I will quickly introduce myself as I have been a major lurker for months
now and have learned immensely from so many on this list.  I am a new
IBCLC and live in Soldotna, Alaska.  I talked with a woman yesterday
with a baby a little more than a week old who has had difficulty with
getting her baby to latch well.  She is pumping a lot and cup or bottle
feeding in addition to trying to get the baby to breast.  This is her
second baby and had the same difficulty with her first (she has those
large "flowery" nipples).  A few days ago she had pain in her breast and
felt a lump.  She has been massaging and pumping with some relief of her
pain yesterday, then noticed hard dark grains in the bottom of the
bottle  of milk she had just expressed.  It sounded like a plugged duct
to me, but I had never heard of them being dark colored ("like dirt" she
described). Anyone else ever run into this.  I think things are getting
better as she is having less pain (no fever) but can still feel a lump
and tenderness in one breast.  Any way to help her more?
Thanks,    Pam   RNC, IBCLC.