CLOGGED DUCT, Scariest Breastfeeding moment
Clogged Duct Q&A
In dedication to halloween, I’d like to talk about a scary/painful breastfeeding moment….My scariest and most painful moment was having a clogged duct. Let’s get into it!
Q. What are they?
A. A clogged milk duct is when milk cannot properly flow through boob to nipple because the milk duct, which is like a milk tube or a tiny straw that allow milk to flow smoothly gets blocked or clogged. It can cause a painful lump
-what causes them?
Inflammation of the tissue surrounding vessels in your milk duct is what causes improper milk flow. Reasons for this can be:
-skipping feeding/pump sessions
-improper latch and/or positioning
-changing feeding schedule (to implement/add in solid foods)
-not efficiently draining breast during feedings
-how to get prevent/avoid them?
Feed as often as baby needs too. Proper latch and positioning can also help avoid clogged duct and relieve it as well.
Q. How to get rid of it?
A. Proper latch and positioning can also help clogged duct and relieve it. Boob baths/soaks soak breasts in warm water you can gently massage breast to soften breast tissue and remove milk. Frequent feeds. Gentle breast massages, and hand express or pump but DON’T OVER DO IT, also during release of milk, milk may have a funny looking color tinges of red/pink, maybe off white or yellow
Q. What can help relieve pain?
A. Pain relievers such as Advil, ibuprofen NSAID (Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) pain relievers can help relieve the tenderness and achenes
Signs and symptoms can be:
-Breast warm to touch
-Possible lump
-Painful engorgement
-Milk can have a weird color or consistency (pink/red tinge, yellow or grey, thicker, grainy, or stringy, or a bleb can be released (looks like a pimple)
A clogged duct can lead to mastitis if pain isn’t resolved within 48hrs you should speak to your doctor.
My experience?
My experience with a clogged duct was extremely painful. I got the clogged duct because I was traveling on a plane and I wasn’t able to properly latch and position, along with pressure increasing from flying. Although once we landed I was fine initially wasn’t experiencing pain but i noticed my milk wasn’t releasing correctly. I gave that boob a rest and switched. What I didn’t know was happening is my tissue started to become inflamed and later on that night and early morning I was in pain couldn’t sleeping and crying because it was excruciating. Thankfully i had my mother and sister with me and they were able to help me prep a boob bath, had some Tylenol, warm compresses and massaging when I could. That definitely softened breast tissue, helped inflammation and i was able to hand-express milk. My process was soaking for 15 minutes at a time and massaging breast for a minute to release milk, and i repeated until my bleb was released, i still felt some residual pain, I personally wasn’t as tender because the breast engorgement also went down with the process. I was pain free within 24 hours thankfully and went back to feeding as regularly as we did. From that moment I knew i never wanted to experience a clogged duct again. I took proper precautions to ensure I avoided the slightest chance of triggering a clogged duct. Chime in Mommas, what was your scariest breastfeeding moment, was it a clogged milk duct or something else that was terribly painful or scary?
For more information/support visit link below:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24239-clogged-milk-duct
Made Me Milk Momma Chatta
