Clogged milk duct/Mastitis

edited October 2011 in Breastfeeding
I am pretty sure I have a clogged duct. Possibly an infection. I woke up full as usual and pumped about 5oz from each side. My left boob still hurt like hell. Everytime I pumped at work today I made sure they were both empty. By time I got home I couldn't get warm and started shivering. I'm now trying to empty every two hours and took a hot bath. I'm still in major pain! Help. What can I do?

Comments

  • U.have to massage and when I say massage I mean roughly eventhough it may hurt until the clog releases also warm compresses should help. If its mastitis ull need antibiotics.
  • The consultant told me to put like frozen veggies bags on it first and then warm compress to help.
  • It sounds like mastitis, I went through this last week and have been on antibiotics ever since. It came on super quick, just lots of pain driving home from the hospital (my baby is still in the NICU after 3 weeks) and when I got home, the shivering started. Pumping didn't work to relieve any pain and I was so cold I almost got in the hot shower with all of my clothes on. I went to the doctor the next day and she said it was definitely mastitis because of the pain, fever and the red streaking area on my left breast. I started antibiotics that day and percoset for the pain and was feeling better but still not great over the weekend. Good luck, I know your pain (mine was seriously worse than my c-section!).
  • Thanks ladies. I think it is mastitis. I've had a low grade fever. It came on fast. And I know I'm producing more milk than baby is taking. This is baby #4 and mastitis is a first for me. I'll be calling my doc first thing in the morning.
  • You can try cabbage leaves.. put that on your brests. I heard its wonderful
  • @kritten_octoberbby isn't that used to help dry up the milk?
  • edited October 2011
    It most likely mastitis. You get flu like symtoms. Ive had it twice already. Call your ob asap. And compresses can decrease you supply
  • Cold compress*
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • When I got it I was told to alternate between a warm and cold compress to help open and then close the ducts the help move the blockage... I switched every 10 mins and within about 2 hours the swelling and pain eased dramatically. Then I had a long hot shower with the water directly on the area and it basically corrected itself. That was 2 years ago and I still remember it clearly, hurt more than the labour did!!!
  • @shae to help with relieve the breasts. Like ice packs
  • Did anyone notice or feel like your milk decreased after having mastitis? I had an over abundance of milk and now it seems to be less. Guess I go back on the fenugreek
  • @Shae, I have had been producing less milk out of my left breast (the one that I had the mastitis in) since I went to the doctor (las Thursday). The lactation consultant in the NICU and NP's have all said that this probably will decrease the milk production but if you keep up with the pumping and or breastfeeding as much as you were before, it should recover. They also told me it could be a couple weeks. I am getting about half of what I get from the other breast out of the affected one now and I am pumping every 2-3 hours (even in the middle of the night because I wake up in pain and NEED to pump). Good luck!
  • @juliek77. Im getting about half too. Thanks for your help. Hope you get feeling better and your and your baby comes home soon
  • When I got it I produced alot of milk u need to get meds tho before it gets bad my whole right boob was red with infection
  • Thanks ladies. Hubby picked up antibiotics from the pharmacy for me yesterday afternoon. I'm feeling alot better. My left boob still feels a bit firm in some places but it feels better. I think the worse part was the chills. That sucked.
  • Glad ur feeling better hun :)
  • @Shae, no problem! I think the shivering and chills were awful as well! I literally couldn't move it was so bad. The first night, I just wanted to get in the hot shower but I knew taking off my clothes would make me colder so I really was debating getting in there with my clothes on! Getting out sucked too! The pain was awful as well, my lymph nodes were swollen under my armpit as well because i was so clogged so I could hardly lift my left arm. The rest of my body was just so sore and achy, I can't remember the last time I felt that crappy! I hope you get to feeling 100% soon!
  • Thank you ladies so so much! This is why I love pregly! I woke up at 3 am sore in the right breast. Lilly ate at 1 so she didn't need to eat again. I exclusively pump since she was a premie and never really develpoed a good latch (she's 9 weeks old today!) Any way a got up and pumped anyway..usually I get roughly 1 oz per hour. I'm lucky because if I pump at 3 hours I get 3 oz and if I sleep a little and pump at 5 hours I get 5 oz. It had been 4 hours and my left got 2 oz (normal) but righty only got 1 oz and still hurt. I woke up at 6 and it was so bad a could barely move. Shaun went to walmart and got me a heating pad and I tried a cold compress but it didn't work and the heating pad worked perfectly! I had no clue what to do but as suggested here, I was able to figure out the issue and fix it without a dr.(I now have no insurance now that I'm past 6 weeks pp, and no family to ask for advice so I was really scarred). Thanks again ladies for sharing your knowledge and making it possible for me to continue to feed my baby, my way! Your life savers :)
Sign In or Register to comment.