Milk came in yesterday - sore armpit?

kathleen02 · November 2010

Yeah, so my right armpit is swollen which coincides with my milk coming in. Did anyone get this initially? Applying warm packs and massaging it feels good but it's even tender to lift up my arm. If you had something similar, how long did it last? Or what did you do to help get rid of it.

lesleslie · November 2010

I had the exact same thing happen but even had a bump on my armpit as well. I applied a warm compress before each feeding and took warm showers and alternated feeding positions from the cradle to the football to ensure different milk ducts were being emptied. The pain and the bump were gone after approx 2 days. The nurse at the hospital said it was a clogged duct.

dixee.deluxe · November 2010

I have auxillary breast tissue in my right armpit. I was able to express it through a...wait for it...NIPPLE in my armpit! I didn't know it was there until it started lactating. It was so scary and groooooossssssss to me. When I went to my primary care to talk about it, she said "Oh, do you have nipples anywhere else? Most people have them all over." WHAAAAAAT?

So I called my OB and my primary care doc. They both said it was so common and not to express it. I expressed it though. I couldn't help it because it hurt so bad and was so huge. And hard like a golf ball. Once I expressed it, it didn't come back.

I didn't buy that it was common. But Monday at my 6w appt, I was talking to my OB about it. She said many many women have it on both sides.

To put it in perspective, she'd never had a woman's water break on the table before me. But she sees auxilary breast tissue all the time. Soooo, women just don't talk about it, I assume!

momtwins19 · November 2010

the warm compress will only stimulate your milk to come down. try a cool compress and try massaging it. mine did the same thing. it is just a swollen milk duct. the more you massage it and the more you pump, the better it will get. i pumped every 2 hours consistently for the first month and after about 2 weeks the pain went away. i still get it every now and then, but if i massage it and pump while im massaging it, it seems to work.

luckyfrgg · November 2010

Yep - I had this happen both times. Apparently it's fairly common to have breast tissue in other places in your body, particularly your armpit, and that tissue can have milk ducts so that it gets engorged just like your breast. It doesn't drain anywhere though, so it'll dry up over time. My midwife's advice last time was to avoid rubbing or stimulating it and apply cold (I used a bag of frozen peas) to relieve some of the discomfort. Both times, it went away after 2-3 days. GL!!

SpartanChick88 · November 2010

I have a bit of soreness too. My LC told me to crush a green cabage leaf annd stick it under my armpit. I haven't tried it yrt but I will.

kg_08 · November 2010

That happened when my milk came in, but it only lasted 24-36 hours for me. Once in a while if LO goes a really long time between feedings and I get engorged it will hurt a bit under my arms, but I just massage it out while she's eating.

kellelle01 · November 2010

I had a lump under my right armpit too and it freaked me out! My brother had a lump under his armpit when he was 13 and was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma! I thought mine was the same thing, but my OB said it was breast tissue. It was gone after a few days and changing nursing positions.

Mrs. Balltzglier · November 2010

I had a lump the size of a golf ball under my left arm. It was swollen and painful and that was a day or two before my milk came in. After it came in, it stayed swollen for about 2 days but each day it got smaller. I used a cold pack on it, but I think something warm would have been better.

Teach84 · November 2010

Yes, I did. It lasted about 24 hours... I massaged it and used warm compresses - and also nursed as much as possible.

skychick312 · November 2010

i had the same thing! i had a lump under each arm when my milk came in.. warm packs and light massage starting at the top of the armpit (near the shoulder) and stroking towards the side of ribs will help... lasted a few days, it should go away on its own...

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