Clogged duct

aroch412 · February 2016

hey ladies!

Have any of you had the pleasure of a clogged milk duct yet? I'm certain I'm dealing with one, and have been since Friday evening. On Friday my right boob felt slightly tender, and by bed time I had aches and chills (no fever). By the time I woke up Saturday I felt engorged and knew it must be a clogged duct.

ive spent the last 3 days doing everything under the sun (nursing, massaging, shower, compresses, etc). The aches and chills went away Saturday but the tenderness stayed. I woke up yesterday feeling slightly better, but since then it seems like I've had no more progress. I'm still slightly tender and can feel a swollen area, but now I'm not sure if it's a plug or if it's just bruised from me mashing in my boobs like I'm kneading 400 pounds of pizza dough! There's a very slight sting to the pain too.

my doctor had said to take Advil and try cabbage leaves and to get antibiotics if it gets worse.

how long did your clogged duct last? I'm wondering if I should have someone look at it just in case it's something else/more?

ecsmall08 · February 2016

I had a clogged duct and followed all the directions from the doctor. Then, 2 weeks after I went to visit my parents and my mom (clogged l&d nurse) looked at it and said it looked like mastitis. It was extremely swollen, tender, and bright red. The doctor told me to go back when it turned black and blue, but it never did. I think I made it worse by massaging it for hours a day. I finally got a prescription and it is a million times better. I still have an area that feels harder, but I'm not screaming in pain if my daughter leans on it. And fwiw, I never felt aches and pains or a fever so I never thought it was mastitis. I would try a prescription just in case.

LizzyJones22 · February 2016

Mine usually lasted about 3 days. I could clear them the first day, but I'd still be swollen with pain and red inflamed skin for 2 more days.

mltarrio · February 2016

I had a clogged duct that lasted 3 or 4 days. It was like there was a rock in my breast. It was hard and painful to the touch. When I pumped I was getting about half the milk I should have out of that breast, which was the most obvious sign that it was clogged. I massaged and did the hot compress, and kept pumping and having the baby nurse on that side. It really hurt when massaged and felt bruised but never turned black and blue. Finally my daughter sucked it out breastfeeding after 3 or 4 days. The relief was immediate, and it continued to get better over the next 24 hours when it was totally back to normal.

aroch412 · February 2016

Thanks ladies!
i never felt "immediate relief" so I'm still not 100% certain I got it out, but it's definitely not as hard as it was even a day ago. It just stings a little and seems to be tender and slightly pink. Maybe I'll lay off the crazy knuckle massages and see if it gets better.

what a pain in the a$$ these are!

candace4erich · February 2016

Ok. I'm going to give you all my best advice. I'm an exclusive pumper and have a bit of oversupply in lefty, so I tend to get a lot of plugs. I've only gotten mastitis once, though and I'm determined to not get it again. Here it goes:

1. Keep mashing!! It hurts like a *b*, but it's the only way. I find it's easier to mash harder if I do it with a warm, wet wash cloth. Mash harder than you think you need to. It hurts. A lot.

2. Try twist mashing. Think giving your boob a good wringing out. Put one hand on top and one on bottom and then twist and squish! I've gotten 20 second consistent streams doing this sometimes.

3. For super persistent plugs, break out the big awkward guns. I fill a basin with hot water and Epsom salt. Find the most comfortable position to lean over to soak your breast. (The least awkward position I've found is placing the basin on our shower seat and kneeling in the tub while showering.) Soak, twist, and repeat. Once I can't feel the clog anymore, I pump until as empty as possible using a hot compress to massage. So far, this method has worked on all my most stubborn and painful clogs. I think I've battled off a few mastitis cases this way.

4. Take breaks. If I've been going at it for a bit and it's still clogged, I take an hour or two break. Otherwise I just get stressed and extra teary.

I thought for quite a while that the lingering pain was bruising from my mashing. However, I've since learned that if it hurts, it's still clogged! Once I get it clear, it's instant relief no matter how much it hurt. I've also discovered that with extreme determination, I can always get rid of the clog within a day.

Good luck!!

