Ouch! Michael Brunelli helps Martha Kalifatidis with a common new mum problem
"You have got to suck harder than that. The baby sucks harder than that!"
In general breastfeeding should not be painful but the truth is, particularly in the early days with your newborn, there can be all sorts of issues that bring discomfort.
Just ask new mum, Martha Kalifatidis, who has recently experienced one of the most common causes of discomfort – a blocked milk duct. Four weeks into the breastfeeding journey, the 34yo pleaded with fiancé Michael Brunelli to help her get relief and fortunately for us, the pair shared the hilarious moment via a video shared to Instagram! (see above)
“You’ve got to breathe through your nose. It’s like giving a b***job!”
A clogged milk duct, also called a blocked duct or a plugged duct, occurs when the milk flow out of your breast has been obstructed in a certain place. They are very painful and it’s essential to push through that pain to try to clear the blockage, as a blocked duct and can lead to mastitis if it’s not cleared quickly.
In Martha’s video, which was posted to Instagram on Thursday night, her Married at First Sight husband, Michael, Michael showed no hesitation in offering his services to help a new mamma out when asked to assist.
Although he was a little slow to get going …
“You have got to suck harder than that. The baby sucks harder than that!”
Despite 34yo Michael’s best efforts, he simply wasn’t sucking hard enough initially to clear the blockage.
‘”You have got to suck harder than that. The baby sucks harder than that. It’s not one constant, it has to be, like, sucking,” instructs Martha.
“How do I suck it harder than that? I got no strength in my suck,” a flustered Michael responds.
Eventually the team find success: “Omg I can feel it empty!”
Giggling like crazy, Martha further instructs Michael to breathe through his nose: “It’s like giving a b***job, you’ve really got to focus on the breathing more than any part of it!”
Fortunately for Martha’s sore boobs, it wasn’t long before she exclaimed: “Babe I think we’ve done it!”
Martha and Michael welcomed adorable son, Lucius at the end of February, 2023.
“Love the raw honesty of this!”
Fans of the reality television stars were quick to jump in and respond to the very relatable video, many voicing their praises for Michael.
“Omg! Now that’s a real man! There is no way my husband would of done that!” shared one commenter while another quipped: “Omg whattt, my husband wouldn’t even try my breast milk from a glass!”
“You’ve reached a whole new level of relationship goals right here,” noted one praising fan, and another stated simply that they: “Love the raw honesty of this!”
However despite their original success, the pair soon found themselves in hospital when it was discovered that Martha actually had “two breast abscesses”.
Breast abscess is a painful infection in the breast tissue, mainly impacting women who are breastfeeding.
In a photo of Martha sitting in a hospital bed, Michael wrote: “Turns out Marty has two breast abscesses.”
“Thought we’d be a few hours, turns out we’re staying overnight,” Michael wrote in an update to fans.
Having breastfeeding discomfort yourself? Breastfeeding should not be painful but the fact remains that, particularly in the early days with your newborn, there can be all sorts of issues that bring discomfort. You can read about how to do best manage those early day niggles HERE.
