diff --git a/drivers/mmc/mmc.c b/drivers/mmc/mmc.c
index 112f9689f7..36cce79eaf 100644
--- a/drivers/mmc/mmc.c
+++ b/drivers/mmc/mmc.c
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ int mmc_send_cmd(struct mmc *mmc, struct mmc_cmd *cmd, struct mmc_data *data)
 }
 #endif
 
-int mmc_send_status(struct mmc *mmc, int timeout)
+int mmc_send_status(struct mmc *mmc, unsigned int *status)
 {
 	struct mmc_cmd cmd;
 	int err, retries = 5;
@@ -216,31 +216,46 @@ int mmc_send_status(struct mmc *mmc, int timeout)
 	if (!mmc_host_is_spi(mmc))
 		cmd.cmdarg = mmc->rca << 16;
 
-	while (1) {
+	while (retries--) {
 		err = mmc_send_cmd(mmc, &cmd, NULL);
 		if (!err) {
-			if ((cmd.response[0] & MMC_STATUS_RDY_FOR_DATA) &&
-			    (cmd.response[0] & MMC_STATUS_CURR_STATE) !=
-			     MMC_STATE_PRG)
-				break;
+			mmc_trace_state(mmc, &cmd);
+			*status = cmd.response[0];
+			return 0;
+		}
+	}
+	mmc_trace_state(mmc, &cmd);
+	return -ECOMM;
+}
 
-			if (cmd.response[0] & MMC_STATUS_MASK) {
-#if !defined(CONFIG_SPL_BUILD) || defined(CONFIG_SPL_LIBCOMMON_SUPPORT)
-				pr_err("Status Error: 0x%08x\n",
-				       cmd.response[0]);
-#endif
-				return -ECOMM;
-			}
-		} else if (--retries < 0)
+int mmc_poll_for_busy(struct mmc *mmc, int timeout)
+{
+	unsigned int status;
+	int err;
+
+	while (1) {
+		err = mmc_send_status(mmc, &status);
+		if (err)
 			return err;
 
+		if ((status & MMC_STATUS_RDY_FOR_DATA) &&
+		    (status & MMC_STATUS_CURR_STATE) !=
+		     MMC_STATE_PRG)
+			break;
+
+		if (status & MMC_STATUS_MASK) {
+#if !defined(CONFIG_SPL_BUILD) || defined(CONFIG_SPL_LIBCOMMON_SUPPORT)
+			pr_err("Status Error: 0x%08x\n", status);
+#endif
+			return -ECOMM;
+		}
+
 		if (timeout-- <= 0)
 			break;
 
 		udelay(1000);
 	}
 
-	mmc_trace_state(mmc, &cmd);
 	if (timeout <= 0) {
 #if !defined(CONFIG_SPL_BUILD) || defined(CONFIG_SPL_LIBCOMMON_SUPPORT)
 		pr_err("Timeout waiting card ready\n");
@@ -752,7 +767,7 @@ static int __mmc_switch(struct mmc *mmc, u8 set, u8 index, u8 value,
 		}
 
 		/* Waiting for the ready status */
-		return mmc_send_status(mmc, timeout);
+		return mmc_poll_for_busy(mmc, timeout);
 	}
 
 	return ret;
diff --git a/drivers/mmc/mmc_private.h b/drivers/mmc/mmc_private.h
index f49b6eb573..35170d03ab 100644
--- a/drivers/mmc/mmc_private.h
+++ b/drivers/mmc/mmc_private.h
@@ -11,10 +11,11 @@
 
 #include <mmc.h>
 
-extern int mmc_send_cmd(struct mmc *mmc, struct mmc_cmd *cmd,
-			struct mmc_data *data);
-extern int mmc_send_status(struct mmc *mmc, int timeout);
-extern int mmc_set_blocklen(struct mmc *mmc, int len);
+int mmc_send_cmd(struct mmc *mmc, struct mmc_cmd *cmd, struct mmc_data *data);
+int mmc_send_status(struct mmc *mmc, unsigned int *status);
+int mmc_poll_for_busy(struct mmc *mmc, int timeout);
+
+int mmc_set_blocklen(struct mmc *mmc, int len);
 #ifdef CONFIG_FSL_ESDHC_ADAPTER_IDENT
 void mmc_adapter_card_type_ident(void);
 #endif
diff --git a/drivers/mmc/mmc_write.c b/drivers/mmc/mmc_write.c
index c8c83c9188..02648b0f50 100644
--- a/drivers/mmc/mmc_write.c
+++ b/drivers/mmc/mmc_write.c
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ ulong mmc_berase(struct blk_desc *block_dev, lbaint_t start, lbaint_t blkcnt)
 		blk += blk_r;
 
 		/* Waiting for the ready status */
-		if (mmc_send_status(mmc, timeout))
+		if (mmc_poll_for_busy(mmc, timeout))
 			return 0;
 	}
 
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ static ulong mmc_write_blocks(struct mmc *mmc, lbaint_t start,
 	}
 
 	/* Waiting for the ready status */
-	if (mmc_send_status(mmc, timeout))
+	if (mmc_poll_for_busy(mmc, timeout))
 		return 0;
 
 	return blkcnt;