Hi,
Does anyone know what could be wrong w/me all the sudden?? I am nursing and starting about 24 hrs ago my breast has become more and more sore and an area of it has become VERY HARD. THE hardened area seems to be growing and becoming more and more sore. It is 9:30 pm right now and I dont know what to do. Also the one breast has doubled its size. Like full of milk but even if I nurse the baby it dont help although she seems to be getting milk. VERY STRANGE ! and starting to scare me. Thanks,
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen ~
Probably a clogged milk duct. Same thing happened to me. My lump got almost as big as a grapefruit! I had some breast tissue w/ducts in my underarm that never completely dropped into my breast and developed in my underarm. HEAT!(I think moist is best). Apply heat and try to gently push the milk toward the breast. Also, you might need to pump milk once in awhile to relieve the built up (but not too much, or you'll start to produce too much). See your doctor, because you might have an infection, in which case, you might need an antibiotic. Good luck - I know it's painful.
~ Karen
Do you have a fever? - if you have a fever of over 100 or 101 it could be an infection... if not it's probably just a blocked duct as the previous post suggested.
An additional ways/method to get the milk out and help the pain/pressure:
HOT/warm shower- massage the area while in the shower. The shower is hot and therefore tends to open milk ducts but also tends to relax mom which helps with letdown.
After the shower nurse till baby is done or pump just until pressure is gone. If you have a free hand, massage that area of the breast with strokes towards your nipple while nursing/pumping too!
If no relief call your doctor, pediatrician, or a lactation consultant ASAP for more specific assistance. http://www.llli.org/resources.html?m=0 is a good place to find answers about breastfeeding for other information as it comes up. Local La Leche League of MD/DC/DE has these contact numbers on this sitehttp://www.lllofmd-de-dc.org/index.shtml:
HELP LINES
Talk to a Leader about your breastfeeding concerns:
Baltimore
(410) 526-4285
Washington, DC
(202) 269-4444
LLL International
(800) LA-LECHE
Hello, also same thing happened to me, helped to get in a hot shower and let the hot water run down your chest. then gently massage the lump pushing toward the nipple to express some out. Like previously said, pumping or more small frequent feeding of your baby may help releive the pressure.
call your local Le Leche League and they will walk you through teh treatments to try to unclog teh milk duct- stop worrying- everything wil be alright- try cabbge leaves (uncooked)- to sooth teh swelling and rub rhe blocked area- Yes, i know it hurts
good luck
PUMP! -As often as you can between feedings, until you're dry. You need to do this to avoid mastitis.
My midwife, Kristi Zittle, has an amazing homeopathic remedy called Phytolacca -- you can call her at 757-479-1737 to get it. Clears mastitis within a day.
Warm compresses and nurse...nurse....nurse. The baby has got to empty that breast to unplug the duct. If you have a pump that would be great!! When the baby is nursing have his/her nose lined up with the lump. That is where the strongest sucking will occur (at the top of baby's mouth) and help to empty it. Also you can massage while the baby nurses to help. I know that sounds painful...just try as much as you can. I use to make a hot bath and soak in it tummy side down to ease the pain.
WARNING: If you start to get fever or chills and/or pain in the whole breast it could be Mastitis (a breast infection). While it sounds scarey, you will make it. Been there...done that. It's very painful but with an antibiotic from your doctor it will clear up.
Either way just make sure you keep emptying the breast via baby or pump. FYI: It "is" safe for a baby to feed on infected breast.
If it hasn't cleared up within a few hours I would call a doctor. You don't want your milk supply to drop. And once again...even though that sounds scarey, been there....done that... You can fix that too with a pump. :-)
I went through plugged milk ducts, mastitis, and dropped milk supply when my baby was about 3 and 4 months old. I got through it and was able to breastfeed him until he was 16 months old. :-)
I have had experience in this area. It very well could be a clogged duct. Are you running a fever? If you are, it may be something more serious. If there is no fever the best thing to do is to get the baby to nurse as much as possible on that side. Your body is used to the patterns and rhythm of the baby's natural suction as opposed to any pumping you might try and even though she may not be getting enough milk, she may actually loosen the clog. Position her in such as a way that her chin is towards the clog so that there is more suction on that area. You can also try warm compresses as well or massaging that area (possibly even a warm shower with the water hitting that side and massaging the area while in the shower). If she is too fussy to stay latched on because she is hungry and isn't getting what she wants, you can try pumping to loosen it as well. Check with your local hospital or medical equipment company if you don't have a pump. Sometimes they rent them. Hospital grade pumps work much better than the ones that you tend to buy at Wal-Mart or somewhere similar. Most importantly, be patient. This is easier said than done sometimes but in the long haul, it will help to stay as relaxed as possible. Your baby will be able to sense your anxiety. Finally, you can always check with your local hospital or the place you delivered to see if they offer the services of a lactation consultant. A lot of places offer this service and they may be more in tune to the needs of a nursing mother as opposed to an obstetrition or pediatrition.
