Help! Engorged breast, no milk coming out

[autumneve]

I've been up for nearly three hours trying to relieve my engorged breast. It's uncomfortable but not excruciating pain. I've had mastitis twice when DD was newborn (now 11 months) - I don't feel ill ... yet... but if I don't find relief soon I suspect this will get worse.

DD has tried nursing but can't get anything out so gives up , wanting to sleep. Pumping- I've tried two different pumps and nothing will come out even having tried for last 2 hours. I've had a hot shower, put a hot flannel on. Nothing.

I'm so tired but worried to sleep as I haven't solved the problem. DD sleeping now (having been up with me!)

I've tried massage too. Maybe I was too 'rough' initially, desperate to get things moving. Worried I've caused damage. Tried more gentle massage too more recently.

Are you sure your DD didn't get any milk?
Hand expressing would be the best way to go but being worried about it won't help. As you often need to relax to get a letdown.
Have a look at the following link for some good info on hand expressing.
kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/hand-expression/

Thank you so much for your reply.

DD may have had a few drops but my breast still feels hard lumpy and painful. It's not her I'm worried about. It's me (for a change). I just don't want this to turn into mastitis again and it's getting more painful as the hours pass.

I have never managed to hand express. It just feels too lumpy and I feel I might be actually damaging the breast tissue.

I just called 111 but the man had no advice. Just said to call my dr when surgery opens.

Run a hot shower on your breast a use a wide toothed comb or brush and push from the outter breast to the nipple.

Lots of heat, lots of massage and keep trying to express

Hot water bottle or microwave heat bag to place on your breast?

Use an electric toothbrush or similar to massage - has sorted my blocked ducts every time.

Thank you. Haven't thought of the vibration helping. I've just done some 'tapping' to see if it brings relief. Would nurofen/paracetamol help with inflammation?
I think I'm going to have to just resign myself to mastitis again. I just can't see this sorting out 😩
So frustrating too because all I've done is exhaust DD and I. Yet more sleep deprivation 😩

Is it possible I've damaged the breast tissue trying to massage and unsuccessfully express? Or have I over-pumped? I was literally at my electric pump for an hour with nothing coming out. This was after my shower.

A comb worked really well for me! Brush it down towards your nipple. Have you tried dangle feeding? It's strange and awkward but it did help my daughter to get rid of the blockage. Keep offering it and hopefully it will unblock. I feel for you, it's so painful!

I know it's much, much easier said than done, but when this happens to me I find the key is to relax. If it's not a contradiction in terms, force yourself to relax! I've also read that, apparently, looking at pictures / videos of your baby can help the milk start to flow.

I do hope it all sorts itself out and you don't end up with mastitis again. Fingers crossed you can get in to see a doc this morning if you need to. When I called mine (busy surgery) with what I suspected was mastitis, they saw me within a couple of hours.

Best of luck.

Yes to pain killers, ibuprofen is an anti inflammatory so will definitely help.

I doubt you've damaged any breast tissue. Are you normally able to pump as my body has never responded to a pump and have always had to hand express.

Any early signs of mastitis call the Dr's straight away, I've been given a script over the phone for mastitis every time.

And keep feeding, your dc will be more effective at moving any blockage than a pump or massage. As pp said try dangle feeding and aim the baby's chin towards the blockage.

I found feeding the baby on the okay side while I massaged the blocked one with a hot flannel finally got things moving. Good luck.

Run yourself a hot bath and lie or kneel forwards in it to submerge the breast. The heat and gravity can help get the milk flowing. I remember doing trying to fend mastitis off, and gently massaging away at the lumps to try to release the ducts.

He was feeding badly from bronchiolitis and the mastitis on top was really not helpful when worrying about a rather poorly baby!

You might have a bleb which is a blocked nipple pore. I had a blockage that sounds very similar and I also couldn't shift it. In the end I had to go to my local maternity department where the midwife rubbed my nipple with a rough towel and squeezed it like a spot to clear the blockage. The milk then gushed out! Good luck getting it sorted OP

The national breastfeeding association helpline opens at 09.30...0300 100 0212. I would give them a try. Sometimes when you are very engorged, you actually have to massage backwards up the breast from the nipple to release the blockage...I know it seems counter intuitive but this is what u was told at my lady study day (midwife). Good luck OP, how it feels better asap.

I was going to say the same as @Watchingthetelly - check for a milk blister on your nipple. Good luck!

YY to painkillers!

Dangle feed. On all fours feed lo from above, gravity helps with any blockage. I had blocked ducts a few times later on when lo was a little older and this helped to get things moving.

I had a blocked pore. It looked like a little white dot on my nipple. My boob was so lumpy and painful. In the end i managed to scrape the little blocked bit off my nipple and milk came flying out. Then I spent hours in bed and just kept on nursing. Poor kid must have been so full

kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/mastitis/

This website is the holy grail for all things breastfeeding related and this has loads of info on blocked ducts and potential mastitis.

Excellent advice on here already. But do try ‘dangle feeding’. It looks ridiculous, but it really helps blockages to pass. Basically lay baby down on bed or floor and you kneel over them on all fours and position boob in mouth. The gravity really helps shift anything. You can also use this position to massage in shower/bath.

I had this, well blocked duct but sounds similar. health visitor put a flannel in a boiled kettle and then put it on my breast.... Wasnt arsed about the heat pain as it unblocked straight away and the relief was heavenly!

Id prob try shower head as suggested above first though!

I was also told hot and cold compresses so used a hot water bottle and then cold packs that go freezing instantly, this helped me, coupled with feeding from the breast as much as possible.

Hope it clears soon OP xx

Thank you all so much. I've never heard of a milk blister. During my marathon pumping session the tip of my nipple looked pale but it doesn't now.
When there's a blocked duct does a section or the whole breast become hard? My breast feels like a brick- hard all over, like the early days when milk first came in.

Should I ring my local maternity unit before dr opens? I'm not under their care but they might know more than dr surgery anyway.

Ibuprofen- is that in paracetamol or nurofen (or neither)?

@Amicompletelyinsane that sounds awful. So was it like a massive pimple blocking the tip of your nipple?!

This happened to me with both my DC when my milk first came. The breasts were too full for baby to latch on or for anyone / anything to express. Massage, showers or cabbage leaves did nothing for me. In the end nipple shields did it - they allowed DC to create the suction effect to allow the milk to come out. The relief!

good luck