Blocked Milk Duct

What others said...long hot showers with lots of massage. Also, breastfeed as often as you can, and pump if can as well. Hope you feel better!

I had this too. It was terribly painful. I couldn't actually nurse on that side because of the extreme pain, so I would pump that side with the pump setting on low until the duct came unclogged. It was so painful, but as soon as the duct unclogged, the pain virtually disappeared.

I just had this happen to me too - so painful! Keep nursing as much as you can on that side and use warm compresses before and after. It also helps to try and massage it out. I even pumped in between feedings while massaging and that helped. It will take 2 or 3 days to completely clear up so just keep at it! Good luck!

Showers as warm as you can stand and let the water beat down on your breasts while you massage them. Also, I KNOW it hurts like the dickens but encourage the baby to nurse on that side first as they are best at pulling the blockage out.

i agree with the others, but, the best treatment ever that i just discovered with my last baby (i have a 6 yr old, 3 yr. old, and 9 mo old) is to get a hand warmer - like the ones you put in your mittens in the winter - and stick it on your breast inside your nursing bra in between feedings. it'll get hot, but, it does the trick every time! good luck! it helps to soften the lump and usually, by the first feeding after you've worn it a couple hours, it'll be gone. blocked milk ducts hurt, too, so, having that constant heat there just makes it feel so much better!

I have tried using a warm washcloth compress and massaging the area. I hope that helps you. I know how painful it is, feeding all four of my kids was HARD!

take a long hot shower and massage your breast HARD under the warm water. try and manually express some milk. You can also massage it while you feed. When I say "massage" I seriously mean to push and rub on it quite hard where you feel the lump. Sometimes you can see the plug on your nipple, and in the shower you may be able to gently scrape it away to help the duct open too. Make sure you keep nursing off that side frequently.

I agree with what everyone else said. I would add the following: when you are nursing, point the baby's chin toward the blockage. This will help him/her to loosen it for you. Also, make sure that is the first side he/she nurses on until the blockage is gone (you'll get more pressure when the baby is hungrier).

I had one too and it is painful - I pumped and massaged the spot toward my nipple while doing so. It was relieved within a few hours.

Ugh! I know that feeling all too well! What worked for me was putting a hot heating pad on my breast, sometimes applying pressure with the heating pad on the spot of the clogged duct. It's worked every time for me- hope it works for you too!

It's been a long time, but two things that worked for me was alternating warm/cold compress on my breast AND a massage! I had booked the massage and went anyway even though my breast was engorged and the masseuse (sp?) rolled up two towels to put under my shoulders so there was no pressure on my chest...it was a very relaxing hour and less than an hour after I returned home, my milk let down and I was able to pump several bottles full of breast milk easily!

Good luck!
Jenn Voss

Nurse, nurse, and nurse! I know how bad it hurts but you must in order to get rid of the blockage. Warm, moist compresses can also help. You can fill up a sink with warm water and bend over and put your breast in the water. You can stand in a hot shower and let the water hit your breast.

IF you are on a feeding schedule with your baby (which, when nursing, is not a good idea), throw out the schedule and just nurse all day and night on demand. You can also pump. When I have had a plugged duct, I did all of this and usually it just went through and I did not notice it. But one time, I did all of this and it did not come out and I had to massage it out. If it's toward your nipple, you can express milk all day and you might be able to see a little spaghetti-like piece start to come out of the nipple. Once this happens, you keep expressing milk and coax that bit out... usually you can even pull on it with your fingers. In my case, once I got it out, I had gushing milk coming out behind it and then I was fine. It was such a relief.

I hope you feel better soon, just keep warm moist heat on it and nurse. As much as you can.

Hi A. check with your OB/GYN about this. It could be something other than a blocked milk duct.

I had this happen a few times and there was a white spot on my nipple where the blockage was. The only way i could fix it was to sterilize a needle and make a small hole in the white spot and then the milk will flow. That didnt hurt because its just barely moving the skin. I found this info on a website and it worked after the hot showers and pumping didnt and only caused me more pain. So if you see a white spot, give it a try, or google "white spot on nipple while breastfeeding" and you can find the info. It was the only thing that worked for me and stopped the pain.

The usual recommendations include nursing on the affected side first with each nursing, and nursing more often, if possible.

It also sometimes helps to nurse in a different position for each nursing, so that the baby's mouth is in a slightly different position (in relation to your nipple) for each nursing--going around the "nipple clock" throughout the day.

One of the family practice doctors in Evanston also suggests applying moist heat to the affected breast immediately before each nursing, and applying cold to the affected breast immediately after each nursing.

Here are some other suggestions...

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t022100.asp

http://www.llli.org/NB/NBMarApr07p76.html

http://www.llli.org/NB/NBMarApr06p68.html

http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVMarApr93p19.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/mastitis.html

Best wishes,
J.

Try looking at kelly mom http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/mastitis.html
I had never ending blocked ducts with my daughter (annoying and very painful). I would always nurse first but there were a few times that they only way I could get the plug out was to pump after nursing. When you nurse point the baby's chin toward the lump/blocked duct. Use moist heat in between nursing (some suggest soaking a newborn diaper in hot water, I would get a wash cloth and dip it in hot water, put the washcloth over my breast and then put my heat pad over the washcloth to keep it hot - I used the ones that are microwave/full of beans or something). Right before you nurse fill a bowl (a medium mixing bowl worked best for me) with water as hot as you can stand, lean over the bowl and stick your breast in the hot water for 5 minutes - then nurse right away.
If your breast is hot to the touch and red, or if you develop a fever then you need to call your doctor.
Good luck! I found I had more blocked ducts between November and April when the weather was cold and I didn't really get them in the warmer months.

Ouch! Apply warm compresses, and as painful as it sounds, try and nurse on that side.

To prevent blocked milk ducts in the future change the position that the baby latches on with every few feedings ( i.e football carry, cradle carry). By changing the position every few feedings different ducts are emphasized and it helps to keep them all clear.