Blocked duct 11 months in

[JaimeLansinoh]

DS is 11 months and I have been struggling with a blocked duct for the last 5-6 days. It started as pain in the boob and I noticed white stuff at the end of the nipple so I squeezed it out (sorry, TMI!) in the shower as the lactation consultant showed me how when I had one in the early days. It doesn't seem to have helped though and there's now a bloody scab on the nipple and DS has blood around his mouth after a feed. And it hurts like hell! There is no redness and it's not hot and I don't have fluey symptoms though so I don't think it's infected and doesn't look like thrush either.

He's doing well on solids so only has 4-5 feeds in a 24 hour period now so the advice to feed every 2 hours is a bit difficult. I just got rid of my pump too. I have tried hot compresses before feeding. Is there anything else I can do? Will it just clear up eventually? I'm going back to work soon so need to start dropping feeds not upping them!

Anyone? It bleeds at every feed and I don't know how it will heal if the wound is reopened each time. Is DS getting any milk or just blood?? I don't know what to do

Is it definitely a blocked duct? Has anybody had a look at it to double check you don't have an abcess or thrush which might be exacerbating the problem. Is he teething? Has his latch changed and he could be causing the problem as opposed to at the mercy of it?

Do you have a local breastfeeding café? What about the lactation consultant you spoke to in the early days?

I had quite a lot of blocked ducts, in fact I had them every time I ovulated. Sometimes they went on for days. I never got the hot compresses, massage things to work. Have you tried all the tricks like combing, feeding in weird positions, compression while feeding, massage? Kellymom is very good on this.

In terms of healing the crack, what have you tried? Lansinoh? A good friend had a terrible hole caused by a bite during teething and she used jelonet which I think is actually a burns treatment iirc.

I was also going to ask if there's a lactation consultant you can get to see? Or at least a breastfeeding group where the support workers might be able to pass you on to one?

I've had blocked ducts that cleared up by themselves with feeding, bit of massage etc...BUT one didn't and I ended up with mastitis at 10 months and it was utter agony.

I think you need to get someone to have a look at it, to be honest. Sorry can't be much help but you have my sympathy!

Thank you for the reply. I hadn't really considered a change in latch given that it's been fine for so long. He isn't really teething at the moment and I haven't noticed anything different so I'm not sure, I put it down to dropping a night feed. The Lansinoh is a good tip, I will get that out again, I'd forgotten about it despite my user name
I've tried most of the Kellymom ideas apart from the combing, I don't really get how to do it properly. You literally comb your boob??

I'm planning to see the lac consultant at her clinic on Friday, I really hope it's better before then though! There's no BF café near here unfortunately.

Are you taking an anti-inflammatory? It does help. I do so love your username btw.

You do literally comb. A wide toothed comb and you firmly move it from the outside of the breast and in towards the nipple in the hope it will break up, compress and pressure the blockage to move.

Like I said, nothing worked for me but regular feeding though the regular feeding could only work when treating and preventing the wound you've created. Lansinoh put on immediately after every feed helped me immensely. Great too as you don't have to wash it off.

Thanks for all the advice and support. I got a very strange look from DH this morning whilst combing my boob! Hopefully it will sort itself out soon.