I noticed an intense engorged feeling in my left breast and a big warm lump towards the top. Tried massaging it out while hand pumping but didn’t get much output. Is this normal or a sign of an infection that needs to be treated? It’s probably just sleep deprivation speaking but the thought of needing to go to the doctor is causing some panic as I’m home with my two week old, dh is at work, and I have no idea how to belt install the car seat into an uber... 
You might also enjoy...
-
Try massaging while the baby is nursing on that side and keep offering that side first to get it out. It is likely a clogged duct and not an infection unless you also have a fever. Keep an eye on things and if you develop a fever call your doc. You can also try massaging it out while you are in a hot shower, heat can help to move the clog along.
-
Mommy-ing is hard!
How are you feeling? If you're feeling fine you likely don't have mastitis
If you can get in the shower and massage. That always helped break up a plugged duct for me. That's what this sounds like. Put baby boy in a bouncer outside the shower so you can see him and try that. Everything will be fine! -
@KNS: thanks, I need to dig out my thermometer but don’t think i have a fever. Great advice about the shower, definitely trying this when I can get the baby down. Thank you!
-
@MamaBear87: thank you
-
@periwinklebee: are you subscribed to Lucie's List? remembered this article about clogged ducts she wrote, it is SUPER thorough. worth a read.
https://www.lucieslist.com/newsletter/postpartum-week-8-3-big-nasties-nursing/
-
Could just be a plugged duct. For me nursing broke them up WAY more efficiently than pumping ever did.
Yes to warm shower hitting the boobs and although it hurts, massaging the lump and trying to hand express.If they recur (did for me) start taking lecithin. It helps!
-
It's probably a clogged duct. I only had two when nursing but I was able to clear both within 24 hours by nursing on that side every hour (while massaging duct down toward nipple). I warmed the area with a hot washcloth before nursing and iced after nursing. I also took phytolacca (bought mine at Sprouts).
Agreed that you should keep an eye on your temperature but otherwise you can probably clear it quickly
-
Probably just a clogged duct. Nursing and KNEAD it HARD!
-
Agree with above. When I had mastitis my first clue was I felt like I had the flu. If you get a fever call - it was my first/only time to get it but based on my description my OB did not ask me to come in - just called in the rx - since they know it’s hard enough without coming in!
-
I took sunflower lechitin to help with clogged ducts and it helped me a lot. You can buy it at most vitamin stores.
-
Echoing above,
Probably clogged duct. Try to change up your nursing positions too to make sure all parts of the breast are draining. Gentle massage as well before, during and after.
Keep an eye out for red streaking where you have pain. That and feeling awful could mean mastitis (I felt like I had been hit by a truck and the onset was SO fast).
Going forward: sunflower lechitin and continuing to change positions when you nurse. -
Agree with above. Pumping never helped me with clogged ducts, only nursing. If you can’t get it unclogged, try nursing on all fours hanging your boob into babies mouth. It might not work with such a young babe but it’s worth a shot. Gravity is a huge help with that one!
-
@SweetiePie: @skinnycow: @snowjewelz: @Shantuck: @Littlebit7: @Portboston: Thank you all - so helpful! I think this was the problem and it's starting to get a little better. And really good to know that pumping doesn't work so well for resolving it and about sunflower lechitin - which I just ordered - and changing positions.
@LCTBQE: that article is awesome, thanks!
@bhbee: @Littlebit7: Ugh, mastitis sounds awful...
-
@periwinklebee: If it's a plugged duct just be aware that the area can feel tender/bruised for a few days after it clears - that's normal. As long as the lump goes away and there's no major redness (especially in a wedge shape) and you have no fever!
-
@IRunForFun: Thank you! It is red but I just took my temperature and its normal, so hopefully nothing infected. It made me a bit nervous since it's also on the side where I had a cracked nipple, which I know increases the risk of infection, so I'll just keep an eye on my temperature.
-
Ugh plugged ducts.
Exfoliate your nipple with a washcloth to make sure any excess built-up skin and milk crust is pulled off the face of the nipple and then hand express really hard/well in a hot shower and look down at your nipple while you're doing it so you can ensure that milk is shooting out of all of the openings. If you see milk shooting everywhere but one pore is dribbling, you'll know where to exfoliate some more. Sunflower lecithin is super key.
Also, if nursing and hand expressing wont unclog it, see if your husband will suck on it as hard as possible. Its effective and fast - you will feel a little pop and he may notice a gush. I also slept with a small heating pad under my boobs for a while - the warmth kinda helped things stay loose in there for me.
-
@periwinklebee: Try laying baby on your bed and nurse baby from overhead on all fours. I know it sounds weird but this position is supposed to help because it works with gravity. And massage at the same time.
-
Echo all of the above. Adding one more tip that wasn’t mentioned.. wear loose fitting clothes (in the breast area) and not tight. One other thing is putting a heat pack on the lump.
