Keep getting blocked ducts

[Fabuleuse]

I'm still feeding my 15 month old, and for the past 3 months or so, every so often I get what I assume is blocked ducts in my left breast. It's really painful and feels like there's a lump inside. It takes a few feeds, dangle feeding and trying to massage it out along with hand expressing to resolve it. Thankfully it's never progressed to mastitis. It's happened about 5 or 6 times now. I think it occurs due to the position I sleep in sometimes. I'm a bit fed up with it now - had to go to work today with a very painful boob as was in the middle of one of these episodes! Is there anything I can do to prevent it? It's one of the factors that's making me pretty fed up with breastfeeding tbh, but he won't take milk out of a cup at all...

Sorry I'm not sure how you can prevent it but I didn't want you to go unanswered. Perhaps if you call one of the BFing Helplines they might know?

Mine wouldn't take any milk other than BM until about 2 weeks of not BFing then they both accepted it. I can see their point really. It's a bit like been offered toast but you know if you refuse there's a roast dinner waiting

I suffered dreadfully with plugged ducts. Always the same few so something to do with how I slept/how I’m made etc. I read somewhere that lecithin supplements are meant to help - there is some vaguely plausible theory about making the fatty bits of milk less ‘sticky’. I did found it made a difference, primarily that if I forgot to take it for a few days the plugs would be back. Other than that, hand expressing in a hot shower at the end of every day was important too (particularly with massage to the offending duct).

Any chance it's your bra not fitting right? As I've had this a few times recently and like you I've thankfully dealt with it before it got nasty, and I swear it's when I wear a particular ill fitting bra.