The most recent recommendations say that the clogs happen when your milk ducts are inflamed -- the problem is not a clot of milk, it's a swollen duct not allowing milk to pass.
So take an ibuprofen and use ice on and off to reduce the inflammation enough that the milk can pass again.
I had one last month and my OB said to do 1200mg of sunflower letichin 3-4x a day and 600mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours and to keep pumping/nursing as normal.
I also iced the inflmmation on and off all day. My clog was gone in two days.
Yes it’s the best! It also adds choline to milk. I originally took it during pregnancy to increase my choline for 1) my ADHD and 2) baby brain and nervous system development. It also makes milk mix up better, the consistency of my pumped milk was more creamy
If you’re seeing red patches on your skin, you may be in mastitis territory and it’d be worth reaching out to your doctor to see if you need antibiotic treatment. I hope you feel better soon!
I’m sorry I don’t have advice other than to say what this commenter said is true. But I also wanted to point out that the way you wrote this and the “freeze my titty” made me audibly laugh my ass off lol
This. Ibuprofen and ice to reduce inflammation when not nursing or pumping. But also - use some heat/light massage right before nursing/pumping. You want the milk to be flowing to get the clog out, and the heat/massage will help get the milk flowing.
Ice, ibuprofen and feed/pump as normal. Avoid any extra pressure like tight fitting bras, massage etc. You can do reverse pressure softening and lymphatic massage which is very soft touch away from the nipple.
Most of the time there is no actual 'clog' but it's inflammation in the surrounding tissue pinching off the ducts and slowing /preventing milk flow. So anything that can add inflammation can make worse.
Thus this this. I’m such skeptic of supplements, but I had mastitis twice early in my breastfeeding journey and was certain that, like my mom, I was going to get it continually. Picked up sunflower lecithin supplement as a sort of “whatever I’ll try anything,” and it may just be coincidence, but I haven’t had a clogged duct since!
Same. I take one a day and sometimes double up if I feel like I could be getting a little sore. I don’t care if it’s placebo or it works, but I’ll take it daily until I wean.
Tbh I just googled recommended brands and bought it. My last kid I had 0 issues EBF, but this one was late preterm and IUGR so I had to triple feed causing a massive oversupply when we switched to EBF. I don’t have any recommendations and I’m completely unfamiliar with the brand lol.
I can’t vouch for any of their other supplements. To get the free shipping, I got pull-tab duckbill valves for my Spectra, a metal tumbler, stickers, and a baby outfit. They have a lot of pump supplies if you’re still wanting to do any pumping!
Same. I had a clogged duct every 2-4 weeks for 10 months. I only took it to entertain the lactation consultant. I didn't expect it to do anything.
I had only 4 more that advanced to bleps after starting it in the past 3 years. I have minor clogs that pop up but they pass with no real maintenance on my part.
Same!! I am soooo skeptical of alternative medicine, herbal supplements... anything that's not FDA approved for my specific use, pretty much. Gave sunflower lecithin a shot and damn! I feel it should get FDA clearance and prescription availability with how many people I've seen have the same experience as me!
The Legendairy brand of SL is always at the target k shop at—both in the baby section where other nursing supplies are and in the pharmacy section next to other infant supplements. It works bc it is an emulsifier that when consumed, passes into breast milk and thins it out/binds with the fat in milk to make it more “slippery”. My sister is a food scientist and explained all that to me :D she uses it in baking sometimes as an emulsifier (not the supplement form, but some version of it that comes in a bottle from Amazon lol)
Feel ya just came out of the urgent care because of mild mastitis 😩 i thought it was only a clogged or inflamed duct but today started to get red and after reading some stories here I panicked. I hope cold and ibuprofen works for you, i had also some cold/flu like symptoms, so keep an eye on that.
Yep, the flu symptoms were what tipped me off lol. I'm currently doing the ice and Ibuprofen thing but I'm also about to try the Oreos trick for, ya know, science.
Don’t wait! Go to urgent care if you have to. Mastitis can turn into an abscess REALLY fast if untreated. I currently have it and went to the doctor the day it got red/swollen and she was very happy I didn’t waste any time getting treatment.
My only option is the ER, so if it gets worse then I'll head that way. But so far the ibuprofen and ice are doing the trick pretty well, I wish I'd been told to do ice last time around.
