Constant blocked ducts - why??!

[Pogger]

Hi all.

Just looking for a bit of advice really. DD2 is 10 weeks old and EBF. Since about week 4 I've been struggling through constant & painful blocked ducts and two bouts of mastitis (one really nasty) - her latch is fine, she's gaining weight and is a very happy baby.

I now have no nipple pain when breastfeeding at all, aside from when a duct becomes blocked and the whole breast becomes sore. I've been properly measured for a bra, in case that was the issue, but all fine on that score. I've been applying damp heat and massaging etc etc, but am so fed up of just managing this and waiting (when each one clears) for yet another one to become blocked.

Does anyone have any experience of this, or can anyone think of any other reasons why it might be happening? After the initial settling in, I've loved breastfeeding this time round, but this is REALLY getting me down - to the point where stopping at 12 weeks sounds very appealing!!

Thanks.

Poor you Pogger. I'm not trained and can't think of any reason why this could be happening. Have you spoken to a BFC? Maybe they might have some ideas for you. Have you got the helpline numbers?

Hope it gets sorted soon .

Anything that presses on the breast tissue could be causing problems, this could be bra, tight fitting cloths you holding the breast while feeding.

It deffeantly worth having your latch looked at by a breastfeeding couciler could just be something your doing or not doing that is effecting effective draning of the breast.

Do you have a local breatfeeding cafe you could go along to?

i think sleeping position is what causes mine.

second MigGril re: bf cafe

Are you using a breast pump? Sometimes the wrong size of shield can cause blocked ducts.

Thank you all so much for the speedy replies :)

I had the same thought about bra, but the one I have has been professionally fitted & is fine. Re sleeping position - I do (always) lie on my side, so I'll try sleeping on my back to see if that helps.

I've emailed the BFC who sorted out DD's tongue tie - will ask her to look at the latch again to see if maybe we've got a bit lazy and DD isn't draining the breast properly.

If anyone else has any other advice, I'd be very grateful...

Did you get the plugged ducts/mastitis before or after the TT snip? Sometimes a TT can cause ineffective breast milk removal and this can make the mum more susceptible to plugged ducts/mastitis.

I had this with all 3 of mine and never got to the bottom of it. With DC3 I had to do a lot of expressing and that's when I really understood how my breasts worked. I could tell from looking as I expressed which duct was blocked. The sooner I realised the easier it was to get it working with hot/cold flannels etc.

I think some people are just prone to the blocked ducts. Also in those first few months your supply goes up and down a bit as your baby feeds more or less. As you get into a routine and baby gets better at feeding everything settles down and you don't have to manage it as much.

What a pain it is though.

I have similar issues and it seems I m prone to blockages. I have given up wearing a sleep bra and that has helped. Lots of careful (boring) breast health management too and being a stickler about feeding intervals and making sure the problem boob is prioritised for feeding, with no gaps longer than 4 hours.

I used to get this, and a breastfeeding consultant recommended Leicethin. Don't know how to spell this, but it breaks down fat which could be causing the clogging.

Also, are you drinking enough water? I sorted my problems out, but they came back on holiday when I was tramping around everywhere, and getting quite thirsty - I wondered if there was a connection.

i have noticed that women who don't leak seem to be more prone to blocked ducts. maybe their nipple are more vasocontstricted?meaning any excess milk that the baby isn't draining spills out into the breast tissue causing the inflammation response.
not that this helps you at all.
being alert to first signs would be all you could do if this is the case..
i take it you start brufen and paracetamol as soon as you realise?
hope it resolves magically!

You may have been fitted properly for a bra, but that doesn't mean it isn't the problem. I've had blocked ducts three times (in seven years of bf) and the first one was my bra. I had a bra that fitted me well , but was quite flat in the cup, and although stretchy, it still compressed my breasts enough to cause a block. It was an Anita nursing bra, and suits many women but was the wrong shape for my breasts. I think your bra should be very slightly loose in the cup, that does give a less supported and gripped feeling, but it allows for the swelling and deflation during the day. After six months I was fine with a wired bra, as long as it was fractionally too large and the wires were low at the centre front. I wear a sleep bra several cup sizes too large and that has been fine, but when I slept with a pillow against my breasts (felt comfy!) that blocked my ducts, as did my ring sling if I wore it on one side for too long. My baby gripping my breast may have also been a factor at one point. I do agree that some women seem more prone to them, one of my breasts seem to block more easily than the other, so there is probably a physical pre-disposition, and then other outside causes trigger it off.

oh and if you are into homoeopathy, the remedy phytolacca 200c taken at the first slight feeling of a block can ward it off. One or two doses only.

I would get blocked ducts when I slept on my side, also I bought a lovely changing bag which hung across my body...and could never use it as that made the breast sore where it crossed over :( This time round I used those breast gel pads which helped a little. Hope it sorts itself out.

I get this too - got it when I bf ds1 and now getting it again with DS2 (8 weeks old). So far I've managed to avoid mastitis by dealing with it at the first sign. So far to deal with it I've been sleeping with a hot water bottle at the problem point, and massaging etc. oh, and in the shower massaging with a wide tooth comb over the sore bit. And changing ds's position when he feeds so doing a rugby ball feed on the hurty side.

As a previous poster suggested, I've never had leaky boobs so maybe that is a contributing factor?

Bra-wise I've got it as well fitting as I can but I literally have no choice as I'm a ridiculous K cup so it's literally a case of having what I can get. The ones I have, have a seam across and often this is where it gets blocked. And the left side is more prone to it than the other. I don't sleep in a bra (because I can't find one to fit!)

In a way though I'm glad (? Not really glad but you know what I mean) that other people seem to just be prone to this. So often you get a bf expert tell you you must be doing something wrong but I'm convinced I'm just built that way!

Another thing - I carry my handbag across me - maybe this is a problem? But with a 3 year old and a pram I really need my handbag going across me so I'm not trying to balance all that too.

Biscuits i do think the handbag could be an issue, as my sling crossed over my body and did cause a block.

Hi. As some of the others have said homeopathic remedies are fab and sorted me out. Phytolacca is good when you think mastitis is brewing. I started getting blocked ducts 5 months in to bf and like you one followed the other. I discovered lecithin via the Internet and that sorted all the probs. apologies for short response but hate typing on phone

I've had recurring blocked ducts this time (no mastitis thank goodness). For me the cause has been a 'white spot', where the skin has grown over a duct. Sometimes it's been visible, sometimes not, just a very painful spot on the nipple. I was advised to rub it with a flannel/muslin.

Poor you, it's ghastly.

From my experience, the first thing that I linked to mine were changes in routine or frequency of feeding -- my absolute worst cases were when we travelled to Australia (feeding schedule turned upside down) and later when I went back to work.

But the handbag thing sounds like it could also be an issue (and on reflected might have helped cause mine as when we travelled / when I went back to work I was wearing cross-body bags). Can you put all your stuff in the changing bag and sling it on the pram? That's what I did, I found it much easier than toting a bag as well, even though I adore my handbag.

The other thing I was told, and was really helpful in clearing the most stubborn blockages, was changing feeding positions so that all your milk ducts are drained, rather than the same ones getting the best of it at every feed because of how the baby's latched. My last bad blockage (day 3 of it and I was in absolute agony) I ended up feeding in a sort of sitting-up rugby hold and it was the one thing that worked, instant relief.