Plugged ducts: Dealing

I've had 3 episodes of plugged ducts since I started breastfeeding. It doesn't get easier to deal with, but at least the accumulating experience makes me confident that I can fix it before infection sets in. I've heard some scary stories of mastitis from friends and these were enough to scare me into acting quickly as soon as I suspect a plugged duct.

Lately I've been prone to these. I started working again and my unpredictable schedule makes it hard to schedule regular pumping sessions. One is prone to plugs when the breasts are not emptied out regularly, they get engorged and milk solids block the ducts so that even after pumping or nursing a part of the breast remains full. It can be painful, you will be able to feel a lump on your breast, it will be tender like there's a bruise, sometimes there's a redness on to the skin and it feels warm.

Moms who plan to breastfeed should have small hot/warm compresses handy. These are useful for a lot of things, faster letdown, soreness, mastitis, and plugged ducts. A lot of websites say it helps to take a hot shower and let the water run against the part of the breast with the plug. In the Philippines though not all homes have hot showers, so warm compresses are a must. A low-cost option is to put some uncooked rice in an old sock and sew it closed, then microwave for 30 seconds at a time until warm, you can use this indefinitely but make sure you don't get it wet!

Place the warm compress on top of the breast where the lump is, massage the lump from the outside of the breast toward the nipple, do this for 5-10 minutes then start pumping or nursing. Nursing is better, especially if you have an older baby, because his suction will be stronger than a pump. What you are trying to do is soften up the milk solids plugging up the duct, then suck it out (literally). Joke all you want about getting your husband to suck out the plug, but don't do it, your baby has a stronger suck I promise. If you're pumping, keep the warm compress on while pumping.

The plug might not go the first time, repeat the process every 2 hours until the plug is gone and you can feel the duct drain off the milk. Soreness may stay for another couple of days, but you'll know the duct is clear if the lump is gone.

So remember, as soon as you feel that lump do the warm compress thing, don't wait for more milk to accumulate in there because it will get more painful as that happens and then infection is next.

For more: Dr. Sears on Plugged Ducts