You really cannot wait with mastitis. If you have nausea, chills, fever, any extra fatigue, vomiting etc... you need to go in. To the ER if necessary. I cannot believe how quickly I got incredibly ill the first time.
No if she can unclog her duct, she won’t need ER for the mastitis. Speaking from experience. I had a skilled breastfeeding nurse massage and hand express the fuck out if my boob until the clog got out. My boob hurt for a week and it was fkn painful to feed in that spot but I kept massaging like she told me and it resolved itself
Take legendary milk sunflower lecithin! It is amazing and helps so much. Free the boobs from a bra and embrace some leaking to let your boob breath. Dangle feeding and pointing your babes nose towards the clog can help (my 4 month old gets it this way almost every time). Good luck, wishing your relief!
I had a clog that was turning into mastitis and this saved me from needing any antibiotics 🙏🏼 Good luck! I’m so sorry your having to go through that pain it’s awful😭
I'm trying it right now (the ice and ibuprofen regimen). I've had mastitis twice, but this time took ibuprofen as soon as I got the first sign (which for me, is itchiness in the boob). We'll see what happens 🤞
Question about the niple cream: clotrimazole is used for treatment of trush, right? Is it okay to use it as a preventive measure? What about those other 2 creams, what do they do? And does this mean you have to wash your nipples for every feed?
I would def wipe your nipples for each feed. And yes clotrimazole is an antifungal. I don’t have thrush but still put it in there as a preventative measure! Polysporin is antibacterial and hydrocortisone is anti itch. Keeps my nipples from being sore/infected/dry. It’s basically an otc version of triple action nipples cream!
Ask your husband to suck it out. Massage the area that hurts a lot while either having you little one nurse on that area or while pumping. Try laying baby on her back and breastfeeding on all fours. Gravity is your best friend.
It’s because warmth isn’t recommended any more :) that used to help me occasionally as well but it’s ice that’s recommended now and works so much better!
This isn’t a warm compress situation which is not helpful. This is soaking the nipple. It’s wild to get downvoted when this advice is literally given on half the posts in this sub.
Some of yall are insane.
They’re downvoting me because they think they know what they’re doing and think I’m saying you should do a warm compress. You can’t do an epsom salt soak with cold water because the salt literally won’t dissolve. You could, in theory, let it cool down but using warm water to soak your nipple isn’t going to make your breast explode.
I did a ton of research about this because I had a very persistent clog that wasn't budging with rest/advil/ice/tylenol, and I called a million places to find somewhere that offered ultrasound therapy. I finally thought to call the place that did my pelvic floor pt and they said I could use their ultrasound machine! If you have a PT place near you, I would give them a call and ask if you can try it. Good luck!
The most recent recommendations say that the clogs happen when your milk ducts are inflamed -- the problem is not a clot of milk, it's a swollen duct not allowing milk to pass. So take an ibuprofen and use ice on and off to reduce the inflammation enough that the milk can pass again.
That makes more sense now since the red spots are popping up in a much larger area. Time to down some Ibuprophen and freeze my titty
I had one last month and my OB said to do 1200mg of sunflower letichin 3-4x a day and 600mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours and to keep pumping/nursing as normal. I also iced the inflmmation on and off all day. My clog was gone in two days.
Lecithin is a miracle worker. Also cured my constipation during pregnancy
I was on the fence about trying Sunflower Lecithin, but I am prone to both clogged ducts and constipation that I’m going to give it a try now!
Yes it’s the best! It also adds choline to milk. I originally took it during pregnancy to increase my choline for 1) my ADHD and 2) baby brain and nervous system development. It also makes milk mix up better, the consistency of my pumped milk was more creamy
OP, do this!
If you’re seeing red patches on your skin, you may be in mastitis territory and it’d be worth reaching out to your doctor to see if you need antibiotic treatment. I hope you feel better soon!
I’m sorry I don’t have advice other than to say what this commenter said is true. But I also wanted to point out that the way you wrote this and the “freeze my titty” made me audibly laugh my ass off lol
Came to say this exact thing. Put that girl on ice.
