Will I have trouble next time?

[WantsALittle1]

I pumped exclusively for the first 6 months of my daughter's life. By that point, I was producing 100cc (more than 3 oz) from each breast every 3 hours.

One night when I had an awful case of allergies and had to take Benadryl, I accidentally slept through the night and skipped my two night time pumpings. I woke in the morning to horrible, aching, engorged, pins-and-needles breast pain. All the massage in the world would not empty my right breast, and weeks later, after hot compresses and extra pumping, my right breast still would not produce more than half of what lefty would produce. It was permanently 'damaged,' even after I'd cleared the clog and could feel it emptying each time. It's like the milk ducts that clogged could not recover from the trauma of the engorgement.

I'm really scared that with our next kiddo (we are currently NTNP) that my right breast will have this same problem. Does anyone know if you have an engorgement-related injury like this in one breast whether that breast gets 'reset' with a new pregnancy? Or is it permanently damaged and will it never be able to produce as much as my left breast?

Thanks!

 

[WantsALittle1]

Bump. Anyone?

 

[Eleanor ace]

I'm not sure but I'll share my experience! I had mastitis right at the end of BFing DS, he self weaned and just wouldn't feed, particularly off my right side (his less-preferred side). I got engorged, got mastitis and couldn't get much milk out of my right breast at all. I had support from a couple of lactation consultants who gave me herbs and I used compresses, massage etc. Eventually I got "un-clogged" but I'd still get sore in my right breast, particularly in my 1st tri with LO number 2. Anyway now LO number 2 is here and my right breast produces fine, DD has no trouble getting milk from that side and I haven't had any blocked ducts or anything .

 

[WantsALittle1]

Thank you so much Eleanor! That makes me feel better

 

[Rachel_C]

Are you sure it was actual damage, rather than a supply and demand issue? While the breast was clogged, you won't have been emptying it so the supply in that breast would most likely take a dive in that time due to it 'thinking' that the milk wasn't needed by LO. If you were BF directly, baby would probably (but not definitely) have been able to increase the supply again but expressing is not as efficient as baby so it would be harder, and if your LO wasn't a little baby any more that could make it harder too I think.

 

[WantsALittle1]

Are you sure it was actual damage, rather than a supply and demand issue? While the breast was clogged, you won't have been emptying it so the supply in that breast would most likely take a dive in that time due to it 'thinking' that the milk wasn't needed by LO. If you were BF directly, baby would probably (but not definitely) have been able to increase the supply again but expressing is not as efficient as baby so it would be harder, and if your LO wasn't a little baby any more that could make it harder too I think.

DD was born 8 weeks premature and never learned to BF so pumping is all I could do to deal with the clog. I pumped every two hours, massaged, heated, and nothing worked. The supply never returned and now, as I wean, my right breast is clogging again