Blocked milk duct

Has anyone else ever had a blocked milk duct when breastfeeding? I am in agony. At first, I thought the sore boob might be an early pregnancy sign but nope, I am certain now it is not and it is a hard lump. I don't think it is mastitis because I am not red or feverish (and my DD is now 8 months old and is breastfeeding well). I haven't been engorged or anything so I am not sure what has caused this, but is there anything I can do beyond nursing her frequently and having hot baths, showers, compresses?

[spade22]

Yes, Ive had this happen to me several times.  

I use an electric heating pad (this is great because it remains hot throughout the process) on the offending area and pump while simultaneously massaging the area.  It hurts, but usually after doing this for 10- 20 mins  the clog has been removed.  You can also try this when baby is nursing but it may take more than one session depending on how long/well baby nurses - thats why I use a pump when this happens.

[AndiJ78]

Take some Motrin and actually try cool compresses as well to push it through. Definitely keep nursing on that side and be very diligent at watching for signs of mastitis. It can come on very quickly and turn bad just as fast.

BTW, I only had mastitis in the beginning once, the other times it came when the babies were older.

[spade22]

Ohh - just to add.   You are doing all the correct things but if you can do them all at the same time (heat to area, massage, and milk removal) this will help - it has always worked for me.

BTW: mastitis doesnt always present with fever and/or red streaks in the early stages of the infection.  Also, keep an eye-out for these signs as a blocked duct can sometimes lead to mastitis.  Treatment for mastitis is the same as above but antibiotics may be required if infection is bad enough.

[tiredbuthappy]

i had mastitis once, so any time after that when i had a clogged duct i panicked. i did NOT want to go through mastitis again. I actually found a great, easy trick that worked every time for me- i used the cheap manual pump that the hospital gave me and it sucked it out within minutes. It's the same one that comes free with the Medela pump in style- looks a bit like a bike pump. it worked wonderfully for this purpose because you can control both the strength and speed of each suc*k. several long, hard pulls always seemed to do the trick. not the most comfortable thing, so i only used it in this kind of emergency.

[waitingwithhope]

Thank you all so much!! Your ideas are great. Maybe I should pump too then along with the nursing? is it best to pump at the highest speed? Do you feel it when the milk ducts clears? I have been trying to nurse her and take warm baths all day but I am still in pain so it obviously has not cleared. I might try and get my DH to get out and get me a heating pad too...

[anxiousmomtobe?]

Public health nurses here recommend putting a cabbage leaf over a sore breast.  I know it sounds crazy and you will smell like cole slaw but it truly works.  There is an enzyme in the leaf that helps with blockages and engorgement.  

I was very prone to block milk ducts and this worked everytime.  

I also didn't get mastitis until after my son was 12 months.

I hope you feel well soon.

[waitingwithhope]

I actually had heard that cabbage leaves work...Do you freeze it first and put it on? Or do you put it on fresh?

[spade22]

"is it best to pump at the highest speed?"

No!  The highest speed can actually damage your nipples - a setting of 30-40% works pretty well and can actually be more effective at milk extraction than some of  the higher settings.I learnt this from tiredbuthappy.  I was using 100% setting for awhile and had all sorts of problems- these went away when I went to the 30% setting and my milk production increased too.

I recommend the hospital pumps that you can rent.  Many hospitals will let you rent a pump for a few days (you can also rent for weeks or months).  This give you the option to rent for a few days to see if that helps clear the clog and you can take it back after that.

BTW:  I have had mastitis twice.  I believe I was on the verge of getting it the third time when I used the heating pad w/ pumping and massaging and was fine within a day.  I have had two clogs since then and use the same technique.  Like Tiredbuthappy, I wanted to do anything I could to prevent getting mastitis a third time!

[waitingwithhope]

Thank you so much for your advice. I pumped with the pump on a medium setting (I have a Medla Pump in Style..it does a pretty good job). And..I put a heating pad on at the same time...and I think it cleared!! I am still a bit sore, but honestly, it is 99% better. I am so much happier.
I am going to continue doing this, though, if I even "think" it might be happening again. I have never felt so sore breastfeeding!!
Thanks too to everyone else for your advice. Had our grocery stores been open today, I was going to go and buy cabbage too!!

[mlb1234]

For me, just nurse, nurse, nurse is what helped.

[waitingwithhope]

Does anyone know the reason why it happens at all? I totally thought it was due to engorgement or that it happened during the first few weeks that you bring a baby home..but I am thinking differently now!! I've never had this with any of my other kids. I'd love to figure out how to prevent it!!