After Mother Posts Photo With Her Newborn, Instagram Followers Notice She Has An Infection

Updated September 8, 2021

It's pretty common these days for people to post their lives on Instagram. The thousands of followers people amass on their social media accounts is almost a second family. Former reality TV star Zoe Hendrix, who starred on Married At First Sight, recently shared a picture of herself resting with her eight week old while being sick with the flu. Well, she thought it was the flu until an Instagram follower pointed out to her that she may have something more serious...

SHARE this article with your Facebook friends. Everyone should know about this health concern that can affect new mothers.

Being sick as a parent is a horrible situation. Your responsibilities don't end when you get sick.

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Oftentimes, unless you have children in daycare, it's impossible to even lay down to get the rest you need.

Zoe Hendrix recently posted this photo of her and her eight-week-old daughter in bed. She made the post with the following caption.

Instagram | @zoehendrix

"SICK AS a flea bitten dog in the backstreets of Bali. ?Except I'm not in Bali I'm in bed with a temp of 39, sore throat, body aches and an 8 week old."

"I salute all you mums/dads with chronic and serious illness who get up everyday and push through the pain and take care of your kids. this %$@# is hard."

Instagram | @zoehendrix

No doubt!

You have to feel for her.

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Raising a new baby is not easy — taking care of your baby, your family, and your own health can be overwhelming and really take a toll on your body.

While the original photo was probably intended as an ordinary "in the life" kind of photo to show her followers the realities of raising a new baby, there was something more.

Instagram | @zoehendrix

Little did Zoe know, a comment on her original post would get her the help she really needed...

A follower of hers commented that Zoe may be experiencing symptoms related to mastitis.

Unsplash | Luiza Braun

Mastitis is an infection of the breast tissue that can develop in breastfeeding mothers, typically within the first six to twelve weeks after giving birth.

The infection most commonly develops when bacteria enters the nipple through a crack or sore from breastfeeding.

Unsplash | Zach Lucero

It can make a new mother feel extremely tired and have low energy.

Many women actually end up quitting breastfeeding altogether, but that's not necessary.

Unsplash | Kelly Sikkema

Continuing to breastfeed won't harm the baby, and it can actually help clear the infection

A follower of Zoe's expressed that they had also suffered from mastitis after having a baby.

Instagram | @zoehendrix

Heathersnapper wrote to Zoe, saying that "I got it about 7 times while BF, so I used to ask the dr for the prescription and have the antibiotics on hand ready to take and the first sign of infection, to lessen the severity."

Zoe would need to see a doctor to check for sure whether she had mastitis.

Instagram | @rebecca.ck

Luckily, if caught early, mothers can avoid developing abscesses or further complications of the infection.

Zoe listened to her Instagram follower and got herself to a doctor.

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It wasn't too long after reading the comments from her followers that she updated them with news after a visit to the doctors.

In an thankful post, Zoe had a message and an update:

Instagram | @zoehendrix

"THANK YOU ?? to all you wonderful and switched on followers who informed me about Mastitis in my last post (which I thought was just the flu) I have been on antibiotics, pain relief, and my angel of a mother in law has been helping me care for Harper," she wrote.

"I am starting to feel human again after feeling like I was hit by a truck! #thankyouinstafam ??❤#bathtimebaby."

Instagram | @zoehendrix

While social media can bring so much negativity, this is clearly a moment that shows how great of a tool it is for building community.

If Zoe didn't post that photo and have a concerned follower comment on it, she may have found out too late about her condition.

Instagram | @zoehendrix

Or maybe not at all!

Incredible, right?

Medium | Medium

Social media is powerful for so many reasons!

Mastitis can also affect the ease with which a mother can breastfeed, so it's a blessing that she caught it early.

Instagram | @zoehendrix

Now she and her baby can both be happy and healthy.

Hopefully soon she can breastfeed little Harper-Rose with no problems! Who ever said social media was bad??

Instagram | @zoehendrix

Leave a COMMENT on Facebook letting us know if you've ever suffered from mastitis while breastfeeding.

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Parenting