lumpy breast

[DeeBeee]

I have been exclusively breastfeeding my 5 week old without problems but yesterday I skipped 2 feeds (used formula) and since then have 2-3 small hard lumps in my one breast. They do not go away even after DS has emptied that side. Any ideas what these could be and how to get rid of them, not sure if I should be worried..

Sounds like blocked ducts to me. This is probably down to the skipped feeds. Milk can harden in the breast if left. So, get feeding frequently if you are keen to carry on with BF, use some different feeding positions, eg Rugby hold to drain problem area.

A hot bath, shower + breast massage, firm but comfortable strokes towards the nipple can help to break down the hardness. You want to avoid this getting worse and turning into mastitis, watch out for redness on skin, temperature etc. If lumps still evident by your 6 week check, without other symptoms, do mention it to GP. Sometimes, these can be harder to shift completely.

Don't panic about this, it's quite common when BF. Went through this recently myself and thought the worst, the stress of this honestly didn't help with new baby on the scene.

Hello, I only have one dc, so others will be able to give you more advice, but I used to get stubborn lumps and bumps too, from blocked ducts, even without skipping feeds.I used to massage them q hard, especially during a feed and usually they would go away. I think it's pretty normal, but if they get sore, hot and red then you shd prob go to gp to be checked for mastitis. If you plan to mix feed over the longer term your supply shd adjust so you may not get the bumps.