Breastfeeding mothers often come to me at a loss: “My breasts hurt! No matter what time of day it hurts, I can’t hold on any longer! I have to grit my teeth every day to breastfeed, doctor, please help me!” What exactly causes a mother’s breasts to hurt so much? One of the causes of pain: nipple bacteria and fungal infections Did you know? There are actually many bacteria and fungi in nature, including on the nipple, in the breast milk and in the child’s mouth. The only thing is that because they live together peacefully for a long time, they usually do not develop, and we also call them “colonized bacteria”, not pathogenic bacteria. When there is a change in the body, such as a recent decrease in resistance to a cold, a period of antibiotics leading to dysbiosis, cracked nipples, or a hot and humid environment due to the use of non-breathable nursing pads, bacteria and fungi may appear. This is when bacterial and fungal infections may occur. When bacteria infect the broken nipple, it will quickly cause retrograde infection of the milk ducts, and the mother will have symptoms of acute mastitis such as breast redness, local and general fever, and breast pain, so do not massage violently on your own and seek medical attention. When the fungus infects the nipple, the nipple areola area will be red, swollen and shiny, sometimes slightly molted, and the pain in the nipple is constant and even more severe when breastfeeding. It is important to understand the cause of breast pain in order to treat the disease.