Blocked duct - will supply return?

Howdy

Yesterday I'm pretty sure I unplugged a blocked duct in righty. I was able to pump and hand express the milk behind it, leaving the breast soft. Since then it has remained very soft, and supply seems to have dropped significantly.

Righty has always been my powerhouse, my 4-month old DD always preferred it and I'm a bit concerned it's not 're-filling'.

I'm feeding her every 2-3 hours during the day (though she's a shocking snacker) and last night she was up every two hours, bless her cotton socks. Today she was very fussy on the side that had been blocked, feeding for 2-3 minutes max and then wanting to switch. I was still able to get milk out when I hand expressed it though.

I'm pretty sure DD is smack in the middle of a growth spurt and I want to make sure I can keep up!

My questions are:
- is it normal for supply in a previously blocked breast to drop a bit while it recovers?
- how long will it take to increase again?
- is there anything else I can do to up it, besides nursing frequently? Should I express after (or in between) feeds as well?
- will the soreness ease? I don't think it's still blocked, just feels a little bruised/inflamed.
- can lecithin capsules help prevent future blockages? Dr Google says yes, but I want to double-check with people in the know!

Thanks in advance...

Hi Hun,

I've had mastitis 11 times. When I was expressing, I always noticed a significant drop in supply from that breast, and it always recovered after a couple of days. Probably one of the best things you can do is relax. Have a few days of doing nothing except essentials, eat good food and sleep as much as possible. Check out the lactation cookies thread - they always worked for me, as did beer bread or beer casserole.

Yes, things do get bruised. And the soreness will go away. Don't be afraid to take panadol/ nurofen. I never bothered with lecithin, but I've heard the same thing.

Just wanted to say that feeding a 4 month old less than 3 hours apart seems like a lot to me. Def a newborn you'd expect that sort of thing, but by now I would have thought things would be spaced out more? I'd hate for you to be wearing yourself out unnecessarily! Maybe someone with more knowledge on this will pop in with their thoughts?

my 2 have always fed more than 3 hourly, dd til at least 12 months.

Mine came back fine when it clogged up a few weeks ago :)

Keep stimulating and expressing and feeding and heating and clearing it through, and you'll hopefully be fine :D

GL, hun.

HotI - wow, that's crazy! You must have felt like a cow some days (I know I did when I was expressing!!) :)

Cathy Garbin is an LC and a great LC
Cathy Garbin
RN RM CHN IBCLC 0407 778 183
www.cathygarbin.com Home visits that include a 6 week telephone follow up service. See my website for more details.

Thanks all.

Surprised, mastitis 11 times?? Ow, ow, ow. Yep, it does seem often for her age but I still get quite engorged so tend to offer as well as feed on demand. I try to avoid having her snack as much as I can though, as it means my bbs are never fully drained - which I think led to the blockage. Appreciate your advice hon, many thanks.

'nutter, will do x

Barb, thanks for your reply. It looks like Cathy is in WA - I'm in Canberra, so it might be a costly home visit :) will try to find a local LC if issues continue.

Buffy sometimes our situations are so alike :) - I've had blocked ducts on my righty too. I cleared it with much effort as they felt stone hard and a couple of nights later, when doing my nightly pre-bed pump, I could barely pump a thing whereas I usually get 50-60 from each side. Happy to report though that it seems to have recovered though I'm feeling bruised still.