notesfromthetrenchesIII

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Thursday, June 23, 2005

How To Deal With A Clogged Milk Duct

1) Discover breast is very sore, even after nursing baby. Determine that a milk duct is clogged.

2) Force infant son to nurse some more in an attempt to unclog duct

3) Massage sore breast.

4) Put hot compresses on sore breast.

5) Put hot compresses on sore breast, while massaging.

6) Use google to find out what else can be done for stubborn clogged milk duct.

7) Force infant son to nurse while standing on head in modified yoga position while doing the football hold.

8) Swear often.

9) Try hottest compresses that you can stand. Suffer first degree burns on nipple and surrounding breast area.

10) Massage breast some more.

11) Squeeze breast and nipple as hard as you can.

12) Give a moment of thanks that no neighbors can see into your windows due to the summer foliage and therefore are not witness to your walking through the house feeling yourself up all afternoon.

13) Greet husband at the door demanding he squeeze your nipple, hard.

14) Tell husband to stop smiling, this isn't about sex.

15) Assure him that no, it also isn't like the "pull my finger trick" either.

16) Find a white spot on nipple and determine this is the cause of all milk duct troubles.

17) Get a needle and repeatedly stab nipple in hopes of unclogging milk duct.

18) Engage in even more colorful swearing.

19) Marvel at the amount of things you bump sore breast into.

20) Force infant son to nurse more, this time with him in modified yoga headstand.

21) Invent new swear words.

22) Have husband tell you to stop playing with your breast, words you never thought you would hear in this life

23) Sit on couch clutching cold beer to breast.

24) Tell husband he has no idea how much it hurts.

25) Have husband respond that he is sure it hurts and how could he have any idea the magnitude of the pain since he is just an inferior male.

26) Tell husband not to forget that.

27) Have husband assure you that he knows you never will let him forget.

28) Clutch sore, burned, bruised, stabbed breast in hand.

29) Decide to just go to bed and hope poor breast is better in the morning.

30) Chug beer as sleep aid.

32 Comments:

Blogger impromptu-mom said...

Oh, have I been there! I always used the make-the-baby-nurse-upsidedown-method. Of course it never worked. Beer and bed sound like a much better way to cope! lol!

11:58 PM  
Blogger Kate Giovinco Photography said...

I hope it unclogs and you feel better.

12:55 AM  
Blogger another lisa said...

that happened to me too... it hurts like hell... here is what worked: 1. use a breast pump to keep the milk flowing through in bigger quantities (you can always freeze it if you don't want to throw it out) 2. hot showers 3. take a wet washcloth, fold it into quarters and freeze it - use as a cold compress... 4. no matter what, keep breastfeeding! it will get better - 5. drink more beer

2:20 AM  
Blogger Julie Brooks Barbour said...

You just brought back an experience I thought I'd forgotten. Only my husband got grossed out when I showed him the white spot on my nipple. I remember it hurt like hell and what a RELIEF it was when it finally unclogged. One of the stories no one tells you about breastfeeding.

8:35 AM  
Blogger Lisa said...

I hesitate to give more advice, but if you want some, remember I have that unused credential as a IBCLC (lactation consultant). Lots of ibuprofen can't hurt. I hope it's better soon.

8:41 AM  
Blogger Me said...

You forgot about cry.


(Or wasn't that allowed in the rules? I always did. But then again I never play by rules.) LOL.

8:55 AM  
Blogger Jody said...

Ouch!

I second Lisa. Pump, use warm wet washcloths, and hot showers with lots of steam. I hand express in the shower too.

I hope it feels better today!

8:57 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You must go to Very Mom and read her story about a clogged milk duct. http://www.verymom.com/archives/category/boobies/

Hope you feel better soon!

9:54 AM  
Blogger halloweenlover said...

oh geez, I am now having sympathy breast pains and dry-heaving. Did you really poke it with a needle? ARGH!!!!

Maybe I'll reconsider the kids thing.

10:37 AM  
Blogger Lenise said...

Jay and I would lie on the bed with his belly button at about my eye level as he nursed. It worked a couple of times for me, but not always. Ugh, that is a terrible feeling! Worse than that, though, was when I was bleeding out of both sides. *shudder* I hope THAT never recurs!

