‘Little People, Big World’ Star Audrey Roloff Opens up About Her Struggle With Breastfeeding

Being a new mom is tough! Audrey Roloff gave birth to her first child — a baby girl named Ember Jean — in September, but her first few months of motherhood haven’t been pure baby bliss. The Little People, Big World star, who previously battled mastitis, took social media on Tuesday, Jan. 30 to update fans on her breastfeeding experience.

“Just a little encouragement for anyone struggling on their breastfeeding journey,” Auj wrote in an Instagram Story. “I was only able to pump MAYBE one ounce the first two months after having Ember. I fed 15 hours of my day and it hurt and was so hard. But here we are at five months pumping eight ounces like it’s nothin [sic].”

In a separate video, the new mama added, “It took me a solid two months, maybe two and a half months before I really started to see an increase in my supply and breastfeeding became a lot easier.” She continued, “Since delivering Ember, I struggled with mastitis on and off. I was severely engorged. On top of that, Ember had a really severe tongue tie that we had to get surgically fixed about two or three weeks after she was born. Before that, I was having a lot of blistering and bruising.”

According to WebMD, mastitis is defined as inflammation of the breast that is caused by an infection after bacteria enters the breast through the nipple via a cracked or sore nipple. Mastitis can also be caused by anemia, waiting too long in between breastfeeding sessions, or failing to empty the breast completely of milk. It can happen at any time while a mother breastfeeds, but it’s most likely to start between the first two or three weeks of birth to six months. It usually affects only one breast that can look red or appear warm to the touch, and the symptoms can include fever, chills, and body aches.

These flu-like symptoms can drain a new mom — especially Audrey, who had previously complained about only getting a few hours of sleep in the days after Ember was born. The only way that Audrey could recover from mastitis was by getting rest, drinking plenty of liquids, and continuing to breastfeed through the infected breast — which was totally safe for her baby girl.

Thankfully, Auj didn’t go through this alone! Her faithful husband, Jeremy Roloff, was by her side and they’ve both adjusted to their new roles as parents. The couple is usually pretty active on social media, but they explained why they were initially quiet on Instagram following Ember’s birth. “For now we’re resting at home soaking In the present — honored that we’ve been entrusted with this little life,” he wrote.