Clogged Ducts

Let me just start by saying that clogged ducts hurt like hell!! I woke up on Friday with a stabbing pain in my left breast, and the only diagnosis that I could come up with was a clogged duct. The tender area was very hard and had an elevated temperature. I thought maybe it would pass quickly if I nursed on that side but no such luck.

As the day progressed I started to feel worse. My symptoms were flu-like and I started to have a fever. It climbed all the way up to 102 degrees. I took Tylenol as directed and a hot shower. The heat of the shower was supposed to help loosen up the duct, but it was only slightly. I attempted to hand express and pump to clear the duct.

The next morning there was no improvement, and my symptoms from the day before basically repeated. I made sure to nurse as often as possible and to pump. That and heat are the only "treatments." The fever also came back, but the Tylenol helped to keep it under control.

By day 3 everything was much better. My breast was still tender but nothing like it had been, and Cote Bear was doing a great job of keeping it emptied. ;)

Something I noticed about the milk that was pumped during this time was that it smelled and tasted sour. I just pumped and dumped for the time being. I am not sure if the two were related, but I assume the clog effected the milk. Just an interesting side effect that I noted.

Anyways, all of that to say that clogged ducts are no fun, but they can be avoided by making sure the breast is thoroughly emptied regularly!!

Good Luck!