I never had one with either girl-so 39 months (ack!) total of breastfeeding. Knock on wood for #3! It sounds horrible though, and I'm sorry your sister is being awful about it. :-(
I've had plugged ducts about 10-12 times in 15 months of nursing. It seems to be more frequent when I'm away from my daughter overnight and I have to pump for more than one session. The only thing that helps is doing breast compressions and combing the spot with my fingers while pumping or nursing, and nursing is way better at clearing them than pumping. I feel your pain - they're pretty awful. At the frequency you're experiencing it, it might be worth talking to your doctor or a lactation consultant.
Post by speckledfrog on Aug 7, 2015 12:22:08 GMT -5
Lecithin helped me tremendously. I have a few here and there with my first, but I had several in one week shortly after DS2 was born and it was awful. I started out taking a high dose of lecithin and then worked down to more of a "maintenance" dose. After few months I stopped taking it. How much are you taking now? I agree that talking with a lactation consultant is worth a shot. Plugged ducts are awful.
How does one get lecithin and how bad do the plugs need to get before you can get the medicine? If I continue to get one or more each week, it looks like I may head down that road.
Lecithin helped me tremendously. I have a few here and there with my first, but I had several in one week shortly after DS2 was born and it was awful. I started out taking a high dose of lecithin and then worked down to more of a "maintenance" dose. After few months I stopped taking it. How much are you taking now? I agree that talking with a lactation consultant is worth a shot. Plugged ducts are awful.
4 pillls a day, so 4800 mg which is what Kelly mom suggests. I did talk to lactation consultant and she was sympathetic, but didn't have any more advice than was on kellymom. I feel like I've done everything! Now I'm trying to drink more water and hoping when my supply regulates maybe the frequency will drop.
How does one get lecithin and how bad do the plugs need to get before you can get the medicine? If I continue to get one or more each week, it looks like I may head down that road.
It is OTC. I got it at Wegmans and it was pretty cheap! I'm sure Whole Foods or another healthy market type place will have it.
How does one get lecithin and how bad do the plugs need to get before you can get the medicine? If I continue to get one or more each week, it looks like I may head down that road.
Walgreens or cvs carries it. If you're getting them regularly I would try it.
Lecithin helped me tremendously. I have a few here and there with my first, but I had several in one week shortly after DS2 was born and it was awful. I started out taking a high dose of lecithin and then worked down to more of a "maintenance" dose. After few months I stopped taking it. How much are you taking now? I agree that talking with a lactation consultant is worth a shot. Plugged ducts are awful.
4 pillls a day, so 4800 mg which is what Kelly mom suggests. I did talk to lactation consultant and she was sympathetic, but didn't have any more advice than was on kellymom. I feel like I've done everything! Now I'm trying to drink more water and hoping when my supply regulates maybe the frequency will drop.
How long have you been taking it? It took my body a couple weeks to go down from almost daily to 1x a week.
Post by starburst604 on Aug 7, 2015 12:36:17 GMT -5
In the 12 or so weeks that I BF/pumped, it happened 4-5 times. They are NOT pleasant. I would make a hot compress out of a clean diaper, put it in a baggie and stuff it in my bra. Then reheated it in the microwave as needed. 600 mg of Advil and massaging while I pumped helped too.
Ok, this poll is making me feel both better and worse at the same time. Better because I'm right and worse because it sucks that I get them so often. I am taking lecithin, but it doesn't seem to help (but I figure it doesn't hurt!). When I get them I get a really hard, painful spot in my breast. It feels like I'm engorged, but doesn't go away with feeding until I clear it. Nursing hasn't really cleeared them for me, I have to take hot showers or baths and really work them out. I can often feel it when it clears and then squeeze out a bunch of milk, which finally reliefs the pain.
I was wearing nursing bras, but I think eu were too tight. I'm pretty much wearing Gap pullover wireless bras which are comfortable and I don't think they are too tight. I can't go topless because I need pads for leaks. Maybe I'll try wearing a nursing tank that might be looser.
I also wonder if sleeping might be doing it. I like to sleep on my side and I tend to get them near my armpits, so maybe it is from pressure on my side while sleeping? Sigh.
I'm really hoping the frequency drops when my supply regulates, hopefully in the next few weeks. I do try to drain my breasts, but she gets full pretty fast. I don't want to pump after feeding because I don't want to encourage more supply. Since I'm SAH, I'm not pumping regularly at all.
Earlier on I would frequently get them during the night in one boob and I think it was they way I sleep. Almost on my stomach with my arms tucked up against my chest. I EP and up until recently I would get them if I wore a bra with an underwire (every time). I am finally weaning off the pump and I am anticipating getting more during this process. Sorry they really hurt!
4 pillls a day, so 4800 mg which is what Kelly mom suggests. I did talk to lactation consultant and she was sympathetic, but didn't have any more advice than was on kellymom. I feel like I've done everything! Now I'm trying to drink more water and hoping when my supply regulates maybe the frequency will drop.
How long have you been taking it? It took my body a couple weeks to go down from almost daily to 1x a week.
Probably 3 weeks now? I'll just keep taking it. My dr also recommended vitamin C so I've been taking that too.
They were worse when I was still pumping sometimes (probably a few times a week at the worst), then went to about one a month for several months. I'd say after DS turned one I started getting them less (maybe because I was nursing less? Not sure why). At the worst point I started taking the max. dose of lecithin (I got the granular form that you mix into water from a natural health store) and Vitamin C as well, and I found it really did help. That and drinking tons of water.
I get them pretty frequently with ds2 because he nurses inconsistently day to day. So my supply is always getting built up... Then unused. Probably every other day lately I'm waking up with one boob plugged somewhere. Takes me a full day to work it out.
I rarely got them with ds1 because he nursed 'round the clock for a year so engorgement was pretty rare. Maybe once month if he slept well.
I was talking about it to a friend of mine recently and she said that over 3 years of nursing 2 kids she's only ever had plugged ducts happen twice. So so so jealous.
I EP and get them almost daily. But only one every 7-10 days will be painful and bothersome.
Last night I went 8 hours between pumps (traveling and scheduling was a mess) with no notable pumps. I never thought I would get there!
In my EP group, it seems like over suppliers are more prone to them which would make sense. But there are some crazy over suppliers (like pumping 3x what a baby needs) with little to know issue.
I've had a few that were really painful in the past 8 months. I regularly have little clogs that are hard spots that I massage out when I'm pumping but it's not something that I notice until I massage.
I BFed DS for 23 months and have BFed DD since she was born (she's 4.5mo). I'm never had a plugged duct.
@noodleloo sorry if you already answered this, but are you taking lecthin? Ditched your underwire bras? Changing nursing positions so different areas of the breast get drained each time?
I've EP for 4 months and haven't had one (knock on wood) but I'd be annoyed if someone put me down for feeling uncomfortable. Boob discomfort is no joke!
I am prone to clogged ducts and have had mastitis 3x. I just had a clog about 2 weeks ago when DS went about 8 hours w/o nursing at almost 12 months of age. It took me a lot of effort to clear it and I felt feverish and terrible until I did.
I had 3 within the first month DD was born and none since then. They were very uncomfortable and it took a lot of massage, heat from the shower, and nursing to get them out.