HELP! Plugged Milk Duct

I've had plugged milk ducts in the past. Try gentle but firm massage while you nurse. Warm compresses are great. I've also tried laying my daughter down on the bed, on her back and hovering over her while she nursed. That way gravity could help. It was awkward, but it was the advice of another mom, it seemed to help.
Use different holds. Try positioning your baby so her chin points to the plugged duct.
Keep nursing as often as possible. That is the best thing to do.

I've had two cases of mastitis. The first was worse, because I didnt catch it early enough. With the second, I started antibiotics right away.

Not to scare you, but, if you start to feel flu-like, or get a fever, call your OB/GYN right away!!
Best of Luck!

Don't wear a bra til you've unplugged it... make sure baby's chin is pointing where the plugged duct is... use warm compresses..

My failproof remedy is an herbal tincture and herbal compress from Wish Garden Herbs in Boulder CO, called "Mastitis Remedy"... I lost breast tissue due to a milke duct that plugged up and abcessed, so the second time I got a plugged milk duct, on another mama's recommendation, I express mailed this product and within 24 hours of taking it I was 100% better. I believe I ordered it from Mentzner's Maternity somewhere in PA because the overnight mail charges from Boulder to NY were too high. Monitor yourself for a low grade fever... if you can't get the Wish Garden product try to find an herbalist who can help you- poke root is the appropriate herb but it's toxic in too large a dose- you need to find a dosage that is safe for you and baby.

Oh I feel your pain! Try to massage the spot in a very warm shower or pumping can help too after baby has already had his fill. If it isn't better in the morning you can call the lactation specialist at nurse direct or the hospital. You can call nurse direct anytime before 9 but the lactation specialist may not be there. Good luck!!

I have had this happen about three times in the past month. I found what worked the best was to massage your breast with a warm compress RIGHT BEFORE you nurse your baby. Then make sure you nurse on that side, and if your baby gets fussy because it is taking too long, nurse on the other side until your milk lets down, then switch. After doing this a couple of times, you should notice a difference. Also, using a disposable diaper as a warm compress works great, they are more absorbent and stay warmer longer. Good luck!

I've got an 8 week old and I've had this problem 2x so far. It didn't turn to mastitis either time, so it doesn't have to with you either if you treat it agressively. My lactation consultant says they don't always go away quickly: my first lasted 6 hours, my second over 40. Also, even after it clears your breast can feel bruised/sore for a couple of more days.

My lactation consultant told me not to panic because plugged ducts are common and as long as I don't get any flu-like symptoms and treat the problem aggressively, I don't have an infection and will be ok. She advised me to call my midwife immediately if I get any flu-like symptoms, so I could get antibiotics. You should do the same.

All the advice you received thusfar is great. Try all those things. My lactation consultant says you only have to do the nursing every 2 hours for the first 24 hours or so to get the clearing started. After that, go back to your regular nursing schedule (as the baby allows--he needs to readjust too.) That was a relief to me after very little sleep! Her point was that if I keep nursing every 2 hours over several days, I'll cause oversupply which could make the problem worse.

Additional advice I have for you is to rest and stop doing other activities except eating, sleeping and nursing if at all possible (easier said than done unless you have someone to come wait on you and babysit your other child). Also, take ibuprofen as an anti-inflammatory.

Go to kellymom.com and search "plugged duct." They have an excellent chart of symptoms and treatments for plugged ducts and mastitis that really helped me. Feel free to email me directly if you have any questions. It's a painful problem and I hope yours clears very soon.

C.,

I had a plugged milk duct a few months ago. I had a small red area before I went to bed and when I woke up in the morning my whole breast was red! I also had the chills that night. It was very painful too! I called the OB/GYN and went in so they could see it. I had a case of matitis. They gave me an antibiotic and I was feeling better in a day! They also advised me to apply heat packs after nursing/pumping. And to continue nursing/pumping eventhough it was painful. In fact they advised to pump and nurse more to help unclog. If your duct is still clogged I would see the doctor. If you let it go it can lead to a bigger problem such as having to have the duct surgically unclogged. I hope you are feeling better.

call your doctor asap! it will and can get worse... good luck

when this happened to me,my midwife told me to try pumping. My son didn't have a strong enough suck at that point but the breast pump I could control. I did use a warm wash cloth first and then used a pump and started witht the lowest tolerable setting and gradually moved it up. I did this every hour or so until it cleared up, it only took a few tries before it did the trick! Hope it clears up!
C.