What causes blocked ducts?

[scrivette]

I keep getting blocked ducts since I returned to work, do breast pumps cause blocked ducts?

I have been expressing until my breasts are empty and they seem much more full lately.

I am pumping every other day as I work Mon, Wed and Fri.

If you are not positioning the pump perfectly centrally on your nipple then it can cause blocked ducts just like a bad latch.

I definitely think pumps cause blockages. I'm a bit over reliant on my medala and have had 3 painful episodes since the start of January...

Another thing to consder is if you are wearing different cloths for work. Is anything tight or constricting at all? Different Bra maybe any of these things can have an impact.

I get a blocked duct during ovulation so hormones might also be responsible.

Long spaces between feeds is the biggest culprit (inc expressed feeds) ... the milk just has more time to build up. Maybe have a think about how your overall pattern of feeds has changed - guess work could be affecting things - also dropping night feeds can have similar effect? The good news is, this sorts itself over time as your supply adjusts.

Breastpumps ... sometimes the breast is emptied unevenly with a pump. Might make a difference to try a few different positions, combine with a bit of hand expressing?

Thank you, it seems to be a combination of waiting too long between feeds and not positioning the pump correctly.