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September 2014 Moms
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Plugged milk ducts

amom2fouramom2four member
in September 2014 Moms
Lo will be 8 weeks Monday and bf has been going pretty well until yesterday I noticed I was crazy sore and kinda full feeling on the left side. I did some looking online and followed all of the advice I got from friends, family and online. I massaged, I used heat, continued to bf on the affected side and offer it as much as possible. Things seemed to be improving and I gave ds a bottle I had pumped yesterday I think and then jumped in the shower to massage in hot water and pump immediately afterwards.

The left has always been my superstar and I am barely at 1/2 oz. Has anyone else had this drastic of a supply decrease? Yesterday morning I pumped normal amount of 3 1/2-4 oz and now I am starting to panic. No fever, no engorgement. Help!!!
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Re: Plugged milk ducts

  • portentosaportentosa member
    Don't panic! Your supply isn't going to up and disappear in a day. If you were offering that side up all day more than you usually do that can easily explain the smaller pump session. Kids are really good at draining the breast.

    If you don't feel a lump or any pain anymore you probably resolved any clog.
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  • rlyttlerlyttle member
    Do you have any hard spots in your breast? When I get a clogged duct it feels like a roll of pennies inside my boob. Changes in supply can be normal, but make sure you are drinking plenty of water.
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  • pshaortaopshaortao member
    I had a badly clogged duct all day yesterday so the top half of my left boob was engorged. Turned out I had a milk blister so we treated it and there was immediate relief. If you're not familiar with that, then I recommend looking into it. Now I'm extra cautious about getting an infection because I've had mastitis twice already =(

    I hope yours get better, they're so incredibly annoying!


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  • amom2fouramom2four member
    Thanks! I do have a hard spot pretty high up on the left. This is just no fun, I've been lucky and never had to deal with this before. And poor baby seems so frustrated on that side. :(
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  • portentosaportentosa member
    amom2four said:
    Thanks! I do have a hard spot pretty high up on the left. This is just no fun, I've been lucky and never had to deal with this before. And poor baby seems so frustrated on that side. :(
    Point LO's nose toward where you feel the pain. That'll help by putting more suction on the clog. Massage, warm compresses, and warm showers. It can sometimes take a couple days to fully clear a clog. If you get a fever at all though go to the doc for antibiotics.
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  • VavavictoriaVavavictoria member
    Are you pumping with an electric pump or manually? I had a similar issue and for some reason the electric pump got nothing out but when I tried the manual pump it worked perfectly. Worth a shot if you haven't got relief yet.
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  • HorseLover11HorseLover11 member
    edited November 2014
    tromboner said:
    amom2four said:
    Thanks! I do have a hard spot pretty high up on the left. This is just no fun, I've been lucky and never had to deal with this before. And poor baby seems so frustrated on that side. :(
    Point LO's nose toward where you feel the pain. That'll help by putting more suction on the clog. Massage, warm compresses, and warm showers. It can sometimes take a couple days to fully clear a clog. If you get a fever at all though go to the doc for antibiotics.

    I heard you point their chin towards the blockage and hover over them while feeding so gravity helps. I had a block on the top of my boob and I had lo on her back with her head towards me so she was upside down in relation to me and fed her that was. It was the only thing that really worked for me quickly. Completely weird but what a relief!!!

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  • amom2fouramom2four member
    Thank you everyone! So far today, I think it has started clearing up and the pain is better. I've never had that happen before and knew in theory what to do but it helped so much hearing your advice.
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  • Megan09140Megan09140 member
    This had happened to me at my 2nd week of bf on my left side so my DH helped me and he massaged it and had me relax because if you stress about it you might hold your milk, so try to relax. After 3 nights of him massaging the lumps it was better and I was back to pumping 6 oz out of the side when I was only getting barley 1 oz when it was clogged.
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