How Can I Get Rid of This Hard Spot in My Boob?

Hi There, it sounds like a clogged duct. In my experience, what worked is a warm compress (if you don't have a water bottle heater you can add warm water to a diaper and use that). Do that for 20 minutes, then pump AND massage toward the nipple, simultaneously. If that doesn't clear it up, and you would know because the lump would be gone when you're done pumping...which shouldn't take very long itself, then you can try a more advanced method. This will most likely work, but if it doesn't, let me know and I can give you another method that always worked for me. Good Luck! C.

Ouch. Sounds like a clogged duct. What I do is I lay my daughter flat on her back and position myself so I am kind of on top of her if that makes sense. It's so gravity will help pull out the clog. I angle her so her chin is against the clog and she is usually able to get it out. For me, pumping just makes it worse!

Also, try starting on Lecithin. It's a vitamin supplument that will help prevent other clogs.

Good luck! And watch for signs of mastitis. That can appear if you have a clog in there for a while.

Adapted from Miranda Castro and personal experience:
Don’t stop breastfeeding, don’t automatically take antibiotic.
Check that your bra isn’t causing the blockage.
Rest more – it can be a sign that you are overdoing it. Rest now will pay off later compications.
Apply hot and cold alternately every 2 hours for 5/1 min each i.e. – hot for 5 min- remove- cold for 1 min finish off on the one that feels nicer.
Drink more!
Cut down nuts.
Breastfeed more.
Massage you breast starting on the periphery well above the lump and going to the nipple while nursing, especially during the let down.
Use breast pump if your baby does not eat much.
Express milk while taking hot shower.
Position baby on the breast with the chin across from blocked duct.
Swing your arms in the manner of exercise to encourage the blood flow to the area.
If you can get to homeopathic remedies – Conium 30C is good if it is your right breast. Start taking Silica 6C 3 doses for the first hour then every 2 hours. stop as soon as improvement is in sight.
Get Phytollaca 200C to use if develop fever.
Good Luck
V.

I would not try to self diagnose what it could be. I would get in to see the doctor. Especially if you have tried other things to alleviate what you think could be a clogged duct and it is still there. A hard and painful lump should be checked out by doctor as soon as possible.

Hi K.,
I had this problemand found that going to a physiotherapist who did ultrasound on the affected area was the onlything that really helped. Also a really good feed did relieve some of the pressure. Also make sure your nursing bras are really well-fitted so not too tight and definitely avoid underwire.
Hope you feel better soon!

clogged duct: nurse or pump as often as possible
warm wash clothes or heating pad
ib profren

Try to take care of it before it becomes full blown mastisis.

Hi K.. I also went through this while I was breastfeeding my son. Once it was mastitis, but what you're describing sounds like the 2nd incident, which was a cyst. (Hard like a rock, and it hurt) I would see your doctor just to make sure (my cyst was nothing at all to worry about, it's just good to be on top of that sort of thing!)
Hope you're feeling better soon!

Get to the doc, it sounds like Mastitis, you need an antibiotic.

Probably mastitis - call your doctor.

Go to the doctor immediately and get this lump checked out. Do not take any chances that it will "go away".
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my midwife told me to nurse with babys chin facing the side of the breast that is in pain. it should help baby get the milk out of that portion that is not properly draining

K. - it sounds like a clogged duct and you got some good advice from other moms. But if all else fails, try Phytolacca (sold at Whole Foods) and it'll go away within 24 hours. I have a two year old boy and am still breastfeeding so I know how painful it can be. Good luck!

Hi there... while it sounds like a bad clogged duct, I've learned to be careful with hardening and lumps in the brast area. Due to a cyst incident. Of course you should try the hot shower massage but if it doesn't show some relief within a few hours, I'd definitely go in to see your doctor. Never want to be too complacent when it comes to bumps and lumps. Good luck to ya.

Have u gone to the doctor ? I would go to the doctor first !!

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Because you said pumping isn't getting anything out on that side, it sounds like a clogged duct! I feel your pain!

