Oh please HELP!!

[Helenemjay]

In the last week i have had one blocked milk duct (or something) after another - and am currently suffering one again, woke up this morning with really sore left boob and by mid morning my right was hurting like hell too! i have checked that dd is latching on correctly - and she seems to be, i am not doing anything different as far as i can tell, i have no idea whats causing them, but its hurting like hell - my poor boob has a really hard 'lump' and i have tried massaging it when she feeds, and i have tried massaging it in the shower earlier - made no difference! anyone got any ideas PLEASE!!

[NotQuiteCockney]

I would go see a BFC, it's worth getting your latch checked.

That being said, the thing that really helped when I had this was, having DS2 feed with his chin next to the lump. That seems to put the most pressure on that point. (Massaging helps, too.)

[Lonelymum]

I googled blocked ducts and found this for you - wonder if you have tried everything here:

Blocked Ducts
Blocked ducts will almost always resolve spontaneously within 24 to 48 hours after onset, even without any treatment at all. During the time the block is present, the baby may be fussy when nursing on that side, as milk flow may be slower than usual. Blocked ducts can be made to resolve more quickly by:

Continuing breastfeeding on the affected side.
Draining the affected area better. One way of doing this is to position the baby so his chin "points" to the area of hardness. Thus if the blocked duct is in the outside, lower area of your breast (about 4 o'clock), the football hold would be best.
Using breast compression while the baby is feeding, getting your hand around the blocked duct and using steady pressure.
Applying heat to the affected area (with a heating pad or hot water bottle, but be careful not to injure your skin by using too much heat for too long a period of time).
Trying to rest. (Not always easy, but take the baby to bed with you.)
If the blocked duct is associated with a small blister on the end of the nipple, you can open it with a sterile needle. Flame a sewing needle, let it cool off, and puncture the blister. No need to dig around. Just break the blister. Sometimes you can squeeze out a little toothpaste like material from the duct and the duct will immediately unblock. Or, put the baby to the breast and he may unblock it for you. Opening the blister has the added benefit of decreasing nipple pain, even if the blocked duct does not immediately resolve. Come to the clinic if you cannot do it yourself.

If a blocked duct has not settled within 48 hours (unusual), therapeutic ultrasound often works. This can be arranged at a neighbourhood physiotherapy office or sports medicine clinic. Many ultrasound therapists are not aware of this use for ultrasound. The dose is:

2 watts/cm2, continuous, for five minutes to the affected area, once daily for up to two doses.

If two treatments on two days have not worked, there is no point in continuing with ultrasound. Get the blocked duct re-evaluated at the clinic or your own physician. Usually, however, if ultrasound is going to work, one treatment is all that is needed. Ultrasound also seems to prevent recurrent blocked ducts which always occur in the same part of the breast. Lecithin, one capsule (1200 mg) 3 or 4 times a day also seems to prevent recurrent blocked ducts, at least in some mothers.

[Lonelymum]

Does confirm what NQC said about putting the baby's chin near the lump, but don't do the puncturing the blister thing described further down. I shouldn't have copied that bit.

[milward]

Any fever with this? Could be mastitis. Starts with a blocked duct & sometimes resolves otherwises progresses to a fluey feeling & high temp. If the duct is blocked you could get an expressing pump to see if it would clear it or get your dh to have a go!

[Helenemjay]

I have the Avent Isis pump so i will give expressing a go, the hard are seems to be right next to my chest in the cleavege so its not anywhere near the nipple - is that normal? i havent got any fever with it and the article you copied for me Lonelymum (thankyou for that ) was right when it said it usually resolves itself within 24 hours - it does, but then the next day i get another one! She does get really fussy when i am trying ot feed her that side too! im really really trying to watch her latch, and it seems the same as its always been! she is 8 weeks old nearly and its only been in the last week that im having problems!