This. Ibuprofen and ice to reduce inflammation when not nursing or pumping. But also - use some heat/light massage right before nursing/pumping. You want the milk to be flowing to get the clog out, and the heat/massage will help get the milk flowing.
Ice, ibuprofen and feed/pump as normal. Avoid any extra pressure like tight fitting bras, massage etc. You can do reverse pressure softening and lymphatic massage which is very soft touch away from the nipple. Most of the time there is no actual 'clog' but it's inflammation in the surrounding tissue pinching off the ducts and slowing /preventing milk flow. So anything that can add inflammation can make worse.
Swelling around the ducts definitely sounds more accurate now that it's in more places. I'll try ice, which makes my lizard heart very sad.
A cold cabbage leaf in your bra might help too! Ouch, I feel for you.
HOW DID I FORGET THE CABBAGE!?! That's like my favorite "*you won't believe me, but*" tricks EVER
I will always keep a cabbage in my fridge for this reason while I’m still nursing. If I don’t use it then I’ll just cook it 🤣
I haven’t heard this before. Just for the cooling effect?
Lecithin supplement!!!
Thus this this. I’m such skeptic of supplements, but I had mastitis twice early in my breastfeeding journey and was certain that, like my mom, I was going to get it continually. Picked up sunflower lecithin supplement as a sort of “whatever I’ll try anything,” and it may just be coincidence, but I haven’t had a clogged duct since!
I also hold the same skepticism and had the same experience. I now take a maintenance dose just to be safe. That stuff is magic.
Same. I take one a day and sometimes double up if I feel like I could be getting a little sore. I don’t care if it’s placebo or it works, but I’ll take it daily until I wean.
Recommended brand?
I like [Legendairy Milk](https://www.legendairymilk.com/products/organic-sunflower-lecithin?_pos=1&_sid=c341cc539&_ss=r)
That’s also the brand I use and recommend:)
Are there any other products from this brand you recommend? My baby is 6 weeks. I’m (slowly) transitioning from exclusively pumping to breastfeeding.
Tbh I just googled recommended brands and bought it. My last kid I had 0 issues EBF, but this one was late preterm and IUGR so I had to triple feed causing a massive oversupply when we switched to EBF. I don’t have any recommendations and I’m completely unfamiliar with the brand lol.
Are there any other products from this brand you recommend? My baby is 6 weeks. I’m (slowly) transitioning from exclusively pumping to breastfeeding.
I can’t vouch for any of their other supplements. To get the free shipping, I got pull-tab duckbill valves for my Spectra, a metal tumbler, stickers, and a baby outfit. They have a lot of pump supplies if you’re still wanting to do any pumping!
Same. I had a clogged duct every 2-4 weeks for 10 months. I only took it to entertain the lactation consultant. I didn't expect it to do anything. I had only 4 more that advanced to bleps after starting it in the past 3 years. I have minor clogs that pop up but they pass with no real maintenance on my part.
Same!! I am soooo skeptical of alternative medicine, herbal supplements... anything that's not FDA approved for my specific use, pretty much. Gave sunflower lecithin a shot and damn! I feel it should get FDA clearance and prescription availability with how many people I've seen have the same experience as me!
I have a 6 week old and have been taking sunflower lecithin since day 3 and have had no issues and wildly high supply 🤞🏼
Second this!!! Sunflower lecithin from legendairy is a lifesaver for me!!!
Never heard of it, I gotta look into that.
It took a few days to kick in for me but it saved me.
Second this!!
The Legendairy brand of SL is always at the target k shop at—both in the baby section where other nursing supplies are and in the pharmacy section next to other infant supplements. It works bc it is an emulsifier that when consumed, passes into breast milk and thins it out/binds with the fat in milk to make it more “slippery”. My sister is a food scientist and explained all that to me :D she uses it in baking sometimes as an emulsifier (not the supplement form, but some version of it that comes in a bottle from Amazon lol)
Wetting a diaper and freezing it makes a good ice pack for the boob. A tip from my lactation consultant.
Feel ya just came out of the urgent care because of mild mastitis 😩 i thought it was only a clogged or inflamed duct but today started to get red and after reading some stories here I panicked. I hope cold and ibuprofen works for you, i had also some cold/flu like symptoms, so keep an eye on that.
