Ouch! Has my nursing bra given me blocked ducts/mastitis?

[megonthemoon]

I wore a new nursing bra yesterday - had it for a week but only wore it all day for the first time yesterday. By the end of the day, my boobs felt really uncomfortable and I realised that the cups were a bit too small. So I took it off and put another bra on.

Anyway, my right boob felt sore after last feed last night and I've woken up with it feeling very tender to the touch and uncomfortable when lying down and I could feel the ducts were quite full. Hand expressed a bit to ease any pressure but it is still very tender. DD fast asleep and probably will be for another hour so can't get her to feed from it yet.

DD is 13 weeks, ebf, and I have been very lucky to not suffer any sort of issues like blocked ducts before with either her or DS so I'm not sure what this is.

So what can I do now to look after my poorly breast (aside from burning the offending bra!)?

[MrsGubbins]

maybe try some warm flannels and try to express some more? I've only been feeding for 4 weeks and a couple of times I've felt very hard lumps I warm them with a flannel and then massage them out to try and avoid blocked ducts.

good luck, hope you get some relief

[YunoYurbubson]

Yes, quite possibly. I had a bra that never failed to give me a blocked duct on one side. Took me ages to work it out.

It was used a lot when feeding had settled down and my boobs were smaller after the 1st 6 months though.

To sort out the blocked duct you need to feed feed feed feed feed as much as you can from that side. Your baby is the most effective suction pump to remove the blockage. Feed in all sorts of positions too. I have often cleared blocked ducts by lying my baby on the middle of my bed and aproaching from above with a dangling boob. I find that positioning the baby's bottom lip in line with the blocked duct is helpful.

Also, hot flanels, warm baths and showers, massage it out in the shower.

DRINK LOTS OF WATER. I got blocked ducts when dehydrated.

Cabbage leaves might help sooth a bit.

Go and see a doctor if it doesn't get better. You might mneed antibiotics. Hopefully you can just clear it without though.

[megonthemoon]

Thank you both! DD has just fed and the pressure has eased a bit, but I don't think she has drained it fully as some of the ducts still feel a bit hard. Usually no problem getting her to feed :) (hence why not suffered with this before), so will try to get her feeding lots when she wakes again, Yuno.

Will get in shower now and get the hot flannels out.

I have been feeling a bit like I'm getting a cold for the last day or so and achey now, so a bit worried about mastitis but hopefully that is just a coincidence given that everyone is ill at the moment.

Thank you!

[MrsGubbins]

oh yy to the feeding from above! I remember reading that this is very effective to clear a blocked duct.

[lagrandissima]

Cold compress between feeds to relieve inflammation; warm flannel (try microwaving a damp flannel for 20-30 seconds) for a few minutes before each feed. Feed from the most affected side first until blockage has cleared. Take maximum dose of ibuprofen to relieve inflammation & pain. Try to vary feeding positions (although if you're expressing not really an issue, although if you can lean forward or downwards into your pump, gravity may help a bit!), and try gently combing with a fine toothed comb from the outside of the breast towards the nipple. Alternatively, gently massage towards your nipple with your thumb as you pump.

HTH. //www.kellymom.com has other good advice for blocked ducts / mastitis.

[megonthemoon]

Breasts still a bit tender (left also a bit tender but not as bad as right) but DD has just fed again and I massaged the hard ducts as she was doing so to try and ease them and that seems to have helped quite a bit. Breasts feel less full now at least.

Will just keep going with this and try all of your suggestions - hot shower has helped. Hopefully have caught it early before it gets really painful. Thank you!

[megonthemoon]

Annoying thing is it was my first ever underwired nursing bra and I was really excited to have a teeny bit of va va voom back :( Guess that will have to wait for a while - back to basic non-wired ones again.

[lagrandissima]

Hope you're better now. I had a similar experience with a badly fitted bra after having DS2. I'd avoid underwire bras whilst you are BFing altogether, and try to avoid anything with big seams too. It feels like a bit of bum deal - having spent 6 mths in clown trousers, having to spend another 6 months (minimum) wearing easy access tops and grim bras - but it won't be forever :)