Advice needed please blocked milk duct

[LittlePebble]

Hello, a week and a half ago I woke toy left breast engorged on one side and feeding wouldn't release it. Tried massage and bath/hit compress etc. but wouldn't unblock. Read advice online and had white spot on end of nipple so did as advised and used sterilised needle to pierce it. Milk came out, boob went back to normal all seemed fine, except nipple kept white spot on end and feeding was painful. I thought it was getting better but last few days pain has got worse so spoke to health visitor at breastfeeding group yesterday but she was useless said shed never seen anything like it before and I seemed to know more than she did.
This morning I woke and breast is engorged again and no milk coming out of white spot, it was really painful (like shards of glass) when ds feeding. Went to see doctor who seemed to have no real suggestions she checked ds for oral thrush (no sign) and no sign on me but decided to give me dactarin to treat thrush anyway and has told me if I get an infection to call her and she'll prescribe antibiotics. I'm feeling really let down by both hv and GP and don't believe dactarin will do anything. Can anyone advise what I can do as ds is ebf and I don't want to lose supply/ need it to stop being so painful.
TIA

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damn iPhone!

This acutally sounds like a milk blister have you read this www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipplebleb.html

Yes thanks mig, I did and tried to explain to doctor that I think spot needs removing as per info given but she didn't really respond just seemed cross I'd looked online. She told me not to touch it with needle again and left me with one side of my boob hard and swollen. I did pierce it again and have since been able to drain breast during feed so hopefully won't get mastitis but without bleb being removed I think it will just keep happening.

LittlePebble I have this recurring problem too, and the only solution is to pierce the 'bleb' or milk blister. Feeding alone might not drain the breast enough, so you could try to use a pump or milk yourself by hand. This is a glamourous business :)

Thanks Ring.
What happens eventually do you pick yours off/ does it come off naturally? X

I have a couple of additional suggestions which worked for me. In a warm shower or bath and GENTLY with a flannel, massage over the bleb (milk blister). Idea is to soften the skin covering the bleb. Once out of shower/bath and dried, apply olive oil to the bleb. No need to drown, just keeping the skin soft. I popped a little olive oil on a clean cotton wool ball and popped inside my bra to keep the bleb soft. Then apply warm flannel to breast for a few minutes prior to feeding from that breast, just to get everything flowing and 'comfortable'. Keeping the bleb soft meant that it was soft enough to painlessly 'burst' and allow milk through usually each time I fed on that breast. Also did some hand expressing between feeds to keep the milk flowing out from bleb. I too was massively disappointed with GP and HV who had no idea about blebs. Can recommend Kellymom. Mine cleared in a little over a week with being consistent with the above routine - it is hard work and painful at times but stick with it. I'm still breastfeeding 8 months further down the line and have not had a recurrence since those early days. Oh don't pick, you'll risk infection - the hard skin and white spot just gradually fade with time and disappear (mine did). Olive oil is the key, as the above didn't work for me until I started applying the olive oil. Hope this helps - does no harm to try. :)

above didn't work for me until I started applying the olive oil

Sorry didn't explain. I started just using a flannel in the bath and feeding expressing from that breast. When I then added in the olive oil, it started working.

Oh thanks markspa that's great, I've been doing bath and flannel but nothing happened so will get olive oil now. Nice to feel there's more I can do thank you

Once you get the milk flowing I also reccomend a wide toothed comb and using it to stroke over the hard area in the direction of your nipple. It helps to gently move the milk along with an even distribution of pressure.

I must try that the next time markspa. My problem is that DS prefers to feed on one side more than the other, and if I don't watch it I end up with blebs or hard bumps in the neglected breast. I agree that Kelly.Mom seems to have all the answers.

Thanks guys, cotton wool with olive oil in place, comb is ready and feeling much more positive now I feel I can sort it on my own. Haven't bothered putting on daktarin as it really isn't thrush so no point.

Ouch, I experienced something very similar; I 'picked' (in a warm shower) the white 'bleb' then expressed on that side, while expressing I massaged the painful area towards the nipple, this seemed to clear out more milk than expressing alone. I think that by doing this I avoided mastitis.

Good luck Pebble. :) Just before you next feed baby on that breast, just have a quick hand express squeeze to check that milk will come out of the bleb. If it doesn't, take a few minutes gently rubbing with a warm flannel to take off a little of that hard skin on the bleb. A faff, I know, but if you make sure the milk flows out the bleb, then you'll help clear any engorgement backing up from the bleb when baby feeds. I really hope this works for you as it did for me.

Toffee I think my massaging with a flannel on top of the bleb is the equivalent to your 'picking'. It's effectively taking off a little bit of the hard skin over the bleb to let the milk through. You just have to make sure you have super-clean fingernails/hands to avoid infection. So it sounds like we're all doing something similar:)

And I absolutely second your massaging the painful area towards the nipple to help the milk flow - I did this while baby was suckling on that breast. Good point.