Plugged duct??

[ParisJeTadore]

The last day and a half I've had a large section on the upper half of my breast that feels hard and sore (like it's engorged). It hurts to massage it and after applying lots of warm compresses, feeding as much as possible on that side and pumping I haven't gotten any relief. Could this be a clogged duct? And is it possible for it to be a whole section and not just one lump?

 

[claireybell]

possibly blocked duct, is it red & looks inflamed at all, any flu-cold like symptoms with it or feeling really run down.? I wonder if it could be mastitis.. Could always give the health visitor or Dr a call to advise..

 

[ParisJeTadore]

Don't have any flu symptoms, redness or fever. Just soreness...In fact, just closing my coat made it hurt more yesterday. LOVE also isn't feeding as long on the sore side either.

 

[Emz1982_in_uk]

I get huge areas of clogged ducts so it does sound like it. I get really bad shooting pains when it happens.

Keep feeding and start on the blocked side. Keep massaging, hot showers and cloths. I find holding my hot cup of tea on the area helps lol and paracetamol for the pain. It sounds like you're doing all the right things. Mine can take a few days to start getting better x

 

[Akinesia]

I had this sensation early on after my son was born. Even though it hurt, I massaged it frequently and was sure to feed him from that side frequently. The pain subsided after a week of doing this and I havent had any problems since.

 

[ParisJeTadore]

Thanks for the replies!

I guess I will just keep at it and hope that it resolves itself soon. I did massage the area after a shower really well today and it seems a little softer and less sore than it was this morning...

 

[Menelly]

If you have a pump, try and pump on that side too. Sometimes my pump was stronger than my baby sucked and would break the plug. You can also google "milk blister" if you see any white spots on your nipples. They'll give you ideas how to break the milk blister.

I got them several times and OMG ow.

 

[libbylou]

Yep, that's a clogged duct, I used to get a ton of them (at one point I was getting one every two days!!)
Warm compresses and gentle massage (I found that making a fist, placing it on the affected area and then rolling my fist from armpit to nipple worked best) while feeding/pumping. Feeding is better as LO is far more efficient than a pump.
Check your nipple and see if you can find any small white dots - these are milk blisters/milk blebs (basically a clog at the nipple part of the duct). Use a sterilized needle to gently open it up (you might have to work at it to get it clear) and then pump or feed to clean it out. I still get a few of these
Keep an eye for flu symptoms and fever as it can turn to mastitis

If you keep getting recurring clogs, taking a lecithin supplement is a huge help

 

[Tacey]

Feed, feed, feed! Ideally, point baby's chin towards the sore area, I find combing with a wide toothed comb helpful too. There's some debate over whether heat or cold is better for the swelling, so maybe experiment. If you use disposable nappies, apparently hot (not scalding,) water in a clean nappy, held over your boob might help.

Keep on going until it feels totally better. Don't leave it, because you don't want to end up with mastitis.

 

[ParisJeTadore]

Feed, feed, feed! Ideally, point baby's chin towards the sore area, I find combing with a wide toothed comb helpful too. There's some debate over whether heat or cold is better for the swelling, so maybe experiment. If you use disposable nappies, apparently hot (not scalding,) water in a clean nappy, held over your boob might help.

Keep on going until it feels totally better. Don't leave it, because you don't want to end up with mastitis.

I tried feeding by dangling over baby (facing his feet) but I couldn't latch him without him being unable to breathe. Any suggestions for how I can do this?

Also, no white spots...I checked thoroughly...

So is it okay to have a whole section that feels firm and not just a lump?

 

[Amber100]

I've had this a few times & what works is to hold a flannel as hot as possible over the area, massage it really well from outside in & then go over it with a comb again from outside in as hard as you can & feed immediately. Hope that helps!

 

[ParisJeTadore]

I've had this a few times & what works is to hold a flannel as hot as possible over the area, massage it really well from outside in & then go over it with a comb again from outside in as hard as you can & feed immediately. Hope that helps!

Thanks for the tip Amber I massaged it like crazy after putting it under hot water in the shower for an extended period of time and today it feels a lot less sore and slightly less hard.

 

[MrsChezek]

Hi. I'm in the same boat as ParisJeTadore was at the time of this posting. I have no milk blebs and there's a GIANT lump in my left breast. I've been massaging and when LO fed on it this evening, everything emptied but the lump area! It also hurt a ton - sort of a sharp burning pain. I then applied a hot compress and pumped but it did not budge. I'm so freaked out!!! I don't have a fever or any flu-like symptoms but I'm terrified of getting mastitis!!

What ended up working for you? Any other suggestions?? TIA!

 

[Emz1982_in_uk]

My massive lump literally lasted 4 weeks before it disappeared. Basically all the suggestions in this thread just keep doing.

Feed lots, massage, hot compress, bath/showers, babies chin pointing towards blockage. You could try pumping a little. Basically I did all of this as I had recurrent blocked ducts in the beginning. I've not had one for months now. Keep at it and it should get better

 

[bababas]

im having this too! was just about to make a thread. to think two days ago i had slight mastisis on my righty. why does this happen? i noticed lo started prefering my righty. could that be why? well he emptied lefty but the stone is still there i hate it!

 

[ParisJeTadore]

Hi. I'm in the same boat as ParisJeTadore was at the time of this posting. I have no milk blebs and there's a GIANT lump in my left breast. I've been massaging and when LO fed on it this evening, everything emptied but the lump area! It also hurt a ton - sort of a sharp burning pain. I then applied a hot compress and pumped but it did not budge. I'm so freaked out!!! I don't have a fever or any flu-like symptoms but I'm terrified of getting mastitis!!

What ended up working for you? Any other suggestions?? TIA!

Sorry, I only noticed this now!

Not sure if you've sorted yourself out but I can give you some tips to relieve the duct. This happened to me early on in my breastfeeding days a few times and I can sympathize, it sucks! This is what I did to make my clogs go away:

1) get into the shower and massage the "mass" very firmly under really hot water for as long as possible (I would do this for a good 20 minutes). It's going to hurt, a lot, but keep at it and do this twice a day. I also brought a baby comb into the shower with me and would actually comb the mass downwards. This helped too.

2)Feed, feed, feed! Get your baby to feed extra on that side as long as the mass is there. Your baby has great suction and will actually help unclog your plugged duct.

3)Get lots of rest. I know...easier said than done! Clogs tend to happen when our immunity is low.

4)I walked around with a hot water bottle on the area when I wasn't doing the previous three tips.

I'm sure these tips might have already been given but I figure if this can help even one person to avoid getting mastitis then it's worth it! Hope you ladies feel better soon

 

[bababas]

the hard stone feeling in my left breast disappeared. what a relief! i went to bed around 11pm still had this stone thingy. but when i fed LO around 2 am dont remember if it was gone before or after. but strange. it was so hard like a stone i thought it would never leave.