[KiwiKate]

Helenemjay, Hi! Sorry to hear this but DO NOT PANIC. I am having the SAME THING (ds is 6weeks old). As I remember you had your baby around the same time as me.

Check whether anything is obstructing the flow. I found removing my bra at night helped (as I was getting this along the bra line). Make sure nothing else is obstructing the ducts (bra, or your fingers if you hold your breast while feeding, or baby's chin/hand if they hold you while feeding).

For me, when I get this, I just express (I have a Avent Isis manual pump which I love). I express whenever I feel a lump (and massage at the same time). I have not felt ill at all with this, and think it is just my flow fluctuating with dd's demands (she seems to be slowing down a bit with her drinking after being a real guzzler). I either express after I have fed her, or any other time I feel uncomfortable/sore. Or if she only drinks on one side (which is happening more often now) I express on both sides to clear the ducts, but the "unused" side obviously produces more milk than the one she drinks on.

The bonus is that I now have a bit of bm in the freezer for emergencies.

These hard lumps are alarming at first (and damn sore!). If you get any other symptoms (feel flu like or feverish, you must see a doctor).

btw - my dd's latch is good (I know because my first baby had appalling latch!!) and she is getting ample milk and piling on the weight. She just has a cycle of drinking more on some days and less on others. So some days I have an excess, and expressing really helps to ease the painful boobs. Of course expressing does keep your supply up - so if you don't want an excess supply you'd need to keep expressing to a minimum (only do it when you have a really sore spot).

sorry to ramble. Hope you are fine otherwise

[KiwiKate]

I mean DD is 6 weeks old (sleep depravation )

[Helenemjay]

Ok kiwikate! i too have a TERRIBLE case of sleep deprivation - i barely know what year it is My pump and any bottle i have are currently unsterilised in the cupboard so if i go and wash them and sterilise them dd will probably be awake by then and she is almost flat out refusing to feed from that side which doesnt help! GGGRRRR i feel like my poor boob will explode! i have never had mastitis but i feel i have had so many blocks this week im surprised i havent developed it yet! (touch wood)!!

[NotQuiteCockney]

Do express on the problematic side if you're having problems. Your DD may be more willing to latch on that side if you express on it first (makes the boob less hard, makes it smell more of milk, makes the nipple stick out more).

Also, take paracetamol and/or iboprofen to ease the pain.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Oh, and check for anything putting pressure on that bit of the boob while you're feeding (your other boob, the baby's hand, a bra, whatever). That can cause a blockage.

If your DD has a preferred side (or worse, has just now developped one), and it's the other side that's blocking up, that makes sense. Your production will decrease on your "bad" breast, as it realises it's less appreciated. (Both my boys had a preference, both for the same boob, too.)

[Helenemjay]

Yeah ds1 preferred my left side, ds2 preffered my left side, and now dd prefers my left side but i DO really really encourage her to use the right side as much as i can as i dont want that side to decrease in supply too much, i want TWO good producers - dd can be very stubborn about it and insist on the other!

[Helenemjay]

Im worried about taking paracetamol before i go to bed as it knocks me out (strange i know) and im already a shave off comatose through lack of sleep - im afraid if i took some i would barely be able to wake up to feed dd - poor dp would have to just attach her while i snored! and i havent got any ibuprofen! - i think im destined to suffer at the moment! and right now i bloody am! - im getting ready to cut my damn boob off! Ooh steriliser just finished my pump! - will dash off and give it a go! - fingers crossed!

[LIZS]

I found alternating hot and cold flannels on the area particularly just prior to feeding and massaging the lump towards the nipple at each feed/expressing helped. Don't forget the trusty green cabbage leaves, preferably chilled ! Also try alternating positions to drain the ducts differently - rugby hold, lying down and across. hth

[Pixiefish]

Nurofen- anti inflammatory- excellent with blocked ducts. MAke sure you get to see bfing counsellor and be careful it doesn't turn to mastitis- if the area gets hot and red get to the doc's for anti b's xxx

[hunkermunker]

Hi, HE - sorry to hear you're suffering

Would second and third the chin next to lump (or in a line from lump if too far from nipple) advice. I had one where you describe when DS was a couple of weeks old - hot, throbbing, sore, horrible!

