Please help ASAP!

[pudding25]

DD 17wks slept through last night for first time -amazing but left boob getting sorer all day and she refused to feed off it and would only feed off right.
She is asleep now.
i am trying to express off it but am always rubbish at expressing and dont do it-got medela swing. been at it for 30 mins, got drop out, boob swollen and hard.
What else can i do?

got a warm flannel in the shower and massage the breast..
you can often find it easier if you aren't trying to save the milk.

I had to do a kind of routine to get let down - and then it would flow fine. If I couldn't get myself to let down then it didn't work.

My routine was:

Sit forward so boob hanging vertically (or near vertically)

Massage breast all round towards nipple.

Massage both nipples simultaneously

Inhale deeply, then exhale, think about milk flowing down through the breast and towards the nipple, and start expressing.

It worked every time once I'd got the trick, but you might find you need to visualise different things.

Alternatively have you tried expressing while your DD is feeding off the other breast? Some people find that really helps - I did.

express with dd feeding off other breast
express in shower / bath
sit near dd when expressing
warm compress on sore boob before expressing
try hand express i found this easier with full boob

thanks, not going to wake dd-she will go mad!
will get in shower.

also try feeding her in rugby ball hold, that way she's the same way round as she would be when feeding from the preferred breast.

have you tried hand expressing?

actually, you may be able to feed her in her sleep.

trying by hand at mo -very sexy! DH going to get flannel in a min, then try shower. I do dreamfeed asleep but think she might wake if I do now and really want to avoid that as she goes ballistic when she needs to sleep and cant.

don't shout at me but depending on how you feel about it - I have heard of people getting their DH to relieve the pressure

Glass of wine is good for let down !

Seriously, anything you can do to relax is good. Think about your DD,have a bath, a glass of wine, warm flannel.

Do you think she refused to feed off left as it was too engorged?

ha ha just showed that to DH!
I think maybe that is why she refused - or maybe milk coming too quickly and she is not used to that.
Am still hand expressing.
No wine in house. got some champagne - might try that!

Whole bottle of champagne for Dh, then he'll be prepared to clear the blockage

Seriously, it'll take him 30 seconds or less, and he'll feel it "go" - there'll be a sudden spurt of milk. And he doesn't have to swallow if he doesn't really love you har har.

When I got my first ever blocked duct, the breast feeding counsellor said "clearing this is the most important thing in your life right now. More important than housework, more important than sleep, more important than anything. do not try to take your mind off it, do whatever you have to do to get it clear"

I am so grateful to her. I've had blocked ducts many times, but never ever mastitis.

squeezing the breast while you're expressing can help shoot it out faster - don't overdo it if it's painful though!

The look on his face when he read that!
It is feeling slightly better. DH off to make hot water bottle now as flannel just gets cold. Going to try squeezig and expessing too

Anyone know what i should do now? hand expressed off quite a lot and barely anything coming out now but it is stillhard and sore but not as hard and sore as before. Have got hot water bottle wrapped in towel on it.

bump

a warm/hot bath is a good idea and try to relax a little in the bath too in between breast massage - good luck

give it an hour and then express some more IMO
Or wake your dd, will she not just drift back off? Imagine the relief!

Shes due for a dreamfeed shortly. Hoping she will feed off it this time. Thx everyone

A disposable nappy is good for holding warm water and keeping it warm for ages if the flannel isn't working.
i would definitely recommend the rugby hold as well and expressing a bit more just before you feed her so let down not too fast

Tried the nappy once before and it also kept going cold!
Will try rugby hold. I used to do that when she was tiny. Let down is usually slow so not sure if that was why tonight. Just want to go to sleep! Thought I would be excited that she slept through the night for the firtst time but just too tired and uncomfortable (obviously, I hardly slept a wink last night, waiting for her to wake up!)

Thankyou everyone who helped last night. DD fed from it at dreamfeed and it helped a bit but woke up in pain about 2,30am. DH finally came in useful (no, not relieving the pressure himself..)but he massaged it as I squeezed. It was in bed and I think I got milk all over the room but it was worth it!

Romance isnt dead after all

good to hear things have improved..
has DD fed from that side today?

She has but poor wee thing has been all over the place today. I think she is teething! It is never ending this baby business!