I hope all is well today.

11:01 AM  
Blogger Sleeping Mommy said...

Ah, I'm sorry your having a rough time Chris. Hope its feeling better this morning.

11:04 AM  
Blogger Sleeping Mommy said...

Oh and you should get some major hits off the search engines from that post.

11:04 AM  
Blogger Karan Simpson said...

Ouch! So sorry for your pain! Hope all is better today!

11:28 AM  
Blogger Katie said...

Ugh! I hope it unclogs very soon!

1:32 PM  
Blogger Sorka said...

Yep.. that's about right!
It happened to me about ten times with the last one.. something about the last one.. you would think you have been through everything by now eh?
NOT!

Get to the doc if it doesn't feel better.. you DONT want and infection!!! (been there too)

Denise

2:09 PM  
Blogger Babette said...

At least one of you is practicing yoga. And--"Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast."~Congreve

Seriously--hot washcloths, lots of nummying, and lots of rest should do the trick!

3:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My advice-just keep drinking the beer. Really cold. I'm also in New England-90 degree whether this weekend.

3:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Been there and done everything except the beer.

Swollen breasts with a clogged duct are a horrible cause of pain and naturally I too run into everything or my kids decide to hug me hard or something just when things are at their worst.

I hope you are already on the way to recovery.

4:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ouch! As someone who doesn't have kids, that has got to fricking hurt. Good luck with your duct. :P
Have a good weekend, hope you feel better soon.

5:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

yeeouch

Been there unfortunately.

This too shall pass.
Hope it passes sooner than later!

5:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My gosh! Mothers are so strong. You are SO strong! Hang in there. :)

8:36 PM  
Blogger ErinMary said...

34 weeks pregnant and I've already been clogged. Man, would I love a beer or two right about now...hope ya feel better soon.

8:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

oops, I spelled weather wrong-I got too excited thinking about the cold beer on the hot weekend-

10:35 PM  
Blogger Notes from the Trenches said...

sarah,
I didn't even notice the whether, LOL.

This weekend is supposed to be hot. I have to make sure we get to the liquor store tomorrow. Lots of around the house projects this weekend and nothing goes better with power tools than alcohol consumption!

12:13 AM  
Blogger Sylvana said...

I've only gotten it once, and it went straight to mastitis within a day or two. Hurts like a MFer! I tried poking it with a needle too. Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. Good luck with that! Hope you feel better.

12:25 AM  
Blogger millennium hippies said...

Yikes, I hope you're feeling better! I nursed my daughter throughout my pregnancy, and for the ENTIRE 9 1/2 months, one of my breasts hurt so badly everytime she would nurse. It literally felt like there were knives stabbing me over and over from the inside. Every couple of hours, every day, for 9.5 months. Then when the baby was born, it was gone. I had no problem tandem nursing. I have no idea what it was. I have no idea how I endured it. But I can definitely feel your pain, and I hope you are healed soon!

11:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Pain pain pain!
Hope it is better tomorrow.

~K!

2:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hope you're 'unplugged' by now!

6:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I feel your pain...literally! I weened my youngest a week and a half ago and my breasts are still producing milk and the right one is engorged beyond belief. I figured since she was two weeks away from her second birthday and only nursing once a day, that this wouldn't happen...so wrong...so wrong. Excuse me now, I have to go put more cabbage in my bra.

10:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Aww man, you had me laughing!! i suffer from clogged ducts often! Its the worst!!

12:16 PM  
Blogger Toni said...

I used to get one of these MONTHLY with my 2nd son, and they coincided with the rise of my hormones during what would've been my cycle, had my cycle been active. I hated that blister most of all (that's what it looked/felt like to me). water in a disposable diaper & then microwaved helped, and also in the shower. Hope it finally got better! I also did the whole yoga pose on the bed thing. Ah, motherhood.

6:25 PM  
Blogger Silly Old Bear said...

I don't have anything clogged but I was squirming so bad I couldn't finish reading your list.

So, how ya doing?

5:11 PM  

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