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Is this a blocked duct... breastfeeding??

Ok, so I know I have complained about my aches and pains and I am trying not to be a downer but thankful for my family.

So yesterday I was having hot and cold flashes and even a headache with some aches and pains.  My left breast was hurting and felt hard in spots.  Even the though of nursing baby boy was painful.  I pumped to get the milk moving but did not have much come out.  I took a bath and that helped a lot just having the hot water and soaking.  I also think the IB profen helped a lot too.  So by evening I was feeling much better and did let lil guy nurse.  Then the night I woke up and it was hurting again.  Not as bad as during the day.  I let lil guy nurse from it trying to get some relief but it just seemed like he would not be satisfied as if he was not getting anything.  I finally warmed up some pumped milk and he was finally full.

I woke up and pumped and I barely got an ounce out of it. ???  I have been producing a lot of milk so that little amount seemed sad.  It is still very sore.

So is this a blocked duct or anything else I should be concerned about?

Comments

I think it is a blocked duct, but if the hot flashes persist and you have a fever you could have mastitis so keep an eye on that. I never had mastitis, but plenty of blocked ducts. They hurt sooo much. I would get them more if I went too long without pumping/nursing say if I was at a get together or something andhad a sitter where you don't want to get up and pump as often as you'd normally nurse your babe. I usually waited until I felt like I was going to explode. I also noticed that since I slept with my underwire nursing bra on a lot (I was a heavy leaker and needed to keep pads on at ALL times) the side I slept on was getting irritated by the wire. So I bought a wireless one and that helped a lot preventing clogs. This may not sound like fun, but if you can massage (and I mean hard) the hard spots you will break up the mass. And the milk will all of a sudden give and it may even be stringy, but it will unclog. You really need to get the mass unclogged or it could lead to mastitis and even the strongest pump probably won't undo it. Just push really hard with your palm in circles. This worked for me. It will probably be quite tender a day or so. Unclogged doesn't equal instant relief :( Hope this helps. High five to BFing!! Way to go. Keep it up.

Chelle
That sounds like a blogged duct to me. I've had one a few times and they are very painful. It feels like there's a really hard spot on the breast. It also limited milk flow so I had to pump, pump, pump, I was told to use hot/cold compresses and massage the heck out of it. I actually massaged the block right out (it hurt like crazy) BUT then I produced over 4 oz in one pumping session. Good luck mama, I feel your pain!
Jenn said…
It could be a blocked duct, I had a lot of issues with those with Grace too, however, massaging it always helped and while nursing was painful afterwards it always felt much better! Mine was also made worse by using an underwire bra. I found that changing positions she nursed so she pulled from different parts of the breast helped alot (I would rotate laying down, football hold, having her sit up to nurse etc) if your having trouble getting milk out however, it may be worth getting checked out to make sure it isnt mastitis! Sometimes a hot shower can be wonderful just to get the milk flowing then try to massage it out!
Lori said…
I had mastitis with my second child and it was very painful! This is what I did and it got well in just a few days. I would get in the hot bath and rub the knots as hard as I could stand it and some milk would come out but not much. I did that several time a day and still let my baby nurse on that side. I thought I would die or my breast would fall of, actually I wanted it to but it did get well and I continued to nurse that sweet boy till he was a year old. Hope this will help.
Blessings, Lori

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