Clogged Milk Duct/Open Forum

[deanne11]

I'm in extreme pain.  I'm at work, can't do to much here but need help.
I've tried everything.  Jake nursing, warm wash cloths, hot showers...pumping.

I have a slight fever and getting nauseous....not sure if the nausea is anxiety or related.

Any advice....since I'm at work.

[lhughes]

Sounds like mastitis (sp??).  You might need a round of antibiotics.  Call your doc and inquire.  He may want you to come in.  I had it twice while breastfeeding.

[houseofgirls]

Yes, sounds like Mastitis.  You need to call your doctor, and s/he most likely will want to see you and then give you antibiotics.  Continue nursing or pumping as much as you can.  Engorement will make it hurt even more.  You could also try taking some Motrin if it is really painful, that may help.  

[Jenny100]

My SIL JUST had this---it sounds exactly like what she explained to me, and it was mastitis. You need anti-biotics ASAP. She felt better within 24 hours.

[deanne11]

Thanks - but I really didn't think it was this since I've had them clogged before.

But the baby nursing always cleared it up....not this time, it's been about 24 hrs.
I'm pumping every hr at work here and leaving early to get the baby to nurse.

Yes, I'll call the Dr, thanks.

[AndiJ78]

As everyone else said it does sound like mastitis and you need to get in and started on anti-biotics as soon as possible. While picking up the rx, pick up a small tube of anti-fungal cream. After a few days of you being on an antibiotic I can almost promise your wee one will develop a little yeast in the diaper area. Run it past the pedi, but a little dab of anti-fungal cream clears it up really quickly. I have had mastitis at least once with each baby (twice with the youngest two) and each time I was put on Keflex and each time my boys got a little tiny pocket of yeast in one of their folds in the diaper area.

Here is a great link with information for you on managing mastitis and clogged ducts and how to tell the difference:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/mastitis.html

[deanne11]

Thanks so much!  I know you are pro nursing/breastfeeding and glad to hear it has happened to others.
I feel like I've done something wrong.  

Mostly pumping now, not allowing him to nurse as much.  I want to provide breastmilk but the nursing gets exhausting so trying to pump more and feed via bottle (so hubby can help).

Not to mention he only wakes once or twice now between 7p-5a....that's a long stretch and it kills me by morning.  

Good to know at the expected yeast problem...even with boys?  Jake goes in to the Ped tomorrow for 6 vaccines...ugggh....I'll talk to her then about the cream.

Thanks again!

[AndiJ78]

I have three boys : ) And yep, all three got the little yeast pocket in the fold next to their little package. Never anything major, but as soon as I spotted that tell tale bright red crease with the yeasty smell, I dab it with nystatin and it is gone by the next diaper change.

Also make sure you liberally apply thicker diaper cream on his bottom, antibiotics tend to make the poo burn a bit for them.

With T and CJ I tried to make that dang right breast work and each time within 2 weeks of delivery I was blessed with mastitis (with T is turned into an abscess very quickly)  and then I got it with all three after they got their teeth and bit. Nursing through those three bouts was a blast : ) We made it through and kept on going.

It isn't so much about doing something wrong as it just plain happens sometimes. Just keep pumping and/or nursing and with proper treatment should pass soon enough.

[jenstam]

Mastitis can become very serious quickly. My mother had it and was hospitalized because she didn't recognize it until she was nearly in a coma due to a blood infection! It is very important to treat it with antibiotics asap.

[deanne11]

Maybe it's Jake's teeth then.  This happened rather quickly...like within 48 hrs.  He just got his first teeth this weekend...Saturday....maybe it's related.

jenshim - wow - thanks for the heads up....I'm waiting from a call from my Drs office now.

Thanks Everyone.  The pain is getting worse.  I just went to the 'mother's room' to pump and put hot rags on it....it helped but within minutes of being back at my desk it's swollen again.

[AndiJ78]

Even if you can't get an appt with your doc today, you need to get in to urgent care and get started on antibiotics today. With a few of my bouts I got quite sick (not to Jen's mom's degree) but was knocked down with flu-like symptoms for a few days. Not fun with a nursing baby!

Do you have any motrin? Have you tried cool compresses to keep the swelling down?

[deanne11]

Thanks so much!
I will try a cool compress.

