Help!! Engorgment and clogged duct issues

Lilt

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Hi! So I'm completly at a loss. Had Declan on jan 25 once my milk came in on day 3 I've been completly engorged and clogged 90% percent of the time. I breastfeed 15 mins on each side and then pump after about 5 mins into pumping I can feel the clog duct release. The doc and lactation perps. Both told me to pump until nothing comes out. But about 10 mins after I can feel it release it gets hard again and I'm miserable anyone have any advice. I'm just miserable and crying daily lol I do massage and hot water compress but it also just comes back really quickly after it releases.
 
Are you feeding LO for 15 minutes on both sides usually, then pumping, or is this just what you're doing to relieve the clogged ducts?

If you're doing it normally, you're telling your boobs to make more milk so you will keep getting engorged and keep getting clogged ducts. Are you sure they are actually clogged ducts? If you hand express and watch your nipple, can you see bits where milk isn't coming out that it does later? You might just be feeling the relief of the engorgement or possibly you're feeling a let down (you can have more than one per feeding session). I wouldn't have thought you'd get a clogged duct so quickly after feeding or expressing, I would have thought it would take a while for the duct to get blocked up again. You might, however, be feeling your boobs start to fill up again if you've been telling them they need to make loads of milk quickly.

In an ideal world, you wouldn't express at all because the more you do, the more milk you'll make so the more engorged you'll feel and the greater than chance of problems. However, if you've been expressing a lot (and it sounds like you have!), you will probably need to reduce it slowly. Remember that every time you express until 'empty' your boob will think, "OMG, I'm empty, the baby is STARVING, quick, make more!". You have to leave a little milk in there to let your boob know it made too much. So I would slowly decrease the time you're spending pumping - you need to get it so that you're only expressing to relieve pain (and then nothing at all, unless you want to store milk), NOT so that you feel empty. You also don't need to time LO's feeding sessions and you shouldn't be doing a set number per side. Feed LO from one side until LO is done, then switch to the other side if LO is still hungry. Go to the other breast at the next feed.
 
Rachel gave you great advice!! I've had plugged duct and mastitis when I stopped pumping and boy did it hurt!!

Also, be careful with certain food, such as oatmeal and yeast. For some women (I'm one of them), it boosts milk production. It can be really useful, but in your case it'll be even worse.
 
Thank you so much for the information! That's the best advice I've received and makes a lot more sense to me than what the lactation peeps were telling me! This whole thing has been so overwhelming and getting contradicting advice from medical professionals doesn't help at all. My mom said the same thing you did but I didn't listen because it's been 20 years for her lol
 
I had my dd 5 days ago and I am so engorged it's crazy. I breasted dd1 for 15 months so kind of get it but forgot about this! It is normal to feel this way this early. Your body will regulate and become less engorged. I am never drained or empty and constantly in pain now. I take warm showers and hand express just enough for comfort but not enough to tell my body to produce more milk . I was told not to pump until your milk is regulated around 3 weeks. Or else your body will keep producing large amounts of milk and you will feel engorged. Hope this helps.
 

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