MomofEv+1 · February 2016

I've had two clogged ducts now. I didn't feel immediate relief either and was sore for a few days like you have been so I wasn't sure either. It ended up going away without turning into more of a problem.

candace4erich · February 2016

Oh, if your chills come back and you get a fever, go get checked out. Mastitis is awful and so easy to treat. If it's mastitis caused by a bacteria that has traveled into the duct and multiplied in the clog, it will not go away on it's own. Just make sure you take probiotics along with any antibiotics to prevent thrush and help maintain your and baby's digestive health.

tesary · February 2016

I have never felt instant relief with mine but they usually last 2-3 days then I am sore for a few days after.

millieb14 · February 2016

The only thing that really worked for mine was vibration. Think electric toothbrush or something you keep in your nightstand... Hint hint. Sounds odd but it works.

BethP321 · February 2016

I used a heating pad and mashed the heck out of my boob. Nursing hurt so much so I had to pump for a couple days before I even attempted nursing again (which I shouldn't have done because now I produce about half as much in the bad boob than in my other one). I also got the chills and flu symptoms and had a fever for one night, but I went to the doctors the next day and got antiobiotics. I actually bought a Medela manual pump because my electric was too rough for the pain (the harmony pump was $30 on Amazon or $40 at target) and I love using it still. I still don't produce as much milk in the boob that was affected but I'm hoping it gets better. Total it took about a week before things started to feel normal again.

angbrienza · February 2016

Along with what previous posters have mentioned... If it doesn't go away and you continue to get flu like symptoms have it looked at. My clogged duct turned into mastitis and that turned 2 abscesses, which almost 3 weeks later I am still having nurses come to my home to drain. The pain was wicked bad so please don't ignore if it doesn't subside. All the advice given for releasing the clogged duct is great advice and should work!!

phillipsbr · February 2016

I had one after I was engorged, breastfed, pumped, and was still sore. At the top of the swollen, tender area I could feel almost a little bead in there. I used a warm cloth and then pumped while massaging it and that didn't work. I took a nap while waiting for my baby to wake up and eat again and was so sore I couldn't sleep. Once he woke up and started breastfeeding, I used a diaper full of hot water and massaged the crap out of my boob, rubbing down towards the nipple. It was soft and pain-free by the time he was done. So total it maybe lasted 6-7 hours. No aches, chills, fever, etc.

BethP321 · February 2016

Yes even if you didn't develop a fever I would still go to the doctor, especially if you are still having chills and body aches. I hadn't been sick in over two years and I could tell when it had come over me immediately. It lasted for two or three days before I finally got the energy to drag my butt to the walk in clinic.

She gave me a prescription of antiobiotics and even had the nurses make some anti-fungal/antiobiotic nipple cream to use after I nursed (which worked wonders).

I'm rambling on, but because I didn't nurse that entire time I was clogged, I went from pumping 2 oz to 1/5 maybe 1 oz maximum from that bad boob. And it's been a few weeks and it still hasn't improved. So don't stop...

sharonholck28 · February 2016

I massaged and nursed on mine for like 4 days with headaches and chills before I decided to see a doctor. Amazingly they said I was still only in the beginnings of a breast infection so I got on antibiotics and I felt better 2-3 days later.

parkerhouse · March 2016

I know this post is from a while ago, but, question. I think I have a clogged duct but it's like this large lump from the top of my boob to my nipple. I always thought clogged ducts would be small areas and pebble size, I don't know why. Does this sound like a clog, from your experience? It's very tender and warm to touch, but doesn't hurt to nurse. Of course this started around 3 on a Friday....lame.

candace4erich · March 2016

Yes, it can still be a clog! Mine often happen over a large chunk of boob. Although, in my experience, those hurt less and are easier to massage out than small clogs. Try some deep massage with warm compress while you nurse and it should clear up. If not (or it starts hurting), take the more heavy duty measures!

pupsicle23 · March 2016

parkerhouse said:

I know this post is from a while ago, but, question. I think I have a clogged duct but it's like this large lump from the top of my boob to my nipple. I always thought clogged ducts would be small areas and pebble size, I don't know why. Does this sound like a clog, from your experience? It's very tender and warm to touch, but doesn't hurt to nurse. Of course this started around 3 on a Friday....lame.

This happened to me the other day. Nursing and pumping didn't do anything. I took a hot shower and did what another poster mentioned on a thread; I kind of twisted my breast like I was wringing it out. It worked really well!

Edited for clarity

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