-
So I think I tried all of these awesome tips. When I tried putting my baby to that breast first over several feedings he screamed at the top of his lungs until I gave him the other breast, I think the clog was affecting let down and he wasn’t happy. Tried lots of hand expression and out of desperation tried @gingerbebe: suggestion to have dh help. That spot is still a bit red and swollen but doesn’t feel engorged and that breast is back to leaking like usual so I think it may be resolved with just a bit of residual swelling from all the massage I did to try to work it out? I hope...
I have sunflower letchitin now and may try a larger band size for my nursing tank; though it didn’t seem too tight. Did anyone find clogged ducts were indicative of a problem with latching, etc or just part of the process?
-
@periwinklebee: sounds like you are getting there. I'm sure this varies from person to person, but my clogged ducts used to take two or three days to calm down and even out. keep trying with the nursing and pumping. I know everyone always says nursing is much more effective than pumping, but pumping can't hurt if your boo is rejecting the affected breast (happened to me more than once) xx
-
@LCTBQE: Yes agree! Pump if you can’t get baby to nurse that side, even if it seems like it might be resolved.
Also for me a manual pump worked better for some reason. It just felt like it had more suction and I could do it really slowly to really suck it out. -
@SweetiePie: yeah everyone says this about a manual pump! I never got one because I'm averse to bringing extra plastic shit into the apartment, but I think I'm going to spring for one next time.
-
@SweetiePie: @LCTBQE: thanks! Yeah I’ve found I get more output with the hand pump. Which I only broke out when step 1 with the electric was charge for 24 hours. I will keep working on it, I have this completely irrational fear of mastitis now as I feel like this is hard enough when I feel fine....baby actually sleeps relatively well and is a lazy eater at night, I’m so grateful he has decent nighttime sleep but I wake up feeling so engorged ...
-
@LCTBQE: they’re so inexpensive (relatively) and CONVENIENT! For travel or on the go or whatever. I actually discovered mine in the hosptial while DS was in the nicu. I had the hosptial pump and for some reason tried the manual I had stashed in my bag juuuust in case. I got SO MUCH colostrum from the manual, the nurses couldn’t believe it.
It’s especially helpful when you’re ready to wean. Much easier to “pump to comfort” with the manual than the electric, IMO. -
@LCTBQE: Word, I love my Avent manual pump - it can really suck it out and it was great when I was weaning and needed to just release some pressure quickly.
-
@SweetiePie: @gingerbebe: wow, sold. sweetiepie did you have the same Avent one?
@periwinklebee: YAYYYYYY re decent nighttime sleep!!! that is a blessing. your supply will even out in a few weeks and the engorgement won't be so bad.
-
All the tips above are great, especially Lucie's List. Two tips I didn't see above but worked for me:
1) Have DH massage the area while you're nursing. SELF-massage AND holding a newborn for nursing is difficult.
2) To add onto @gingerbebe: 's tip about exfoliation - with most of my clogs, I could visibly see what looked like a small white clogged pore on my nipple. I would focus on getting that out, like a blackhead in a sense, and then BAM milk would come spurting out like fountain. Have a bottle of something ready, often I'd get 1-2oz just that way! haha. -
Ugh, I can feel a hard painful lump forming in the same place in the other breast, which has also been quite engorged. Ugh, breastfeeding sucks, I would take morning sickness, or even contractions, over this, ouch...
@LCTBQE: @DesertDreams88: Thanks! I'm going to check for clogged pores...
-
@periwinklebee: I think clogged ducts were just part of the process, moreso in the beginning. Mine were usually linked with something like long, solid sleep on one side or a "hit" to my breast, anything that would temporarily "smoosh or damage the breast tissue. By 6 months in, if anything happened that caused breast pain, I'd instantly have the reflex thought, "There will be a clog there tomorrow..." and there would be. Like I said though, it was more in the beginning...like maybe 1 a week for weeks 0-6, then MAYBE 1 a month after that? or every other month.
-
@LCTBQE: sorry i didn’t see this till now. No I had the medela one!
-
@periwinklebee: how are you feeling?
@gingerbebe: I have to admit when you said have DH suck it out I was like
and then @periwinklebee: said it worked...and now I just saw this! So I guess it’s really a thing
https://www.self.com/story/kristen-bell-had-dax-shepard-nurse-from-her-breast -
@SweetiePie: so much better, and so far no more clogged ducts. For the time being at least supply seems to be evening out.
For the record, having dh help with it was much less gross than we were expecting.
He just gave a couple of separate sucks and didn’t get any letdown. So the cup he had ready to spit into was totally unnecessary 
I thought at first it didn’t work - but wasn’t gonna have him try anything more involved - but after that I was able to much more easily massage it out...
-
@periwinklebee: did you start the lecithin yet? It truly does help!
-
@SweetiePie: yes! I’m hoping that plus constantly switching up positions will do the trick in avoiding clogged ducts as much as possible...
He just gave a couple of separate sucks and didn’t get any letdown. So the cup he had ready to spit into was totally unnecessary 
I thought at first it didn’t work - but wasn’t gonna have him try anything more involved - but after that I was able to much more easily massage it out...
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
34 comments