Heather's story: dealing with blocked milk ducts
I was lucky that both breastfeeding happened quite easily with my first child, it was breastfeeding week when she was born so I had loads of support in hospital and a great community midwife to come home to.
Second time around I think I was a little too blasé about breastfeeding which led to a few problems. I don't think I took the time to make sure my son was latched on properly and ended up with sore breasts due to blocked milk ducts. Alternative hot and cold clothes helped ease the pain but ultimately the only way to cure it was to get my son to feed from the sore area. Unfortunately it was a very awkward part of my breast which was blocked and the only way I was eventually able to get him to feed from there was to crouch on all fours head to toe with him and lower my breast down to him (in the comfort of my own bedroom of course!) Certainly not elegant but you will do anything to ease the pain if you have to, and it worked, I took a bit more care with his positioning after that and it was all plain sailing.
Thanks Helen for your story, it's a good reminder to watch your baby's position and correct latch at all times. To clear the blocked milk ducts, feeding your baby with the chin placed over the blocked duct works very well. This is because the baby's suck will be strong on that side and clear the duct more efficiently than any amount of expressing breast milk. It leads to be a bit of acrobatic nursing but it's well worth it. (I remember having to place my daughter over my shoulder once!) Ask your partner or a friend to help position your baby or contact a local breastfeeding support group.
Created: November 23, 2009