This is what to do:
1. apply heat BEFORE feeding or pumping. (I used hot washcloth). Massaging is a good idea too, even though it hurts.
2. feed/pump on the side with the clogged duct FIRST.
3. try to feed baby with her chin towards the lump... can't explain why, but this seems to put the baby's best suction in the right place. As you feed, you can try pushing down towards your chest at the outer edge of the lump.
4. apply ICE after feeding/pumping.
5. avoid missing any feedings (e.g. if the baby is sleeping through a regular feeding, then pump!)

If you have continued problems with clogged ducts, I found it helpful to take Lecithin supplements.

Good luck!

Hi K.,
Since you said it hurts and you aren't getting any milk out of that side of your nipple, it sounds like a clogged duct. I had one once, and I massaged from the outside of the breast towards the nipple while I pumped, and it unclogged the duct. It only happened to me that one time. My lactation consultant also told me to try taking a clean diaper, putting a few oz of water in it, and microwaving it for about 10 seconds or so to warm it up. Use it as a warm compress to help with your letdown right before you pump. You also want to start the baby off on that breast with the chin directly opposite the lump. Try massaging from the outside of your breast toward the nipple while the baby is feeding. You might also try moving the shield around slightly while you are pumping to make sure all the ducts are emptying.

I also had a lump in my breast that I noticed a few days after I gave birth. I kept thinking it was a clogged duct, which is how I got the advice above. However, it didn't hurt the way the clogged duct did, and it didn't go away no matter what I did. At my six month post-partum check-up, I asked my OB about it. He felt it, and said he thought it was an engorged vein. He decided to send me in for a sonogram. Turns out it is a cystic adenoma (non-cancerous cyst common in breastfeeding women). I still have it and can feel it. I don't think your lump is a cyst because with me, the clogged duct hurt but the cyst didn't. If it doesn't go away in another day or two, you should definitely see the doctor before it turns into mastitis.

Definitely a clogged duct. It sounds like you're doing all the right things (heat, massage, bf'ing, pumping), but you might also want to try sleeping on your back. For my constant clogged duct problems, I noticed that sleeping on my back (rather than on either side) made a difference. It was like the milk "pooled" in part of my breast when sleeping on my side, causing the hard lumps. Good luck!
(BTW, mastitis is fairly obvious -- most commonly, you would have a high fever with marked red lines running from your nipple to the base of your breasts)

Hi K.,
I'd go see your doctor if you've tried all of those things....Probably a clogged duct, but it's good to make sure it's not something more....
Good luck and congrats...
L. =0)

aim your daughters chin towards the hardened area when you feed her and it will come out eventually. I get those every once in a while when I go too long without feeding my son. Let her eat more frequently if it happens too often. Should help within that feeding.
Hope that helps.. works for me.

With my first son, I got clogged ducts several times a week, and tried ALL of the advice listed. Nothing seemed to get rid of them, but they just "unclogged" on their own, usually by the next feeding or two. They were very painful, but fortunately never progressed to mastitis. I continued to get them until six months! I just succumbed to using advil and enduring the pain for my baby's benefit. Good to know, with my second son (six weeks old), I haven't had a single clog!

I took Mammary PMG from Standard Process. It's sold through holistic doctors.

Sounds like a clogged milk duct. I get them every now and then and they are so painful, I feel for you! I agree with all the comments so far. What works for me is a REALLY hot shower with the spray shooting on the spot, massage toward the nipple while in the shower. I also raise my arm above my head and massage. For me the sign that I am getting it out is that when I raise my arm it doesnt hurt as bad. Immediately after the shower you need to nurse nurse nurse the baby on the side that hurts (massage while you nurse). Try different positions. One that works for me for the really big lumps is to be above the baby on all fours and have the baby on her back nursing. VERY weird, but it works. I also take motrin the minute I feel one coming on. You can get the little inner tube looking things that you microwave or freeze (I've never tried the freezing) and put in your bra. If I feel one coming on I do that, massage and motrin. Sometimes I can beat them this way. I have friends that swear by putting cabbage leaves on the breast, but I havent tried this. Good luck!!

