Ladies, I think I have a clogged duct and it hurts SO bad and I've already had
trouble nursing (dd didn't get much in the last feeding). I'm heading into
nighttime and worried about her dreamfeed and morning feedings, not to mention
that I'm in a lot of pain. Strangely, my nipple doesn't hurt at all. I've got a
hard mass in the upper breast - I've had clogged ducts before but it seems like
the nipple was more affected then. I've already tried hot shower, hot compress,
lots of pumping, to no avail. If you have any remedies to share, I beg you to
please share! Thank you!
Wow! I am SO thankful for all of you who responded SO quickly! I was so worried going into the night. I did the massaging and another, longer, hot compress... my last pump was a success! And I feel relief in my breast already. I will keep at this... and I am hopeful for a full recovery soon! And the tip on putting the baby's chin where the pain/mass is located is interesting.. I will try at that the next feeding. I'm so thankful to have you to turn to!
The ducts can get clogged at any location, and I've had a hard spot like you describe. What has worked best for me was the combination of a hot, moist compress (as hot as you can do comfortably), followed by massaging the hard spot during nursing/pumping. I've also heard that pointing baby's chin toward the hard spot can help. If it doesn't resolve and the strong pain continues, I would be sure to see your doc to rule out infection.
I've been there. Have your baby nurse with his/her chin positioned in the direction of the pain/lump. You might have to twist and turn, to get into position, but it helps. One time I had to lean on an angle into my husband's shoulder so I could get the chin pointed right. Doing this helps to get the duct clear. I think the other methods, just cause let down in the whole breast and doesn't clear out the problem. Try massaging the area if you can during the feed. Sometimes it took 2-3 feed for total relief, but it worked for me.
That was what my plugged ducts where like, hard mass in the upper or side of the breast. Keep applying heat, pumping and nursing as much as you can, even if it hurts. If you can, place your baby in a position that has her chin towards the plugged duct - it will help with drainage. Also helpful is to gently massage the duct towards the nipple while pumping.
I was advised that is was okay to take one ibuprofen or tylenol to help with the pain and inflammation but you should give your doctor a call for the right dosage.
Be careful, of you feel flulike or get a fever, see you doctor right away, as you may have developed mastitis.
Good luck.
hi, it sounds like you worked it out, awesome! i just wanted to share the best thing that always worked for me, especially since it seems that you are prone to them like i was... get the advent isis hand pump. when i had a clogged duct, i would use the hand pump IN the shower, hot water running onto my breast, while massaging into the pump while pumping. and if you use the hand pump, you control the pump action, so instead of the pull, rest, pull, rest of an electric pump, using the hand pump allows you to get the milk flowing and then just hold the handle down for a long pulllllll till that duct doesnt flow anymore, then turn it a little and repeat. a bit of a learning curve, but it worked like a charm. best of luck to you
I didn't read your other responses but don't want you to make the mistake I made...
I used a dry hot compress, but it needs to be WET. Hot shower was the key for me... the moisture helped loosen the nipple up so I could massage the little rock of hardened milk through and out.
I too had a clogged duct and the hot compresses worked. The hot compresses did not work for my sister-in-law and she ended up having an infection and her breast milk dried up because she waited too long to go to her doctor. I am not trying to scare you but if you still have the problem in the morning you should call your doctor.
Good luck!
Hop into a warm shower, use lots of soap and massage, massage, massage the duct. Then pump or nurse as much as possible. If you don't loosen the plug, you could very easily get mastitis. I've been there, it's not fun. For as painful as it is now, it will get worse if it gets infected. So encourage your baby to nurse out the plug, keep massaging it, and work it out. It's the best thing you can do right now.
Good luck
T.
I had relief from pumping or nursing and massaging the area at the same time (hard to position, but use pillows or even your husband if you can tolerate it). Depending on the size of the area, even putting one finger, firmly on the area and then kind of kneading it around helped. You can start outward and then work your way towards the nipple (like a self breast exam). And I'm not surprised that your nipple doesn't hurt, mine never did even when I had mastitis.
And take some tylenol, that will at least help a tad with the discomfort and is safe while nursing. Drink LOTS of water just to stay hydrated. If those don't work, I'd call the doc first thing to see about mastitis. It comes on VERY quickly, is horribly painful, gives you fever and chills and will continue to come back too if it isn't completely gone after antibiotics. And you should keep nursing regularly even if it hurts because that is one of the best things for mastitis.
Hang in there! I know it is very hard with a newborn, and doubly hard when you're not feeling great.
KW
