Has anyone successfully hand expressed out a blocked duct?

[marzipananimal]

I've had a blocked duct for 2 and a half weeks :( Yesterday a bfc managed to teach me to hand express and I've tried massaging and hand expressing for ages in the shower but no success. The lump is quite far away from the nipple, quite big and quite deep (not just under the skin). Any tips?

I've never managed to hand express one out, but my electric pump seems to do the job. Alternatively, I've just seem this tip on another thread, from Bumperlicious I think - 'For the duct, the best advice I ever got, which always worked, is to feed the baby with their chin towards the blockage. For me the ducts near my armpits are the ones which clog up, so I lie down on the bed with baby's head towards my feet and feed sort of upside down if you follow?' - would that help you perhaps?

Try a hot compress directly over the lump. Or something like this

Have you tried a hot bath and massaging the lump towards your nipples? That works for me.

yeah I've tried hot baths and massaging. It's in a bit of an awkward place to get ds's chin towards it but i'll give it a go

Ouch, I feel for you! Uncomfortable they are to say the least, but such a huge and instant relief when they clear...

I find massaging the area during a feed has worked well for me in the past. I think it may depend on the size and strength of your baby though. I'd try the belt and braces approach of warm bath+ flannels and gentle massage, followed by feed and massage of affected area.

Have to say the last blocked duct I had lasted a little under a week and I had to sit on the pump massaging for about two hours before it would clear. Don't think I could have convinced the baby to stay on that long.

Ouch, I remember that bit well. Hand pump expressing the blocked side as DS feed from the other. Warm baths and constant massaging of the lumps when DS was feeding. Took about a week but one evening my Ds went right off his feeds till early the next morning and it had cleared its self. Don't quite know what cleared it but I did notice after that if Ds layed the wrong way when feeding it would be really painful like it happening again.