Blocked duct - any point going to the GP?

[tellnoone]

I think I've got a blocked duct (been reading Kellymom). DD is 12 months and this coincides with her having a lazy latch (I posted about this a few days ago - thanks for the replies), me having irritated nips, her reducing the amount of feeds in the day plus my decision to stop expressing at work because I thought she was reducing feeds anyway.

It's quite sore but I suppose I am reasonably confident that with increased feeding and expressing it will go away. This morning I was a bit upset about it and made the GP appointment for tomorrow morning. But, is there any point going to the GP? Can they do anything useful? (as I doubt it needs antibiotics etc at this stage.)

Thanks

Sorry to hear thatn tellnoone.

TBH it probably depends on your GP. I'd call an NCT breastfeeding councillor first, or hang around for tiktok to turn up!

What are you symptoms and have you tried anything to shift it yet? The usual first advice is:

Try some massage, preferably somewhere warm - under the shower, in the bath - starting by 'combing' your breast with your fingers from the outside towards the nipple, then massaging a little more firmly over the area you think is blocked. The shower is good because then if you let down the milk has somewhere to go!

To pay attention to the latch (tricky with an older babe, I know.

To change position - even if it means crazy angles - so the babe's lower jaw is pressing on the blocked duct. This is not proven to work but I felt it made a big difference to me.

To keep a close eye for changes in case it does develop towards mastitis (not inevitable at all...)

Keep feeding!

Good luck

Thanks Mij. I had a good expressing session, then fed DD, then fed her again at bedtime and I think the lump has gone down.

I think I will cancel the appointment.

Now I know what a blocked duct is like (sore and hard in my case) I think I will see it coming sooner next time. And added to the things I said earlier which might have caused it, I've been sleeping on my front and probably wearing clothes too tight when feeding - especially now it's getting colder, I was pulling my top down at the back to keep me warm so the top was putting pressure across the top of the boob - where the blockage was. All things for me to be aware of from now on.

Feeding positions are still a bit of a problem - I just can't seem to get it comfortable, her top teeth always end up digging in. I just have to keep detaching her and starting again, bit annoying though when I'm trying to get her to sleep

That sounds promising - keep going til you're sure it's gone though, won't you, cos they can keep coming back again. It's good to know what your 'normal' and 'not normal' is so you can catch it quickly next time.

I have trouble with top teeth too - it's difficult to pull them close to get an older baby's head to go back, when there's all that body and long legs to tuck in! When I feed lying down now, I lob DD's legs over my tummy so I can snuggle her closer, and pull her a little lower than she'd naturally go, to try to get her chin to dig in again, like a wee baby, but she often just shuffles herself up again! Ho hum.