Help Blocked Duct??? Mastitis?

[fatbottomgirl]

I have tried phoning the help lines but no answer. The health visitor still hasn't phoned me back after 3 hours and 2 messages!!

I have a 9 week old EBF DS. I woke this morning with what felt like a bruised boob (on the underside away from the nipple). My DS then refused to feed this side. As the day has gone on the feeling has got worse and a red patch is developing.

I have managed to get him to take a feed from this side, after much screaming and distress . I wondered if I should just offer him the sore boob or the good one and express from sore side?Is their anything else I can to do to help prevent mastitis? Why won't he take from the sore boob does it taste horrid? Should I try and see a doctor tonight as we are coming up to the weekend? I had mastitis 9 years ago and still remember feeling truly awful and don't want a repeat!

It does sound like a blocked duct so here's what you need to do:

Use hot flannels and massage the breast starting from the outside towards the nipple over the area to try and get the blockage to shift.

Feed him from that side as much as possible and feed or express from the good side just enough to keep it comfortable. I dont know why he is refusing the bad side, perhaps try different positions? make sure you are relaxed, perhaps he's picking up on your tension? If he really wont feed then express as much as you can from the bad side as often as possible - but this might cause your supply to rocket so be careful with this strategy.

Feed/express in different positions to make sure you are draining the breast fully.

massage the breast while feeding to try and get that milk shifted.

Keep an eye out for a white spot on the end of your nipple. This could be a milk blister which means the blockage has reached the end of duct. If this happens you can carefully pop it to release the milk (with something sterile).

Get as much rest as possible. Have a hot bath between feeds while someone else holds the baby.

If it gets worse over the next few hours or overnight you could go to the gp for some antibiotics, but at this stage it is unlikely to be a bacterial infection and so antibiotics will not help.

Good luck!

Just to add, you could go to the docs to get some antibiotics if you want and keep them just in case. Or wait and use a drop in clinic or some kind of out of hours place tomorrow if needed, whichever would be easiest for you.

Lots of info here

You could also try - bizarre as it sounds - standing in a very hot shower, direct the shower head onto your sore boob and massage, from the outside towards the nipple as described above. A wide toothed comb helps, gently comb your boob from outside to nipple where its sore. Then after you've done that for a few mins, hand express some milk to hopefully clear the blockage.

The comb thing worked for me, I know it sounds weird but it helped when nothing else would. Shower gradually getting hotter and hotter too, pointed at your boob.

Good luck. I remember feeling miserable with a rock hard sore left boob. Hope you catch it (otherwise appointment at the GP ASAP if you start to feel any worse!).