Recurring Clogged Milkducts

If you're wearing underwire bras, those can lead to plugged ducts. Also, cabbage leaves inside the bra are good for drawing out the plug.

lecithin is supposed to help. you can take a supplement, though i'd check with your dr. first. but oatmeal (the old fashioned kind you have to cook on the stove) is a great source of it. try having oatmeal for breakfast for about a week, along with drinking plenty of water throughout the day, and see if that helps. :)

As I recall, the main thing was to keep nursing. (Quitting because of clogged ducts tends to make the clogged duct problem worse.) When I had that problem, I took lecithin for a little while, but I can't remember if that's what made it go away, or the nursing or manually removing the obstruction. There's information on the website www.kellymom.com - that's my best recommendation for any nursing questions. (And recommended by my lactation consultant)

I have been going through the same thing, it seemed to take forever for this to clear up, I found out that it wasn't only plugged milk in the nipple but a bit of yeast too, so after treating that it seems to be better! You've gotten lots of great advice.
Keep on nursing! SO good for our babies!

Try changing the positions you nurse in. In particular, try pointing the child's nose toward the clogged area, this apparently causes that area to be cleared out better.

A hot cloth placed on the area will help, or a hot shower. Try to express or nurse as much as possible from that area. (Use your hands to guide the milk out on that side).

Caution: if the area gets red, and/or you start to get ill/fevered/under the weather, take action right away. A clogged duct left untreated can turn into an infection/mastitis which may require antibiotics, and in personal experience, causes major exhaustion and irritation (the last thing a new mom needs).

I started having clogged ducts when my child started sleeping for longer periods. I found that they sometimes recurred when they hadn't completely cleared up the first time. I had the most luck when I sat in front of a mirror and used breast compressions until the end of my nipple would form a small blister (this would sometimes take several hours), I would then pop it and continue to use compressions until all the milk from that duct was expressed - this was probably TMI. Sleeping with a heating pad also helped when dealing with stubborn clogs.

In order to prevent this, I don't go for long periods without nursing and only wear soft, non-binding braziers and tops.

I had a recurring plugged duct when I was nursing my first. Hurts like hell, I know.

Moist heat helps (hot washcloth), and try to nurse on that side as much as you can. If possible, put the baby's chin toward the clog to help work it out, or massage it while she's nursing. I know it hurts, but massaging it will help. Also, check your nipple to see if you have a milk bleb--it'll be a little blister that might look like a white dot. If you have one, gently break it (you can use a sterilized needle, and it probably won't hurt--it'd be a relief). Again, apply moist heat and massage.

i had a horrible clogged duct when i breast fed my daughter it was SO clogged it was swollen all the way into my arm pit. my lactation nurse told me to massage it with a warm cloth and pump as much as i can and as often as i could. pumping helped, bc i was getting so much milk all at once.

It could be something as simple as a bra that is too tight or if you have changed washing detergent. Try a disposable bra liner for a while just to see if it will change the problem. I nursed my kids one straight to the birth of the next for a total of 7 years straight. Sometimes it can be just a change that you have made that you didn't even relise would make a difference. Hot showers and compresses also might help loosen the ducts.
I hope some of this will help.

I don't want to scare you but I would feel awful if I didn't mention this. A friend of mine breasfed her first son with no problem until he was 1. She started breastfeeding her second son and had no problems at first. She, like you, experienced what she thought was a clogged milk duct. She went to the doctor and found out later on that day that she had breast cancer (at age 28). Like I stated before, I don't want to scare you but if this keeps occurring you may want to seek medical attention to be on the safe side.

I would get these from time to time while nursing my son and they are very painful. If you have a breast pump I would recommend pumping an extra time or two and massaging the area that hurts while pumping. This always worked for me. Good luck!