HELP - engorged one side (DD 15wks)

[Jen2727]

Help me please! I have a badly engorged breast on my left hand side - the right hand side is fine.
I have tried hot bath and hand expressing in the bath and it just pools out rather than squirts (like the other side). I have tried using my electric medela pump and only a tiny amount comes off.
I have been using nipple shields for a while now and DD doesn't readily feed without them. Could there be a link?
I have also tried cabbage leaves and massage but nothing seems to be helping. It is extremely sore now and i have just taken two paracetemol in the hope that this helps the pain.
I had engorgement when my milk first came in but have not suffered since and i thought my supply seemed to have regulated. Any advice greatly appreciated. I don't want to get mastitis!

bump!

bump! can you tell how desperate i am?!

Oh crumbs, I'm sorry that this is happening.

Have you got your baby to feed on that side to try and drain it a bit?

A more immediate solution would be to pop two ibuprofen and get some hot flannels on there. This would hopefully stop it developing into mastitus. You may have a blocked duct backed up in the breast.

How long has it been engorged for?

she has fed off it a little, but not much and i have expressed off a tiny bit but it seems blocked somehow! its only been like it for 12 hours or so but is extremely painful!

It sounds like you are doing all the right things to treat this engorgement.

Kellymom also suggests standing in the shower with the warm water directed on to your back.

Do you have a lump or any redness?

Keep going with the massage and hand expression for now and if you don't feel any better soon, then maybe visit the GPs in the morning.

Hope things improve for you.

i have slight redness but not sure if that is because of all the pressing and trying to express that i have been doing and i do have some raised areas, almost like raised veins. Could these be blocked ducts?

Oh ow.

Right ok it may be a blocked duct then, have you got a wide tooth comb at all? You can try and comb the blockage out (sounds weird, but it's been done on here before) whilst you're in the shower. If not get in the shower anyway and put your shower nossle on the massage setting and use it on your breast and try massaging downwards towards the nipple to try and work the blockage out. Kellymom has some more information

Also before you do the above, have you checked your nipple for a milk blister? It will look like a white dot on the end of your nipple, you may have to poke around a bit. I had a milk blister which I didn't realise about and ended up with mastitus. The best way to get rid of the milk blister is to get your baby to suck it out. Otherwise you can try gently removing it yourself either with a wet flannel or other methods described on the link.

I would recomend ibuprofen, it can help stop a blocked duct from developing into mastitus.

Mmmm, not sure about that jen . I think you can have a blocked duct without actually having a lump so possibly.

Use of nipple shields can be a cause of blocked ducts as they reduce the milk transfer, so it could be this.

but she won't do anything without a nipple shield now ... viscious circle!

Does she suck at all Jen? Or does she just point blank refuse?

she sucks and then realises and then refuses!

Oh dear, I suppose thats a side issue at the moment. But getting her to feed on that side will try and help keep the milk moving through the breast so to speak and hopefully get things sorted.