections, which are generally more common than mastitis. For two days, Cassandra battled for her life, with distressed family and friends taking turns to sit with her and care for the baby. Reduction in a woman's risk of breast cancer if she breastfeeds her baby . 'Jensen was in his cot by my side,' she says. 'I remember looking at him, so small, and thinking that I had to live.' Nurses held the baby to her breast so he could continue to be breastfed. Finally, on the third day, she turned a corner. 'A consultant came and smiled and told me that the antibiotics had cleared the sepsis. I was going to be all right.' After five days in hospital, Cassandra was allowed home with oral antibiotics. Her breast was still sore, but she carried on breastfeeding. Jensen is now a healthy, happy two-and-a-half-year-old. 'The way I saw it, I was just unlucky that time,' she says. 'Breastfeeding was still the best food for my baby and I wasn't going to let mastitis stop me doing that.' It's not clear why some women get mastitis and others don't, but women who have had it are prone to getting it again - possibly because of the way the mother is feeding. Cassandra wants to raise awareness among breastfeeding women of the dangers of mastitis . To prevent the problem, mothers should ensure the baby is latched on properly and finishes the feed on each side; mothers should also wear a comfortable bra, and get plenty of rest - lowered immunity can raise the risk. If a woman suspects she has mastitis, she should contact her GP immediately because of the risk of infection, and also the risk of an abscess developing, which may need to be drained. With help and support, the problem often resolves itself, says Janet Fyle, midwife and policy adviser for the Royal College of Midwives. 'If a woman develops any pain or lumps, hot showers or cold compresses can help. 'Also, at every feed, she should make sure the baby feeds from each side, to ensure the milk is drained properly. If it does not resolve, she needs to see a GP or a lactation consultant.' If flu-like symptoms develop, this can suggest an infection has developed and antibiotics are needed. However, women can continue to breastfeed, or express milk if it is too painful, she says. 'As long as she is supported and gets advice, there is no reason to stop feeding.' Cassandra wants to raise awareness among breastfeeding women of the dangers of mastitis. 'I'd had it before and so was a bit complacent that it would just pass,' she says. 'I'm so glad I got to hospital when I did or I might not be here now.' Visit sepsistrust.org or lcgb.org for more information .
Cassandra Fellingham, 34, from Littlehampton, developed mastitis . Occurs when milk duct becomes blocked leading to painful inflammation . For some the stagnant milk becomes infected, causing flu-like symptoms .