help - ds 11wo & first time mastitis or blocked duct??

[sleepdodger]

hi
my right boob has suddenly gone hard on the 'top' & v lumpy
I presumed mastitis, but having read kellymom wonder if it is a blocked duct, & am panicing how to resolve quickley as I'm working on saturday and desperately need to express enough milk by then for dh to look after ds for the day (he is ebf)
I realise i need to continue to nurse & express regually to resolve, and use heat to help, does this include night time?
I'm also not sure how I got them as my routine hasnt changed....?
help....

How are you feeling in yourself? Are you running a temperature or feeling flu-y? Also is boob red and streaky? If not, it's possibly not mastitis.

However blocked duct can lead to mastitis if it doesn't drain properly. You are right to nurse and express regularly, plus massage the effected area downwards towards the nipple whilst nursing. Warm flannels, also suggest warm bath

Nurse with baby's chin pointing towards the blocked area (you may need to do this with lying down or leaning over your baby). Also, offer the sore side first.

THanks yesmynameis
I don't feel ill, just tired so will try the different position you suggest, could be interesting as it's on top of boob!

You have my sympathy, I had quite a few blocked ducts in the early days of bf DS1 and they are really uncomfortable.

The 3 things which helped me the most were loads of bf, heat (I used a microwave wheat pack) and ibuprofen.

The ibuprofen really helped with the discomfort and also relieving the inflammation associated with the blockage which I think helped it clear more quickly.

Hope it clears soon

if you don't have a temperature and don't feel ill, it;s not mastitis. Heat and massage before a feed, applying pressure during a feed and cold afterwards should help. And ibuprofen may help prevent mastitis.

With a blocked duct it may be blocked at the nipple. Have a good look and see if you can see a little white blister type thing. If you can try to gently get rid of it by squeezing like a spot. Be careful not to irritate it too much though as that can make things worse. Try doing it in a warm bath as that helps and it may help you identify which duct is blocked.

Thanks very much for all your advice, it seems to be a blocked duct, I've done a variety of above and it's so so much better thanks
I'm off to bed now so fingers crossed it doesn't appear again in the night, as I'm still mystified as to how it started ...
Thanks again