Blocked milk ducts for several days

Hi all,

You might remember me from such threads as "Completely Desperate" and "Are some problems unresolvable". Well now we have a new challenge - blocked ducts that never quite seem to go away.

This is my 5th set of lumps, 2 of which have ended in mastitis, and the others didn't only because I was still on antibiotics. It happens in one side only, and no matter what I do I just can't seem to get rid of them when they're here (or prevent them from happening).

I have tried:
massage
heat
expressing - hand and electric
changing positions
taking magnesium/calcium/b6
bath/shower

It gets to the point where I am so sore I can't even touch them.

I do have Raynaud's, which causes vasospasm, and it is particularly bad on that side (very painful feeding). But a LC I saw is confident that attachment is correct

My question is, what do you do when you've done everything there is to do, and the blocked ducts are still there? I have been expressing both sides today, to take a break from the pain, and that side has been giving out half as much as the other side. I've also been having to express more than I should just to get the amount for a feed.

Is it possible I have an abcess without the pain? Is it weird to daydream about someone sticking a needle in there and drawing all the blocks out?

Am booked in to GP for Wed, but that seems a really long way away right now!

Thanks for your help!

(PS I've read about lecithin helping, but I can't have soy as baby is allergic. Can you get non-soy-based lecithin and does it even help anyway?)

Oh hon, sounds like you're having a really tough time of it at the moment. Hopefully Manta or Barb will pop in soon with some good advice for you.

I had a couple of blocked ducts in the early days of breastfeeding too. By the sounds of things you're doing everything you can to clear them up, mine also took a good 5 or 6 days to clear while on AB's. One thing I found that really helped was to put a cabbage leaf in your bra (icky I know). If you get it out of the fridge it is great because it is nice and cool and they're meant to have really good healing properties for breastfeeding issues (don't ask me how or what, but my gp swears by them and I did find they helped).

You mentioned that you have tried massage. In my case I found it worked best to apply a heat pack a few minutes before the feed, then I would rub a little massage oil onto the spot and massage the area the entire time I was feeding. You probably already know this, but make sure when you are massaging that you are massaging in the direction of the nipple so as to work the blockage out iykwim.

The only other bit of advice I would give is that it is probably best to make sure you breast feed from the problem side as often as possible. Unfortunately expressing (even with an electric pump) isn't nearly as effective at draining the breast, so taking a day off and just expressing will probably cause more probs iykwim? If you can I would feed from that side as often as bubs will take it and then express immediately after for a good 5 minutes to make sure you're really draining the ducts.

HTH

Bugger!
Have you called the ABA for advice? They might have some more suggestions.
The only other one I remember trying (i had similar problems early on on one side) was to feed on all fours, so you're using gravity most effectively. DS thought it was hilarious.
I also would press gently on the blocks during feeds, rather than massaging as such. Sometimes if you're too rough you can do more damage and create blockages.
Oh, maybe ultrasound therapy? Not sure who does that - maybe ask the ABA.

The ultrasound therapy is done by physiotherapists (check when booking that you get someone who is familiar with duct-zapping). It worked really well for me.....

Is the area that gets blocked somewhere that gets pressure - mine are almost always where my elbow meets my boob when I'm sleeping for example. A bra fitting might be worthwhile at some stage too.

Is the "hand" expressing that you've tried with a hand-held pump, or by hand?? Expressing by hand in the shower may get the last bits of milk out and help resolve things.
If it's OK with the Reynaud's you can take ibuprofen at the recommended dose while breastfeeding - and it will help with both the pain and the inflammation

good luck
Kate

Oh I feel your pain - been there, done that with DS1, same breast each and every time, and it made me so paranoid I didn't enjoy the first 3 or so weeks with DS2 at all!

Re the lecithin, I have no idea whether there's a non-soy-based one, you'd need to check with a naturopath or someone like that. Normal lecithin does seem to help me though. I can also really recommend the ultrasound therapy. The community mid-wife here also recommended breast warmers for me because of nipple pain associated with cold (not as severe as vasospasm though) and the packaging etc mentions them as being useful for blocked ducts, mastitis, and vasospasm. I've even been wearing them all night rather than just 30 mins prior to a feed. They cover the whole breast, right up to under the arm, and are washable. They use the natural body heat to create the warmth. Can't remember the brand/supplier off the top of my head, but you could ask at a good pharmacy or pm me and I'll find the box. Also, have you thought about seeing a different LC just to make sure and incase there are some other suggestions for you? I saw 2 different ones with DS1 and only the second one picked up that with any pillow or wedge under him he was too high and my breast wasn't sittng naturally - so while the attachment we had was fine, the breast still wasn't draining properly. Sometimes another opinion can be useful.

Good luck working through it. You'll get very good at pre-emptive strikes, trust me!

Do you have any white spots on your nipples? I used to get little milk blisters and the blocked duct wouldn't clear until that was popped (gently with a sterile needle)

This may sound a bit out there and not be for everyone, but when I had blocked ducts that would not shift after trying all of the usually recommended methods, I asked my DH to help. I was desperate for relief and wanting to avoid mastitis so he did a quick few sucks and the blockage was resolved. Such a relief. Could you consider giving this a try?

Oh hun :hug: you are doing such an awesome job & with all the problems you've had, you're still winning! I think you are amazing :hug:

I was going to ask the same as kyliealysha - about white spot - I had this a couple of times & had to use some pretty firm massage to get them out, they were incredibly painful.
My sister had ultrasond therapy & found it very helpful.

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You might remember me from such threads as "Completely Desperate" and "Are some problems unresolvable".

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And, I couldn't help but chuckle - I totally read that in a Troy McLure voice :lol:

I second what Jackrose said, this was taught to me by the headmidwife from our hospital, she reckons she has yet to come across a blockage that doesn't clear this way:

Basically get your DP/DH to hold/support the opposite side of the breast while you use both hands to massage the lump...the counter-pressure from the other side of the breast is what gets the job done.

Also, since this has been a persistant problem, you should check out getting some ultrasound done, often that helps to unblock deeper blockages that you can't get to. It's also worthwhile if you've had repeated bouts in the same area of your breast, because sometimes the blockage isn't a blockage but a breast lump, which may need investigating.

Thank you thank you thank you ladies!

Eventually the lumps moved - good thing I was already on the antibiotics or I'm sure I would have got mastitis again!! Will try those techniques next time - I've also stopped using a pillow to feed on in case that was putting baby's head too high. I think if I get another set i'll go to the physio - I know of one locally that does the us treatment.

Thanks again for all the support - made a big difference on a very stressful weekend. DH kept asking me "have any of the ladies replied" - he loves that I can get help from all of you.