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Clogged Duct?

ilovetolaughilovetolaugh member
in Babies: 0 - 3 Months

I think I have a clogged duct.  I EP and my boob is super hard and sensitive to the touch. I'm not getting as much milk out of it as I was before. 

What should I be doing?  I have a heat compress on it right now and I'm also going to try pumping that side longer than usual.  


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Re: Clogged Duct?

  • wearenuttswearenutts member
    Heat for a bit or get in a hot shower, message some and keep pumping. When I had one it sort of "popped" while LO was nursing and I instantly felt better. Good Luck they can really hurt.
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  • sillypitsillypit member
    Clogged ducts suck.  The shower helped me the most.  Get in and turn in on pretty hot and massage at the clogged duct pushing inwards towards the nipple.  Eventually some milk will start to flow out, then pump for awhile after that happens.  It might take 2-3 tries to get it to clear but it should work.  Good luck, I know it hurts like mad.
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  • ilovetolaughilovetolaugh member

    imagewearenutts:
    Heat for a bit or get in a hot shower, message some and keep pumping. When I had one it sort of "popped" while LO was nursing and I instantly felt better. Good Luck they can really hurt.

    thanks! I am going to be pumping up a storm and i have a heat compress on it now.  I am ready for the 'pop'! 


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  • ilovetolaughilovetolaugh member

    imagesillypit:
    Clogged ducts suck.  The shower helped me the most.  Get in and turn in on pretty hot and massage at the clogged duct pushing inwards towards the nipple.  Eventually some milk will start to flow out, then pump for awhile after that happens.  It might take 2-3 tries to get it to clear but it should work.  Good luck, I know it hurts like mad.

    As soon as DH gets home, I will be in the shower. That seems like a good option-relaxing AND being productive.  maybe the pain will spoil the relaxing though...boo. 


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  • mrs.spears26mrs.spears26
    i had one while i was at work so i massaged it while i was pumping. it cleared right up and i got a lot more milk out than i had been earlier in the day
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  • SparklygirlSparklygirl
    I had one that was pretty bad. I kept pumping, shower, heating pad...nothing worked. The only thing that cleared it was the baby.
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  • SparklygirlSparklygirl
    I had one that was pretty bad. I kept pumping, shower, heating pad...nothing worked. Unfortunately, the only thing that cleared it was the baby. As a last resort, you can go to the Dr. They can help you clear it.
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  • nagolinsnagolins

    Hey, just had to reply as I've had a million of these with my overabundance of milk-my body can run like a faucet, but I can't get it to drop 5 lbs. Anyhow, 3rd kid here, 4 mos old..

    You won't find a doc telling you this, and I won't promote it because it can hurt like hell sometimes, but it works for me every time. Ditto on the warm shower, except I make mine as scalding hot as I can take it, for as long as I can take it; then I grab my whole breast at the very top (closest to chest) onthe side the plug is, and just squeeze the crap out of it heading downward to force out the milk. And I keep doing it until it "pops" like a big zit! Lol. I had to laugh about the pooping comment, because it's true. You'll know when you get it because the milk will come shooting out all of a sudden.

    Anyhow, it's not for everyone, but maybe something to try as a last-ditch effort. That's how it came about for me-I had tried everything mentioned above, and nothing. So I thought, alright, time to do things my way. Lol.

    Good luck!

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  • mmeecceemmeeccee
    I had to stop breast feeding altogether because of these.  I had them constanty.  I didn't realize it until it was too late.  Not much was coming out so my LO was losing weight and not pooping.  By the time I realized what was happening, my body stopped producing totally.  My milk never totally came in because of this.  I was only producing 1/2 oz every 2 hours when LO was 3 weeks old (I only know this because I started pumping.)  They were a total nightmare.  I found a hot shower and massaging them out was the only way to get rid of them. 
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  • briar_rose96briar_rose96
    Take a diaper and quickly run it under the faucet, then nuke it for about 20-30 seconds. Test it before putting it on your breast. Then slip it into your bra covering affected breast. Sounds weird, but the moist heat works better than just a hot compress. The nurse told me about this and I love her for it!
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  • ChristyMDChristyMD

    Clogged ducts are the worst!!!  I'm so sorry you are dealing with them right now--they hurt so bad--it felt like I had rocks in there.  I feel for you.Sad 

    I did the hot shower and pumping and nursing as much as I could as well, but also added some homeopathic tricks that really helped get things moving.  My midwife is a naturopath and suggested I use the following:

    lecithin (liquid, capsules or granuals)=this helps "thin out" your milk so that it will get flowing.  It won't actually make your milk thin but allows it to flow better.

    phytolacca (dissovable pills)=this helps with the clearing as well

    probiotics (capsules)

    You can get all of these at the store--they will definitely have them at a Natural Foods Store like PCC.  That's where I got all of these products above.

    I also preferred dipping my breast in a bowl of hot water to showering--that way it was submerged and was really able to soak in the heat.  

     Hope you feel better soon!  

     

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  • Sunshyn24Sunshyn24
    I had these constantly for 6 weeks... heat, massage, warm bath (soaking helped more than a shower), lecithin, lot of pumping (i would also soak a breast pad and heat in microwave - watch out they get super hot) -good luck -EP'ing is definitely hard!
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  • mojoflowermojoflower member

    I had horrible problems with blocked ducts which turned into mastitis which turned into abscesses which landed me in the hospital for 5 days when my LO was 3 weeks old. Since then I have been able to get rid of them quickly and here is how I do it. Now that you know you are prone to these it is important to feel all around your breast before you breast feed or pump and after. You will actually be able to feel some tenderness before the "lump" is ever formed. If you feel a tender spot immediately start massaging on that place while pumping or breast feeding. Hot showers are helpful but since you will not have time to get in the shower before each feeding you can put a warm compress on that spot for a few minutes before hand. The good thing is that your breasts should figure out how much milk to make and how to expell all of it within a few months. My LO is almost 4 months and I haven't had one in over a month. So, it is possible to keep breastfeeding. Hang in there, it will get better!

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  • MSC03MSC03 member

    I read online that an epsom salt bath can help. That's what I did for mine earlier this week and I was able to clear it on my own.

    It's so effing painful, though!

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