Clogged Milk Duct Treatment
I believe that I have a clogged duct because my left breast is too sore to touch, can you suggest the best clogged milk duct treatment you know of?
This almost always happens whenever your body starts producing milk faster than it is being drained from your breasts. This will then start backing up the milk in your breast and can clog up the milk duct.
What Causes A Milk Duct To Get Clogged?
There are several things that can cause a milk duct to get plugged up:
- A duct can be damaged due to too much pressure on your breasts, such as wearing a bra that is much too tight or even carrying around a heavy diaper bag
- Whenever your baby is not feeding well and drinking enough of your milk
- If you are skipping too many feedings
- You are not expressing enough milk
- You have an inflammation in your breasts
Plugged Milk Duct Symptoms
Whenever you have a clogged milk duct it usually only affects one breast and is a gradual process in most cases. You will most likely notice some tenderness in the breast at first, followed by the formation of a hard lump. You may not always notice a lump, however.
The pain and size of the lump will usually be much more significant before you start nursing. However, after you have finished nursing you may find that the pain is not as severe as before, and the lump has grown smaller.
Your baby may also refuse to nurse as the taste of the milk may no longer be sweet as it can tend to have more of a salty or sour taste to it.
Finally, you will also notice that your expressed milk is much thicker than usual and may have a stringy or clumpy looking appearance.
How Do I Treat A Clogged Milk Duct?
The most common way to treat a duct that has become plugged is to continue to nurse. This may be quite painful for you, but it is essential for helping to drain the breast and reduce the soreness that you are feeling.
You will want to have your baby nurse on the breast that is clogged up first, as this may help to unplug the duct. Try to nurse frequently or pump often and empty the affected breast as much as possible, while continuing to treat your other breast as you normally would.
If you are wearing a nursing bra, be sure to completely remove it while breastfeeding and also to gently massage the affected breast to keep the flow of milk moving. You also will want to get plenty of rest and maintain a healthy diet to keep your immune system strong.
Keep in mind that even after the duct does becomes unplugged, it can take several days for the swelling and soreness to go down.
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