Hello,
Hopefully this comment is not too far behind the original posting
regarding repeatedly plugged ducts. My son is 27 months and still
nursing. When he was small (mostly in the first 9 or 12 months of his
life) I had repeated plugged ducts. Some were quite difficult to
resolve. Here is what worked for us....
1) The plugs happened when I got extra full usually (i.e. if Jake slept
a long time). I also noticed in an informal survey that those of us who
did NOT leak tended to get plugs, while those who leaked did not. I
found it helpful to hand express milk regularly. Just a little, to
"clear the runways" if the breast felt at all full. I taught myself to
hand express so that I didn't need to be near a pump, nor deal with the
hassle of cleaning it if all I wanted to do was relieve pressure. I
particularly found it important to express on the other side if Jake
nursed just one side.
2) The baby on floor and me over on hands and knees was great in theory,
but Jake just wasn't into it!! I figured I would do the next best thing,
pump/hand express in that position. It was also helpful. Nor was Jake
into, nor I able to coordinate, the alternative positionings at the
breast very well. I was blessed with a wonderful LC/LLL Leader at this
point in my life, but some women I know who were not were frustrated
that they kept getting the advice to try this position and other
positionings of the baby at the breast. Like me, they had no luck,
either because they found it too awkward or the baby wouldn't settle
into the position. Because their support was not as excellent as mine,
they felt like "failures" because they couldn't manage these
modifications.
3) Before I did any pumping/expressing I would sit with my breast
dangling into a bowl of as hot as I could stand water. (Got some wild
looks when my mother-in-law came and found me topless and thus!) It
seemed to help soften things up.
4) At the first sign of pain I would start all these things AND sleep
with frozen peas tucked in my bra. I kept several bags at the ready and
switched them when I got up to feed/go to the bathroom at night.
5) I know that the standard advice is NOT to sleep on your stomach, but
I actually had a coupole of plugs resolve suddenly when I was so
miserable and exhausted that I threw caution to the wind and just slept
in the most comfortable position I know... on my stomach. Maybe that was
just the effect of finally getting some rest though!
6) NOTHING that was REMOTELY tight. My bra seemed loose enough, but
finally I went to just one of those barely there sleep bras (my nipples
were too sensitive to go braless, but that would be even better).
7) Nurse as often as Jake would take it. My plugs most frequently
resolved while Jake was nursing. I would see the "bleb" (milk blister?)
before he nursed, he would nurse, the breast would feel markedly softer
and better after and the bleb was gone after. Only once did I see him
with what appeared to be spagetti milk, but I assume he had it more than
once!
8) I tried the lecithin route and noticed no change, but perhaps I
didn't do it long enough or at proper dose.
That's all I remember right now! The plugs just gradually disappeared
from out lives, thank goodness! Hope that this information is helpful
for someone. THe most useful thing my LC/LLL leader did for me at this
time was provide sympathy for my pain, a bottomless supply of new ideas,
and respect for my process of testing/modifying them to suit my needs.
Thanks for the resource you provide.
Best Wishes,
Karen Lowell, Mom, Ph.D., just began application process to become LLL
leader.
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