Help for Pain in Breast

[jmofarrill]

I'm bf'ing dd, and one of my breasts has begun to hurt this past week. It's a dull, warm pain from my nipple to deeper inside. This breast has not been in the best of shape since bf'ing begun (5 months ago); it was cracked and bleeding before the first week was out. Dd had a bad latch until 5 weeks, and then it was another 3 before this breast was pain free. Now it hurts again when she's feeding on it, when I pump, and when I'm just sitting here.

Tonight, about an hour after dd's last feeding on that side, I looked at my breast, and the area around the nipple was white. I decided to pump on that side. After a few minutes, I had to turn the suction down from medium (the usual setting) to medium-low because it was uncomfortable and my nipple had turned purple. Now it just kind of aches. There are no red streaks on my breast, and I don't feel ill. I'm going to put some Lansinoh on, but does anyone have any other suggestions?

[jayhjay]

It is possible you have a blocked duct. That often comes first before full-fledged mastitis (which is usually when you would start to actually feel sick). I had this happen a bunch of times when I was nursing. I would take a really hot shower and let the water go on my back and breasts. Then massage the area really well and see if you can work it out. ALthough natural inclination might be to avoid nursing there since it hurts, I found the best thing was just to nurse through it and hopefully that will clear things up. Good luck!

[jmofarrill]

Thank you! I took the hot shower and worked at massaging. Then I pumped and massaged, and it wasn't so bad afterward. Hopefully that did the trick; I'll know better in a couple of hours if the ache doesn't come back.

[calebsmama03]

also try warm water (shower or soak in a bowl) just beore you nurse. It helps loosen the plug so baby can get it out for you. Also pointing her chin/nose towrds the sore area helps her drain that area more fully.
Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03

[spu]

Hi Michelle,

I'm glad the warm shower helped. I know how uncomfortable it can be too. I had alot of plugs up until the babies were 6 months and I dreaded it. I could tell right away before I even felt the plug or mass.

To help prevent plugs, there's a few things you can do:

-- Nursing often will help keep the milk moving through the ducts. And making sure your baby is getting enough milk from the breast before moving to the other side will also help.

--While nursing, use your fingertips to gently massage the breast tissue in little circular motions. The richer hindmilk actually begins deep inside the breast tissue and has farther to travel to reach the baby. Because it's thicker than foremilk, it moves along slower (and can get clogged) so by gently massaging the breast, you will help the hindmilk move along. Start way up by the armpit, and work your way down toward the nipple. and go all the way from the sternum and ribcage too.

-- Consider taking lecithin. My LCs recommended it for me since I was prone to plugs. I take 1 capsule in the am and 1 in the pm. They described it to me as "spraying the inside of your ductwork with pam" It has helped tremendously.

If you do get a plug, you want to make sure you tend to it right away until it's gone or you'll have some serious pain that could lead to mastitis. Here's some things to try if you get a plug:

-- drop all your plans for the day, lie down with your baby, and nurse like crazy. Focus on spedning the day getting rid of the plug. I found that it can take almost 24 hours to go away (and you nmay know when it clears because you'll feel a sudden relief). I also found that my PIS never cleared a plug. The babies do the best job of sucking.

-- shower... shower... shower! Cover the area with a moist face cloth and let the hot hot water do some shower-massaging.

-- rest. Believe it or not, overdoing it (aren't we all guilty?) can also lead to plugs. So get rest, eat some good protein-rich snacks, and put your feet up.

-- massage. Like above, massage (gentle) helps for relieving the plug.

Good luck and hope this helps!

susan

twin girls 7.20.02
charlotte + else

http://sunger2.home.comcast.net/bash/nonflash/year.html

[jmofarrill]

Thank you, Lynne! The warm water definitely helped loosen the plug, and I'll try the positioning with dd if I get another one (which, hopefully, won't happen!).

[jmofarrill]

Thank you, Susan! You have given me some great advice - the massing tips are wonderful. I have been bf'ing for five months, and this was my first plug, and it can never happen again as far as I'm concerned. I missed a pumping session at work on Friday, which I'm sure contributed to the problem. You can be sure I won't let that happen again...

Ah, lecithin, it's been so long since I've taken lecithin that I can't even remember why I was taking it! My g-mom used to be a Shaklee 'pusher', and she force-fed us all kinds of wonderous things. LOL, it's no wonder she, at 70, can run circles around me, at 27! Maybe I should start taking all those vitamins and minerals again...

[calebsmama03]

It works just great, doesn't it? THough I always feel goofy when I do it :) I used a large Tupperware bowl and put epsom salts in. If that doesn't work right away I put a heating pad on the spot and have DH massage really hard while DS nurses. It hurts so badly that I cry but it gets the plug out. I went through about 6 weeks right after I returned to work (at 3 mos) with a plugged duct every week, so I feel your pain! Good luck!
Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03