Did you know that taking a good-quality probiotic supplement during late pregnancy and early breastfeeding can reduce your chances of developing mastitis by up to 60%? Speaking on the latest episode of the Unii Babies podcast with Dr. Saranya, Unii’s Baby Nutrition expert Dr. Venita Patel, a community paediatrician, nutritional therapist, and mum of two, shared that she thinks this evidence-based tip will soon form part of NHS guidance. “So it's not something that's widely known. It's not something that midwives are currently advising on. But I feel that there will be enough evidence soon for people to be guided on that. So particularly if you've had antibiotics or if you might need antibiotics. Some people at birth have an indication for needing antibiotics. And in that case, it would be useful to be given probiotics or to take probiotics. But I have to say, we can also guide parents or mothers to take probiotic foods because they also play a role in how the gut microbiota changes.

Mum-to-be don’t need prescription probiotics; an over-the-counter brand will do. But how do you choose the best supplement? “Ask your pharmacist to advise you on that,“ says Dr. Patel. “There are some websites that provide good information, but, generally, the advice isn’t out there yet, so you should ask someone with some training. But there is usually a broad range that most people can take. And then probiotic foods; there's [usually] no kind of dietary restriction on eating those. So that's something that I tell people to do more of.”

Prevention is better than cure, but you can learn more about coping with mastitis after birth from Episode 23 of Unii’s Giving Birth Journey video course with Dr. Keith Duncan.

Visit Dr. Venita Patel’s complete Baby Nutrition Journey video course for advice on all things weaning and baby diet, from first foods to dealing with picky eaters. Those palettes are pretty limited by breast and formula feeding, and Dr. Venita’s episodes are the perfect place to access expert help anytime.

And don’t forget to tune in for a new episode of Unii Babies with Dr. Saranya Ravindran every Friday.

Unii Babies is created and owned by London-based family wellbeing educational platform Unii.com, which offers hundreds of episodes of expert-led video courses and a library of medically reviewed articles devoted to improving both baby and child health and your parenting journey. We can also have your parenting questions expertly answered. Contact us with what you want to know, and you may see one of our experts discuss it on our podcast or Unii.com: Because Family Matters.

This podcast is for reference and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied upon as such. Specific medical advice about your specific circumstances should always be sought separately before taking or deciding not to take any action.

Unii’s Baby Nutrition Expert: Taking a Probiotic in Pregnancy Helps Prevent Mastitis

Unii’s Baby Nutrition Expert: Taking a Probiotic in Pregnancy Helps Prevent Mastitis