Calling all milk blister experts

Yesterday I woke up with a lumpy left breast and a big white pimple/bump on my nipple. After nursing nonstop all day and applying moist heat, I finally pricked it with a needle. That seemed to work although it left me with a pretty sore nipple and breast last night. Today, it seemed better, but Maeve and Finn got really frustrated when nursing on that side.

Do plugged ducts resulting from a milk blister affect your supply? I put them to breast constantly today, but Maeve refused to nurse tonight at bedtime -- very unlike her.

Any thoughts? UGH -- I don't wish plugged ducts on anyone!
Thanks so much!
Beth

 

If your ducts are still plugged on that side it would definitely affect the supply on that side. Does it still feel sore and lumpy? I would get in the shower and massage it until it softens up and the milk seems to flow easily. Really massage the lumpy areas! You can also try nursing the babies in other positions besides cradle hold (football hold) to drain other ducts. I had alot of clogged ducts and they are miserable. You have to make sure to get rid of them though so that you don't end up with mastitis! Keep the moist heat going between nursing sessions too!

 

One trick is to massage with a comb instead of your hands - get a nice wide-tooth comb all covered with soap and run it over the lumps towards the nipple. I always felt like I bruised myself when I kneaded with my hands, but the comb felt better and was still really effective.

Plugged ducts and mastitis can affect your supply temporarily. Keep putting the babies to breast and you should see some improvement in a few days - though sometimes it can take a couple of weeks to bounce back after a bad bout. And if you can get your OB or an LC to prescribe or sell you some all purpose nipple ointment (aka APNO), use that pretty regularly for a while to keep the blisters from reforming. I had recurrent ones for a couple of months, as have other mommas here. They're awful.

Until you get the APNO, you might want to rinse with a gentle salt solution (maybe a tsp per cup of warm water) or even just warm water after nursing and use some lanolin. You could also try neosporin as a temporary fix, but make sure to wash it off before nursing - one of the reasons neosporin isn't the best solution is that the trauma of washing it off (soap, rubbing) can do more harm...

 

As someone who has recurring clogs, I would suggest warm wet heat on the blister to soften the skin before nursing/pumping. Use a heating pad on the engorged area as hot as you can stand it for as long as you can stand it (I would sometimes sit for 30mins) before nursing/pumping. You can also massage the engorged area while nursing/pumping.
Also get in the shower and make it as hot as you can stand it and let the hot water massage your boob for a bit then put soap on a wide tooth comb and lean forward and comb your boob going towards your nipple. It is a lot less painful than massaging and I found it to work better.

Clogs will affect your supply and you should try and clear it as soon as possible.

Good luck!

You can also take tylenol for the pain.

 

Thanks for your help! The babies were still pretty fussy while BF today so my supply has definitely taken a hit.

We basically spent the whole day nursing, so hopefully, my body will figure out what needs to happen.
No new lumps or anything -- that's the good news! I know milk blisters and plugged ducts have been a chronic problem for some of you and I give you so much credit for continuing to BF. There's nothing fun about nursing with a blister or a plugged up breast.

Beth