One thing I found that helped was standing in the shower and using a wide-toothed comb - literally combing my boob from cleavage to nipple (not as far as your nipple though - eek, too painful to contemplate!) - the pressure is more even than your fingers and it really, really helped me.

Hope it clears up soon x x x

[Helenemjay]

Oh thanks girls! i have just spent half an hour with my pump! - and it has helped abit! the pain is still there, but almost as soon as i started to pump and massage the painful area i could feel it release! and i could almost hear my poor boob go aaarhhhhhh! got about 3oz out so there isnt much pressure there either which im hoping will help!
Will try the wide toothed comb thing if it doesnt ease any more, i feel like putting something really cold on it! How do i get hold of a BFC???

[hunkermunker]

Glad it's feeling a bit better, HE

National Childbirth Trust (NCT) breastfeeding helpline: 0870 444 8708. Open 8am to 10pm, 7 days a week.
NCT website

La Leche League (LLL) breastfeeding helpline: 0845 120 2918
LLL answers on the web (for non-urgent queries): LLL website

Breastfeeding Network (BfN) supporterline: 0870 900 8787
BFN website

Association of Breastfeeding Mothers helpline: 020 7813 1481
ABM website

[milward]

Helenemjay - happy you're feeling abit better best wishes from the sept thread xxx

[KiwiKate]

I'm glad pumping helped.

Other things that helped me is

1. pumping a little before bf (made boob less hard, and baby seemed more receptive - This really changed Grace's "one-boob preference" - she now feeds happily from both);
   
2. different feeding positions (drains different ducts);
   
3. massage while bf/pumping;
   
4. clean & sterilise pump after using (that way it is ready for use next time you need it);
   
5. warm flannel/warm shower/warm bath water - anything to warm the boobs (especially before bf or expressing)
   
   good luck

[Helenemjay]

Thanks hunkermunker, milward and kiwikate! i have woke up this morning and its back! im beggining to think im beyond help i have tried expressing again and massaging and had a warm bath this morning - nothing! im beggining to loose the plot! its soooo sore! Have stuffed myself with paracetamol to ease it this morning but to be honest thats not really helping anymore - im now starting to worry that this time it has been so long that its going to turn into something nasty!

[milward]

Wonder if it could be thrush? Thrush can cause pain whilst bf & between feeds, nipples can be itchy & sometimes there are white spots in the baby's mouth (sometimes all the symptoms & sometimes just one or two). The spots are uncomfortable for little one who might not latch on as well - leading to more engorgement & possibily the blocked ducts? Don't know if this is the case for you but worth checking.
Please call a bfc - the numbers listed by hunkermunker are the ones you'll need.
Let us know what happens xxx

[Helenemjay]

Hiya milward - i dont think its thrush, there arent any spots or anything in babys mouth or on me, but i have noticed some redness developing around the area! - i havent had this before - i mean i have had blocks before but i have never had any of the redness but i have now and its showing no sign of going away! Anyway i will give those numbers a call ASAP! Thanks for your help - its greatly appreciated xx

[hunkermunker]

Hiya HE - hope you managed to get through to a BFC today.

Try taking ibuprofen as it's an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller - perfectly safe to take while bfeeding too. You can take it with paracetamol (take one of them, then the other two hours' later).

Good luck with it - and keep posting! x x x

[milward]

Hope you got some good help from a bfc.

[Helenemjay]

Spoke to someone from the Breastfeeding Network Supporterline, they recommend i should go and see GP as its still no better and i have it the other side now too cant understand at all what im doing wrong, dd is the third baby i have breastfed and i havent ever had this trouble before! spend my life eating Nurofen at the moment!