Clogged Milk Ducts: Symptoms - Health Channel

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Clogged Milk Ducts: Symptoms |

Engorgement, infrequent or skipped feedings, pressure on the duct, inflammation, and nursing frequently are some of the symptoms of clogged duct while breastfeeding.

Jacquelyn Garcia, Lactation Nurse with the Center for Women and Infants at South Miami Hospital, says the mom should pump every three hours, because the longer she waits, the more at risk she is for getting clogged ducts. She recommends massaging the breasts when you are pumping, and you can put some warm washcloths on your breasts to help you.

Transcript

Now let’s talk about clogged ducts first tell me what that is because I’m wondering if I experienced it I think I did yeah once the engorgement comes in that’s when you’re not frequently feeding or emptying of the breast and you kind of feel like these balls around your breast so those are the clogged ducts and those really you really have to stay on top of those cuz then it can lead to mastitis okay so what is mastitis again my sight is is once you get the infection right does that mean you have to then stop no you can still breastfeed with mastitis and we recommend cuz you need to empty the breast so you’ll just be put on antibiotics but you can continue breastfeeding as normally it’s to relieve your pain is of course you need to empty your breast I didn’t get mastitis but I remember just producing so much milk I was emptying my breasts a lot and it was just constant constant constant and every few hours I would get the clogged ducts and the pain was overwhelming and the doctor told me to massage my breasts and and I pumped a lot to help alleviate the pain and that helped me also store milk but I hear some clogged ducts while breastfeeding you can engorgement which is extremely painful infrequently skipped feedings can we chime in on that right so that I mean there’s moms there’s just strictly pumping then they start going longer you’re supposed to pump every three hours if you’re gonna use the pump mm-hmm so the longer you way in between pumping sessions and you’re more at risk for getting clogged ducts and then once you get those clogged does it’s important like you said we shouldn’t massage when you’re nursing you could also massage when you’re pumping and also release if you put some warm washcloth on your breast maybe after a shower I did that all those things help you also when you breastfeed your baby wherever his chin is pointing it kind of helps you get those clogged ducts so try different positions while you’re breastfeeding to help you get all over the breast alright and pressure on the duct yeah that pressure on the duct is from the clogged ducts okay that’s how they get clogged because there’s just so much milk that it because it causes pressure and then it clogs and then of course inflammation and if you nurse frequently that helps a lot when you when you’re having this conversation with a new mom and you’re telling her all this is she just kind of staring at you going like wow I mean there because it can’t be overwhelming just to hear it no it is and then there’s some there like well like they can’t really you know process everything and they can’t believe how difficult they feel it’s gonna be but I like I said it gets better and then there’s some that are like they were probe respeaking that they were dick off for and then they’re just happy to hear all the information that they can get to you know facilitate it for them you.

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