Nursing Moms: Sore Breast??

This happened to me the first week I went back to work, and didn't realize that it was necessary for my heath to pump at the same time each day. Mine turned into mastitis with fever and chills and a trip to the doctor.

Put a hot cloth on it, then gently massage it, then nurse or pump from that side. If this doesn't help, and it gets warm to the touch, or redness, and if you get a fever, get to the doctor immediately! because then you have mastitis and will need to be on antibiotics.

And make time to pump some each day at work.

This sounds awkward, but just fill the bathroom sink with water as warm as your breast can tolerate well. Then lean over it and allow the engorged breast to soak in the warm water. Once you get the milk flowing well, you get into a hot shower and massage that breast from chest toward the nipple, giving extra attention to the fuller or harder areas.

Only because this is happening in one breast instead of both would I be a little more concerned that this could be mastitis. Either way, the warm water soak in the leaning over position is the best thing to do. You may just want to do it more frequently if it is mastitis. If you don't see a warm red spot or develop a fever or other flu symptoms, you might want to first load up on pro-biotics. If caught early, this might prevent the need for anti-biotics. If an anti-biotic is needed, do your research about which ones are safest for your baby. If you have questions about that, you may be able to get more information from your pharmacist than from you doctor.

My breasts became incredibly engorged when my son was a few days old. He was a very large baby and had nursed too much because the colostrum was not satisfying his hunger the first two days. That triggered my body to produce enough milk for a small army. Of course, once the milk let down, he was easily satisfied and would only nibble at the feast I had prepared for him. The La Leche League told me to soak them in a hot sink of water. As soon as I bendt over and the warmth penetrated, they made their own milk bath. I did not need to massage at all. The relief was immediate. For a couple of days, all I had to do was stand in a hot shower and the milk would just pour.

Good luck!

It's probably a blocked duct, but keep a close eye on it. A blocked duct can turn into mastitits. Mastitis, if you don't know, is a breast infection caused by a blocked duct. It can be caused by an unusual interruption in breast feeding.

Just keep feeding and pumping and the blocked duct should clear itself. Also, drink a lot of fluids. Massage and hot packs can help too.

If you continue to have pain, take your temperature. If you are running even a slight fever, GET YOUR BUTT TO THE URGENT CARE. Mastitis can be a serious infection if not treated right away.

I had mastitis twice, both when I was trying to wean my babies. Once, I ended up in the emergency room, running a very high fever. I ended up getting a huge shot of antibiotics in my hip. Ouch!

So, keep a close eye on it. And take care of yourself, mama. http://keystosimpleliving.com/kids.php

Try to pump, nurse, pump, nurse... Whatever you gotta do. If it starts to change from sore to painful and it feels hard, it could be mastitis and you'll need an antibiotic for the infection. Good luck!

It sounds like you just got over-full. Try pumping more. But check with your local employee rights office, I believe an employer has to give you a break and a private place (other than a bathroom) to pump.

this happens to me when I go too long inbetween feedings. kinda painful but not horrible right? I just feed him whenever he wants and all day long start on that side. I also pump and it helps a little bit. I haven't had to do it in a while since we are gradually weaning but when he was smaller this happened a lot. It is probably your milk ducts "backing" up atleast thats what i assumed. I would have like lumps maybe just one or a couple and they would be sore to touch and hard as a rock. Usually by the end of the day they were gone and I was not sore anymore! Does this sound like you? I am not sure what you call it or if I am even right about the milk duct thing but it seemed logical to me thats what it was.

Warm washcloth (as warm/hot as you can stand it) as often as you can will help, nurse as frequently as you can (pumping can help, but not nearly as much as nursing) and rest (I know, hahaha). These are the best things you can do to relieve a clogged duct. Also, your milk will begin to dry up if you aren't able to nurse or pump regularly :( so if there is any way to work it in, it will help you not to hurt and to continue to have the option to nurse. Good luck!

try self expressing or put him to breast to relieve the pressure.

you could be getting mastitis or a clogged duct. If it's mastitis your breast will usually get a red/warm spot on it. There may be a hard spot as well. The pain will get worse in the next few days and it will really hurt when baby nurses. You will also start to feel like you are getting the flu, like fever and body aches. If this happens call your doc. you will need antibiotics. If it's just a clogged duct it can still be painful for days but putting a warm compress on it and massaging the lump before and after nursing should do the trick. Either way the other thing that helps is to nurse like crazy. The more the baby nurses the sore breast the better it is to help with clogged ducts and mastitis.

Probably a clogged duct. Nurse and pump as often as possible. Massage the sore spot. Warm washclothes, warm showers can help as well. If it becomes worse, you have a fever, it becomes hot to the touch, or if you have red streaks on your breast, you need antibiotics as you probably have mastitis. Good luck!