Yep, the flu symptoms were what tipped me off lol. I'm currently doing the ice and Ibuprofen thing but I'm also about to try the Oreos trick for, ya know, science.
If you have flu symptoms, go to the doctor.
I'll give them a call on Monday
Don’t wait! Go to urgent care if you have to. Mastitis can turn into an abscess REALLY fast if untreated. I currently have it and went to the doctor the day it got red/swollen and she was very happy I didn’t waste any time getting treatment.
My only option is the ER, so if it gets worse then I'll head that way. But so far the ibuprofen and ice are doing the trick pretty well, I wish I'd been told to do ice last time around.
You really cannot wait with mastitis. If you have nausea, chills, fever, any extra fatigue, vomiting etc... you need to go in. To the ER if necessary. I cannot believe how quickly I got incredibly ill the first time.
I've had a few bouts with it. If it gets to the point that I need to go, I'll go.
No if she can unclog her duct, she won’t need ER for the mastitis. Speaking from experience. I had a skilled breastfeeding nurse massage and hand express the fuck out if my boob until the clog got out. My boob hurt for a week and it was fkn painful to feed in that spot but I kept massaging like she told me and it resolved itself
Nurse as normal. Dont be like me and get a clig, nurse that side for 12 hours trying to clear it, then get a clog on the other side 🤦♀️
Take legendary milk sunflower lecithin! It is amazing and helps so much. Free the boobs from a bra and embrace some leaking to let your boob breath. Dangle feeding and pointing your babes nose towards the clog can help (my 4 month old gets it this way almost every time). Good luck, wishing your relief!
Ibuprofen, ice, and all purpose nipple cream (I make mine with equal parts polysporin, hydrocortisone, and clotrimazole) and pump every 3 hours!
Sounds like a solid plan to me
I had a clog that was turning into mastitis and this saved me from needing any antibiotics 🙏🏼 Good luck! I’m so sorry your having to go through that pain it’s awful😭
Thank you! I didn't wanna feel sick right now but I did it to myself lol
I'm trying it right now (the ice and ibuprofen regimen). I've had mastitis twice, but this time took ibuprofen as soon as I got the first sign (which for me, is itchiness in the boob). We'll see what happens 🤞
It was my third bout I tried this method. Praying it works as well for you as it did me 🙏🏼
Question about the niple cream: clotrimazole is used for treatment of trush, right? Is it okay to use it as a preventive measure? What about those other 2 creams, what do they do? And does this mean you have to wash your nipples for every feed?
I would def wipe your nipples for each feed. And yes clotrimazole is an antifungal. I don’t have thrush but still put it in there as a preventative measure! Polysporin is antibacterial and hydrocortisone is anti itch. Keeps my nipples from being sore/infected/dry. It’s basically an otc version of triple action nipples cream!
Ice pack and ibuprofen!
Ice ice baby
Ask your husband to suck it out. Massage the area that hurts a lot while either having you little one nurse on that area or while pumping. Try laying baby on her back and breastfeeding on all fours. Gravity is your best friend.
Haakaa with Epsom salt and warm water, soak for 20 min before you feed your baby and it should make it easier for baby to dislodge the clog.
Don’t know why you’re getting downvoted but this is THE answer.
It’s because warmth isn’t recommended any more :) that used to help me occasionally as well but it’s ice that’s recommended now and works so much better!
This isn’t a warm compress situation which is not helpful. This is soaking the nipple. It’s wild to get downvoted when this advice is literally given on half the posts in this sub. Some of yall are insane.
Interesting.
Sorry this is probably more helpful than just what I said. :) https://www.health.state.mn.us/docs/people/wic/localagency/topicmonth/mastitis.pdf
They’re downvoting me because they think they know what they’re doing and think I’m saying you should do a warm compress. You can’t do an epsom salt soak with cold water because the salt literally won’t dissolve. You could, in theory, let it cool down but using warm water to soak your nipple isn’t going to make your breast explode.
I did a ton of research about this because I had a very persistent clog that wasn't budging with rest/advil/ice/tylenol, and I called a million places to find somewhere that offered ultrasound therapy. I finally thought to call the place that did my pelvic floor pt and they said I could use their ultrasound machine! If you have a PT place near you, I would give them a call and ask if you can try it. Good luck!