Last night after our bedtime nursing session, I noticed that the right side of my left breast was still very much engorged and it was uncomfortable. I've never had a clogged duct before but I know I need to rid of it or it might cause mastitis (is this right?). I'm not sure what caused it since my day was like any other day. After putting LO down for the night around 830, I tried pumping while massaging the lumps to release the clog and milk but it didn't work. Later in the night I took a looooong hot shower while massaging it again then tried pumping afterwards but it's still there!!! I just finished nursing LO for her middle of the night waking and since she slept longer than normal and I was fuller than usual, she wasn't able to drain the clog before falling asleep. I'll try to let her nurse on that side first when she wakes up in a few hours, but do you ladies have any ideas in case that doesn't work either? I'm deathly afraid of mastitis. It is also getting really uncomfortable and borderline sore/painful.
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Do you massage while nursing? I never had clogged ducts/mastitis so I don't have advice.. ! hopefully one of the other mamas will! Hope it unclogs soon!
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Mrs. Bee wrote this great post on how to treat clogged ducts: http://www.hellobee.com/2011/10/17/clogged-milk-ducts-and-how-to-treat-them/
As an exclusive pumper, I am prone to clogged ducts and have probably had a few dozen in the past year. My best advice is to relax while nursing/pumping. I learned that stress was a huge factor for me. The more calm I was, the better the chances of me getting rid of the clog.
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apply warm heat throughout the day (warm compresses), and massage and empty that boob as often as possible. pump and breastfeed and repeat! you have to work on that sucker aggressively!
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In addition to what @yin and @Mrs. Bee said, try not to worry about getting mastitis. Some people are very prone to getting it, and others aren't. I had a large, painful plug that lasted an entire week, and I never got mastitis, so there's hope
If plugs become a recurring problem for you, you may want to try taking lecithin (http://kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/lecithin/). I had awful plugs in the beginning, and I think taking lecithin really helped.
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When I got clogged ducts, I took several HOT HOT showers a day, massaged all day, used warm compress, and nursed/pumped like crazy.
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i never got mastitis with charlie, but i had it twice with olive. it was all in the first 2 months when my milk supply was being established. i never had problems with clogged ducts or mastitis after that though. mastitis really sucks, so i would just work aggressively on that clogged duct!
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You already have lots of good advice, but one other tip... I read that if you submerge the affected boob in hot water (take a hot bath), it can help too.
Also, for a warm pack that lasts quite a while: I put rice in an old sock and microwaved it and applied it as much as I could throughout the day. That helped too. Good luck!
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Thanks to all your advice, my clogged duct finally unclogged!!! Hurrah! I soaked it in a bowl of the hottest water I could stand and after some massaging I actually saw some small milk solids come out. It was weird seeing it! Unfortunately that only released some milk so I kept soaking and massaging then pumped for a while. I also nursed every time LO would take it. At around noon I decided to try the rice sock trick and wore it around in my bra for a few hours, nuking every hour to keep it warm. The sock did the trick! That plus nursing LO on the affected side sucked the clog out.
I'm a happy camper again!
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@ElisaT: nice! glad to hear it's gone! I had clogged ducts and mastitis twice... Not fun!!!
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@nycalimama - thanks! I'm hoping I can avoid mastitis *fingers crossed*
If plugs become a recurring problem for you, you may want to try taking lecithin (
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