Yep, sounds like it. Try a hot shower and massage at the same time. Yes it will hurt when you do it. You can call your OB if you start to feel achy or feverish. The doc on call should be able to call in a script for you if it turns to mastitis.

Ugh! I get those now and then. MOIST heat and massage are the key!
I put a wet washcloth into the microwave for a minute, until it's very hot, then I air it out until it's just as hot as I can stand, then I just fold it up and press it onto the "rock". I massage straight through the hot cloth, from the outward edge, toward the nipple, Or sometimes all I can stand to do is compress. Do that for 10 (maybe 15) minutes and a few hours later it should be better or gone. If not, do it again.
Your case sounds pretty severe. You may need to do this every couple of hours for a while before you get results.

Good luck with that.

You may want to log onto NAET.com. It could me a manifestation of allergies. Also, Amazon.com for Say Goodbye to Illness by Dr. Devi Nambudripad and Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch.

also, you may want a Naturopathic doctor.

Be well.

N.

Definitely sounds like a plugged duct. I used to get them all of the time (every few days), and they still come and go sometimes, so I know your pain. Check out the kellymom.com page on them http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/mastitis.html. It normally takes me doing multiple things to get rid of it if I don't get rid of it right away. Keep at it, and definitely try what everyone suggested. I know that feeding my baby with me hanging over him and his chin pointing in the direction of the clog normally works (I also massage the clogged area during this), although I have to do it at multiple feedings. You'll know when it's completely gone, although feeding will help make it smaller sometimes, once it gets out, it will feel so much better, and the lump will just disappear.

Also, I think once you get one you are more susceptible to them. Lecithin can help (although not for me), and I found that cutting dairy almost completely out of my diet did help a lot.

I had one too. It ended up that I has a bleb on my nipple and the ducts were all clogged. the MD had to insert a needle to drain the bleb and out came the milk. It can be serious if you don't get it taken care of. Mine became infected and required a PCN shot. OUCH!
Try to see a doctor or lactation consultatnt very soon. If you have afever or chills go to the ER!
I hope that you are OK.

The MD told me to use heat, but the lactation consultant told me to use ice!
She said that you don't want an increased blood flow to the area and you don't want to speed up the milk production in that area- for now. I tried the heat beacause I thought the mD would be right, but it didn't help release the milk let down. I then tried the ice and within a few seconds I was getting relief!
GOOD luck.
If you have a white spot on your nipple you might have a bleb.

Sounds like a clogged duct...apply heat, massage it and nurse on it as much as you can...if you start to feel flu-like, call your doctor. It's probably gotten infected and it's now a breast infection (also called mastitis). I had it with my first son, not a lot of fun, but not the end of the world. Whatever you do, don't stop nursing on it. My pump rarely gets out a clogged duct, but it seems like my baby can every time!

Good luck.
-M

Ughhh... Clogged Ducts, Ouch! I used to get them ALL the time and basically you have to tend to your clogged milk duct like it's another job so it doesn't turn into mastitis. Heating pads,hot water compress, massaging, pumping, nursing...all of the above and sometimes even then it's still doesn't do the job. I feel your pain :( but keep doing with your doing.

Can you find a hot tub somewhere? The shower didn't work for me - not strong or hot enough, but the hot tub did. And having the baby nurse on that side.
Good luck

When you're in the shower run warm water on it and press gently but firmly to get the milk out, it is going to be sore and uncomfortable. After each feeding for about a day have a towel on hand and after you've fed your baby apply pressure to continue to get out any milk that may be left in there. I used to find I'd get clogged ducts on the side I slept on the most. I would make the effort to switch sides for a couple days as well to help it clear up. It may not be infected yet but it can get if you don't get it cleared up. I never had any luck with a pump, I always had to hand massage it out, the pressure needed to be in a different place then a pump applies it.
It usually took me a couple days of diligently massaging it many times a day before it would go away.