14 answers

Done Breast Feeding and Now Have Breast Tenderness and a Hard Lump

I've been done breast feeding for about 3wks., my daughter just quit nursing and I couldn't keep up with full time work and breast pumping. My breasts seemed to dry up without any problems, until I woke up with my left breast firm, tender and with a firm lump. Is this just a clogged duct or what?

What can I do next?

So What Happened?™

Wow, how wonderful this site is! Thank you everyone for your amazing mommy advise! The lump and tenderness went away in 2 days without having any redness, heat or fevers. I did massage it in the shower and expressed a small amount of milk out of my breast (I was suprised there was any milk left in there). I got lucky this time!! Thanks again!

Featured Answers

I had the same thing happen to me. Went to my OB and he just it was just a pugged duct. Left it alone and it went away in 1-2 weeks.

More Answers

M. ~
Is the area red? or is there a red streak? Are you running a fever? these are signs of mastitis and you would need antibiotics. Otherwise, it could just be a clogged duct, like mentioned previously.
you may need to see your physician.
D.

I had something similar to this. I remember a lump. It didn't hurt at all, but one day I was taking I nice warm shower and just ended up massaging it and expressing the milk out from that spot. Fixed the problem and it never came back. I would suggest doing something like that yourself so you don't find yourself with a problem.

The same thing happened to me when I quit bf and I freaked out and went to the doctor. She said it was normal and to just keep an eye on it. She said it would go away on its own but if it was still there after a week give her a call. It went away. The big question is: is there any redness? If so it could be an infection and you definitly want to get it checked out. Good Luck

rub the tender spot while in the shower. Rub it firmly for a few minutes or until you can't stand to anymore. Your body naturally reabsorbs most of the milk that were left in your breasts, but sometimes things clog up before its all empty again.
Ice packs, or warm packs also may help. If it doesn't clear up soon though it will get more and more painful and could end up in a drs visit for some antibiotics. So keep an eye on it...

It could be an infected clogged milk duct... I had that happen to me... my doctor put me on antibiotics and it went away within 24 hours.

Call your doctors office and speak with a nurse, they may want to see you...

Please see your doctor about this. You can never be too careful. They may give you antibiotics or send you in for an ultrasound of the area to see what it is. Better to be safe than sorry.

sound like a clogged duct try warm to hot wash clothes or even tea bag help soak the tea bag in again warm to hot water then place on lump good luck feal bettter

It probably is a clogged duct. I found that standing in a hot shower and letting the water hit your chest works. If it starts to become painful, you might need an antibiotic.

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