Soreness in Breast

What works for me and what my doctor told me to do is to put a warm/hot wash cloth on the sore area for a few minutes before pumping. It's something about the moist heat. Sometimes just taking a shower before works too, but this has worked better for me.

M., I know how you feel... when my daughter was a few months old I had a lump in my breast too, I did go to my doctor and ended up having an ultrasound, then a biopsy... I can't remember the exact diagnosis, but it was something to do with me nursing. Anyway, you never can be too careful, especially when you have a child to look after. If you still notice the lump I would strongly encourage you to see your doctor. You have a lot going on right now with your little girl, anything you can do to give yourself some peace of mind is well worth it. Best of luck!

Hi M.,

Sounds like you're doing everything you can for your little girl. You didn't say how long it had been between stopping pumping and the painful lump coming along. If you stopped cold turkey and it's only been a week or less, it sounds like you are probably dealing with a clogged milk duct, which you need to deal with or it could become infected and then you have mastitis, not just a plugged duct. You should use moist heat, as recommended below, and pump or hand express to try to clear the duct. Every two hours or so. Your daughter would be the best to clear the plug, if you and she wanted to do try it, if you could position her so that her chin was toward the lump. If not, I know that I successfully cleared many a plugs with hand expression, so that will work, too. I found filling a big bowl with hot water, sitting it just below chest level, and immersing my breast in it the most effective moist heat solution. You will have to find what works for you, as there is usually one thing that works best for each person. The washcloth and shower were never focused enough to deal with my plugs.

If this is a plugged duct, you can contact a local La Leche League leader www.llli.org, to not only get other tips for clearing the plug, but also tips on how to wean yourself off of pumping so that another plugged duct doesn't occur.

It can take months to completely dry up. It happens gradually. Good luck and enjoy your little girl!

H.

With my first child I would get clogged all the time. First I would stand in the shower with hot hot water running on it. And the next part sounds crazy but it worked. I would lean over at a 90 degree angle and than take the hand pump and try and pump it out. It worked for me and the releif afterwards was great. You feel a little weird doing it. It took a couple of weeks for my milk supply to dry up after I was all done nursing. Try not to pump to much becuase it will try and produce more milk. Congrats on your new little one and it is the best thing to watch them grow up.

Your milk supply ran out because you supplemented! Now you probably have a clogged duct. If you wanted to continue you could probably get it going still! Especially with a clogged duct, which the baby could help you with. And she will fuss, a bottle is much easier than breast. Try your local La leche leader for some support! Also contact your OB about the sore spot. Are you feeling sick at all? Fever?

Hi M.,
I remember having a clogged milk duct after one of my kids stopped breast feeding. What worked for me was to massage it gently in the shower with the hot water running on it. I did it everyday until it stopped bothering me. Hope this helps! God Bless!

Hi! You should feel very proud of your great efforts to nurse your baby! I had a tough time weaning my first child, since it was due to "breast circumstances". I had a lump on my rt. breast and also diminishing milk supply. I was pumping like crazy, drinking lots of water, getting rest, etc. My entire breast began to get sore and my daughter became very frustrated with nursing (probably since it hurt me and she wasn't getting the milk she so desired!). I went to my doctor and diagnosed me with thrush and mastistis (both breasts and my daughter had thrush as well). I was treated with cream and antibiotic. After some time without it totally clearing up, my doctor recommended an ultrasound. I had a few done, and it turned out that I had thrush, mastitis, AND a clogged milk duct. At that point, I was happy to have ruled out anything more serious, and I decided to wean my daughter completely. It was a tough and worrisome process, but my family learned a lot from it -- about overall health (including mental health!), balance, and unconditional love for each other. My baby did great with the transitions and over time, I accepted it all. When my breasts finally felt "normal" (no pain, swelling, redness, and done with engorgement from weaning), my husband and I went shopping for new lingerie together. It felt good to get some pretty, new bras for my new beginning! I am now nursing my second child (5 months old) and I appreciate every moment/feeding with her! All the best....

A.

I have breast fed 3 children, the first 2 for only a short time period, as my supply dried up. I also used Fenugreek, Brewer's Yeast, etc... My youngest child I was able to nurse for a full year, thanks to the grace of God! You can use a warm washcloth and massaging that area for a clogged milk duct to see if that helps. I discovered a lump on my right breast that was sore to the touch and I panicked. I went to the doctor and they scheduled a mammogram - it is a normal build up of tissue or mass that has developed from breast feeding my kids. It doesn't hurt on a day to day basis, only when I do my breast exams and it's very mild even then. The peace of mind was priceless! Hope this info helps!