Clogged Milk Duct

It’s going to sound weird but have your partner suck it out for you. Literally the only thing that helped when I had clogs 😭 it’s like instant relief and so much better than getting mastitis

@Sarah literally was coming to say this lol.

@Sarah We did that too😬🐒 but my body then took it as baby was feeding more and then produced more.💀 so in addition did ⬇️ Not sure if your nipples also just turn on like a hose when you're near your baby like mine did but i would take advantage of that and manually express into a sink while also massaging down toward the nipple which hurt like a mf initially bit the more i did it, the less painful it got and the more it cleared. And always start your breastfeeding with the clogged boob. All the best.

Thanks for responding! My husband is out of town 🥲 hopefully he’ll agree to help when he gets back! In the meantime, I’ll keep trying to work the clog out myself.

@Aaryn you could also try a Hakka filled with very warm water and some epsom salt. I did it once when my fiance wasn’t home to help me and it did help some!

I’m currently battling mastitis and the only thing which helps is a lymph node drainage massage. I follow the below video several times a day as I wait for the antibiotics to work. Seeing as you’re not at the mastitis level yet, it should hopefully be helpful. https://youtu.be/24MAkakR5k8?si=4LvL7CySDImsM18U

My OB suggested using an electric toothbrush to work out clogs.

@Aaryn so I felt the same way! There would be times just like you where I'd be like shit it won't come out it's gunna turn into mastitis but it just came out. I tried castor oil at one point too and it helped but not every time so try that? Other times I just took a shower and some massage but they say not much either and I just sat here stressed haha and it just came out one day (I had plenty of clogs lucky me!) I tried those clog massagers too and useless! Just don't overwork it though they say it's not good even though it's so hard not to.

When that happened to me I took a hot shower then breastfed n it cleared it

I use to take really hot showers & massage & hand pump in the hot shower, then when I got out I'd use ice packs & hot rice packs

@Aggs that’s exactly what I did to clear them off. This massage technique was taught to me when I went to the lactation consultant. It helped a lot. I could combine that with hot pack before every feed. Always start feeding with the side that’s hard. After breastfeeding I would pump another 10 minutes to remove the excess milk.

hot shower and pump

Thanks everyone for taking the time to share your tips! I really appreciate the advice 🫶

Pump it out, and sometimes your partner can get it out. Or put Bubba on the breast, and eventually, they’ll unclog it. Don’t use ice packs! It makes it blocked worse; trust me, I've been in hospital for 2 weeks because of it. Do you still plan to feed?

Massage can make it worse too

Shower and pump or warm compression and pump