Instagram Followers Help Mother Treat Infection (Photos)

When a reality star shared a photo of herself with her baby, saying that she was battling the flu, followers were quick to point out that something more serious may be going on.

Zoe Hendrix appeared on the reality show “Married At First Sight,” on which she met her now-husband, Alex Garner. The two fell in love on the show in 2015 and, according to ViralNova, welcomed a baby girl into the world in November 2016.

Two months after giving birth, Zoe shared a photo on her Instagram page of herself in bed with her daughter and explained that she had come down with the flu.

“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,” Hendrix wrote in the Instagram post. “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 s**t is hard #migraneandcryingbaby #notafunmix #shootmenow”

Hendrix quickly received a number of comments from followers. Some pointed out that her symptoms sounded less like the flu and more like a condition called Mastitis, which is caused by a blocked milk duct in the breast.

According to Baby Center, Mastitis is “what they call when tissue in your breast becomes painfully inflamed. (It generally affects one breast at a time.) The area may be red, sore, hard to the touch, or unusually warm. The swelling may or may not be caused by an infection. Signs of an infection include chills, a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, and fatigue.”

Baby Center continues, “Mastitis that’s not due to an infection may be caused by milk staying in the breast (this is called ‘milk status’), engorgement, or plugged milk ducts. A breast infection may be caused by any of these as well as cracked or damaged nipples, which allow germs to enter the breast.”

Mastitis can be treated with antibiotics, but if not caught soon enough, can result in hospitalization and sometimes even surgery.

The next day, Hendrix shared an update thanking her followers for informing her about Mastitis.

“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),” she wrote. “I have been on antibiotics, pain relief, and my angel of a mother in law has been helping me care for Harper. I am starting to feel human again after feeling like I was hit by a truck #thankyouinstafam”

Thanks to her observant followers, Hendrix recovered from the health scare and got right back to taking care of her baby.

Sources: ViralNova, Baby Center / Photo Credit: Zoe Hendrix/Instagram