My Dr still hasn't called.  Do you think Amoxcilian (sp?) would be okay to start taking until the Dr can get me something.

I have some that were prescribed for me....I didn't take them because it was just a sinus thing and it worked itself out.....anyway...do you think that can help until they can get me something?

We don't have an urgent care out here....We had them in AZ, and they were great.....but not here in PA...

[tiredbuthappy]

i agree it sounds like mastitis if you have a fever and flu-like symptoms and that you need antibiotics. but in the mean time, i do have a trick that has always worked to get the clog out. whenever i felt a clog, i would use the manual pump that comes free with the medela pis, or pisa. i also got one from the hospital in the kit that came with the pump i used while there. it's the manual pump that looks like a bicycle pump. i didn't even know what it was for the longest time. the suction on that is very different. it's not comfortable for pumping often and for long, but because you can do long hard pulls with it, it has always loosened my clogs within minutes. it's worked 5 times for me, and ever since i discovered this trick i haven't had mastitis. you'll still need the antibiotic to clear up the infection, but at least this may make you more comfortable.
good luck and i hope you feel better. aside from pneumonia, mastitis is the worst illness i have had in my life.

[AndiJ78]

Call the doc again, let them know you think you have mastitis and need to be seen, if they cannot do that, see if you can do a phone consult and have the rx called in. It doesn't take long for it to get worse. One of the few infections I have had that progressively worsens in hours rather than days.

Most sources say amox is basically useless in treating mastitis, it isn't strong enough or the proper med for that specific strain of infection.

[jenstam]

I would call again too. Don't take your chances. It's a fast progressing infection.

This is one of the main reasons I didn't breastfeed my girls. My mother told me horror stories about the mastitis she had. She thought she had the flu and had been struggling with my newborn brother to get him to nurse. One of her breasts was so sore she couldn't touch it. She had a fever and a red streak on her breast. She thought this was all just something she had to suffer through. She felt very ill and went to lie down and my grandfather found her lying unconcious. She woke up nearly a day later with a tube coming from her breast in ICU and was told she had a serious blood poisoning. This all happened within a day or so. Now, she was fighting the infection for a few days, not knowing it was mastitis, but still...it can get serious. I know this is an extreme case, but it scared me enough to not want to nurse my babies until I had my son. I regret not trying it before now though. What a beautiful experience it has been for me and for my son!

Most women I know who have nursed have had mastitis a time or two. I have been lucky not to get it in the over 7 months I have been nursing (knock on wood!). Have you heard back from your doctor yet?

[ma2isiah]

Ask for docloxacillin-- it works the best. I get clogged ducts when I am pumping more than nursing (when I work 2-12 hour shifts). The lactation nurse said that the duct swells when clogged and then stretches out and is easier to get clogged again. Clogged ducts can lead to mastitis. I thought for sure I was going to get mastitis this past weekend. I had a clogged duct sat-mon, but with lots of pumping and nursing it finally went away. But I feel your pain! The lactation nurse I work with recommended using a sonicare toothbrush, the handle part and let the vibrations break up the clog, sounds crazy, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  I am not sure why you are trying to stop nursing, but at least for me nursing got rid of the clog 100x better than the pump. Good luck, hope you feel better soon. Start antibiotics asap and take ibuprofen every 4 hours to reduce the swelling. Also when you get home you could do a "breast bath", lean over a bowl of warm water and hand express. One more thing, in addition to yeast cream for baby, remember that antiobiotics can give you yeast too and a breast yeast infection is the worst! Try acidolphilis pills to prevent that.

[tmv]

Also, if it isn't too painful, apply warm compresses to the breast before pumping/nursing. Have the baby nurse with the top of the nose pointed to that area of the breast that is sore. This will help empty that duct. They nurse strongest there.

Also, I agree with the rest on the antibiotics. You'll need to check with the pharmacist/Dr on which you can continue to use the breastmilk of and which you will have to pump and dump. Hope you get better soon.

[deanne11]

Thanks to all who helped me through yesterday.

I am fine and it was not Mastitis.

It took a long time and the baby pretty much nursed off me from 4p-8p.  Then I took a hot shower and used warm compresses on my chest.  After that, I put him back on around 11p and by 1am I was fine.

Thanks again for everything...I was so nervous and scared that the pump couldn't get out more than 1 oz at a time.....

The baby made a huge difference.