I had clogged ducts with the my first child, and it is very painful. Try putting a warm cloth on the breast, and then you need to pump or nurse and massage the breast. The only way to relieve it is to unclog the duct, so you may have to nurse or pump for quite some time. The massaging, hot cloth and pumping routine seemed to work for me. Just don't give up, as it may take time to become unblocked. One recommendation to avoid these in the future is to try different nursing positions each time.
Good luck!
Hi Kathleen!
I had one... a couple of times!! I even had mastitis to go with it which is VERY painful.
Now, for the clogged duct, what I did was got down on all fours and pumped that breast. Try to massage the area as well while you're pumping. You should feel it unclog when you do this. A little tip: I used a heating pad first to kind of "loosen" things up a bit beforehand. It worked REALLY well when I did that. If you don't have a pump, then lay the baby on the floor and feed him/her that way while you're on all fours. You're using gravity to help the milk come through. But I HIGHLY recommend using the heating pad first!!
I hope this helps!! I definitely know how painful it can be!
Karen C
I had this a few times in my 6+ years of nursing! Here's what helped.
Massage (esp in a showers), warm compresses, and "directed nursing."
I would stand in a hot shower, directing the spray on the affected spot on my breast. After a few minutes of this I would start massaging the sore/hard spot. I would keep the breast in the water and massage (fairly firmly) with my middle two fingers. Toward the end of the shower I would try to hand-express some milk, making the "C" with my hand such that my thumb was on the lump of milk.
You can massage any time, but the warm shower seems to help "unclog" the duct.
I also made a tiny little rice sock. About 1/2 cup of uncooked rice tied into a sock which I microwaved (not very long! It can burn like popcorn and smell really vile). I could easily hold that small amount of warmth on the bump/duct when my child was nursing.
Nursing can be the biggest help - but I can remember being rather contorted doing this! The strongest "suction" comes from having their bottom lip placed in line with the plugged duct. So (since my plugged ducts always occurred in the same place, on the top on the side of my breast near my armpit) I would actually lay down on the floor and put my kids to the breast upside down (so their top lip pointed toward a hip and their bottom lip pointed toward my armpit). Looked crazy but it worked!
I had to do this every few months. If you have frequent plugged ducts contact your local LLL. Some people have luck with lecithin supplements - I don't know. And never wear tight-fitting bras or underwires!
In all my years of nursing I only got mastitis once - and I didn't have a plugged duct then. But plugged ducts can lead to mastitis, so try to take care of it quickly and stay rested. If you do get fevered and yucky feeling contact your doctor or midwife and they may put you on antibiotics if you have gotten mastitis.
Hang in there!
Hi Kathleen,
OUCH!! I feel your pain. I have had my share of clogged ducts. As long as you are not seeing any red spots or red lines on your breasts, then you are fine, but keep a close eye on it. (Make sure to call your doctor!)
This is what I did...nurse, nurse, nurse and pump, pump, pump. I also put warm compresses on my breasts. It hurts like the devil but it does work. It usually took me about a day and a half to two days to feel normal. (and for the hardness to go away).
I hope you are feeling better VERY soon!
Gretchen
Take a warm shower, and massage the breast to see if you can work it out. If not, you may need to see your doctor.
Hi Kathleen,
Wow- sounds painful! Dont panic, but also you should call your doctor as soon as you can. It may just be a blocked milk duct, but I have also had two girlfriends recently get serious infections that had to be treated (they had similar symptoms to you). Two things-
1)if it IS an infection, the doctor did not want the moms to nurse from that side anymore. SO that may be a concern.
2) if its not an infection, it may be the same thing I had when I was breastfeeding (milk duct blockage-type thing) which I treated at home by putting warm, damp compresses on the area that was sore.
Ultimately I was fine, and was able to continue breastfeeing, but if it turns out to be a mastitis, or an infection, its always better safe than sorry...so really try to get your doc on the phone when you can.
Check your temperature- if you have a fever, you should not hesitate to go to your doctor or a clinic that is open if it is still late at night where you are.
Hope you feel better! Best of luck! Most of all, try not to worry-(you dont want to affect your milk flow) either way it can be treated.
Hope this helped.
Greer
Go see the Dr. You can also apply a heating pad to the breast several minutes before the next feeding. This will allow the milk duct to open up more. I would definitely see the dr though if it does not improve. It could lead to Mastitis, and believe me you don't want that.
In our African tradition elders recommend that in such a case to just put some parsil in a mixer. Mix it and wrap your breast with the parsil for 15 minutes. If you press your breast after that the milk will flow out.
Believe it not but it really works !
The same thing happened to me. I had mastitis. It's when the clogged milk duct becomes infected. I had to take an antibiotic. Warm compresses also helped.
Jerilyn
Apply heat and knead it. It hurts but it works. I had the same thing happen to me and thought I had a breast lump. I saw the dr and this is what they told me to do. They have heating pads for breasts sold by the breast pump/accessories. YOu can put them in the microwave and then put it on your breast. It does sound like a clogged duct. Good luck!
Not that I am an expert in this area, but those sound like some of the symptoms of mastitis. You probably need to see your doctor because it may need antibiotics.