What happens if I can't unclog a clogged milk duct?

[Anonymous]

I use a plug in heating pad. Leave it on (I even slept with it). And massage, massage, massage. Painful, but it works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was going to tell op that long ago my doula taught me to aim baby's nose towards the clog. Always worked for me especially when I'd massage the clogged area. Seemed doubly effective. Weird but true. Made some interesting bf positions!

I initially read this as "aim baby's nose towards the dog," and thought "but what if you don't have a dog?" I think I need an eye exam.

Lol!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Leaving a clogged duct can lead to mastitis. If you start to see any red streaking on your breast, it feels hot or you start to feel feverish call your OB immediately. Mastitis sucks.

For a clog that is hard to get out - get in the shower and run the hottest water you can tolerate over the breast. Soap up a wide toothed comb and comb your breast over the affected area towards the nipple. Pump or nurse baby as soon as you get out of the shower.

Sounds crazy, but I've had more clogs than I can count and this has always saved me with the stubborn ones.

+1 on the comb!

[Anonymous]

What does DH mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it will go away.

This really isn't true. Sure for some women they might, but not all of us are so lucky. If unplugged, it can led to matastis- not fun at all. I know this from personal experience.

Last clogged duct I worked on for 2 days in the ways you described. It was still obviously clogged and painful. Last resort I did something I read on here: I had DH suck it out. He was able to get the solidified milk to the nipple surface, which I then scraped out. Milk just sprayed out for minutes. What relief!

Good luck!

I hope you are very, very, very good to your husband. He's the best. I mean, whoa. I need take 5 after reading that.

[Anonymous]

Get one of those hot/cold ice bags you can fill yourself. Put the water inside hot as you can stand it and leave it on as often as you can. Super hot shower while massaging with something soapy. I got them a lot and this always worked.

[Anonymous]

What did women do before pumps and antibiotics? Just die from mastitis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What did women do before pumps and antibiotics? Just die from mastitis?

Well, yeah. Pueperal fever undoubtedly included some mastitis cases.

[Anonymous]

Ask DH to help!

[Anonymous]

I took some lecithin while pumping 24 months. Google it. It helps with preventing future clogs. Also all moms should consider APNO. It prevented desperate of thrush and then mastitis once yeast wiped out from meds. I used it with 2nd baby and it was a god send for preventing future irritations and infections. Wish I knew about it with first kid.

[Anonymous]

I've gotten feverish within just a few hours of clog development with the last few clogs I've had. The last one was the worst. What finally worked on day 2 was a HOT HOT HOT as you can stand moist compress for 20 min before nursing, nursing, then manually expressing with focus around where the clog had developed. The dr I spoke with when I called for antibiotics said the moist compress is more effective than hot shower, and that the heat is important because the clog is basically solidified fat that needs to get warmed up to liquefy and unclog.

[Anonymous]

I got mastitis but I am not really sure if it was from a clog or infected bite. I went from fine to horribly ill in a matter of hours, but antibiotics made me feel better within hours too. It was very unfun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've done all of the above for my clogs but for a really bad one, I got on all fours and dangled my breast, turned the pump on the max speed, massaged the breast toward the nipple (this is VERY painful) and 10 minutes later, milk came out...a lot of milk. Good luck! Those things are so painful. I can't believe you've been able to tolerate it this long.

Yes, this! This is the only thing that worked for me on a particularly difficult clog. Gravity and the pump together did it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does DH mean?

From Page 2:

Anonymous wrote:DH means darling husband or dear husband

Please consider bookmarking the following thread. You will likely find it helpful.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/2750.page
what do all the abbreviations stand for? [in General Parenting Discussion]]

[Anonymous]

Hahaha this thread was four years old till someone revived it with "what is DH?"