large lump in breast

yesterday i woke up in the hospital with a large lump. when i got home i put heat on it (using the heating pad), massaged it to no end and constantly nursed the baby on that side.
its now the next day (LOL) and the lump is still there.
i did try pumping and using heat, nusing and using heat, and massage while nursing, heat, etc.

any tips?
i don't want it to become infected. its a little painful and you can actually see it; its large!

 

Hot shower & massage the heck out of it!!! Sounds like a clog which could turn into something worse. Keep nursing on that side and keep massaging it. :hug:

 

Freakishly hot wet towels on it while you nurse and massage the heck out it. If your shower sprayer has the stun setting you can put it on super hot and aim it right for the clog.

 

I got some clogged ducts that would lead to big lumps a couple time when nursing my little ones. It took me a day or two to get rid of it the one time. I just did what you and the others above suggested frequently and it finally went down. It was painful until it did though! I had a pump so I would be pumping and massaging between breastfeeding, it was terribly painful but finally effective.

 

What they said! You really need to massage it quite strongly (it will probably hurt) but better to get the clog moving rather than have to deal with mastitis. I'm on my phone or I would link it, but kellymom has some great tips for dealing with plugged ducts. Just pop the term into their site's search engine & you'll find it.

 

I've spent the entire day nursing, being a slave to the pump, heating pad all while massaging.
omg - it's not budging and I'm freaking out it's going to turn into mastitis!

is there anything else? is there a chance it will go away?
if i just keep heat on it will that help?

 

If I recall correctly, some ladies have luck with an electric toothbrush and a hot shower. It can take time to get rid of a clog. Keep working at it and I'm sure you'll get rid of it.

 

Deep breath! You're going to be okay. Like Michelle said, sometimes it takes time to work it out. Here's the page from Kellymom I mentioned earlier. My fav tip from that page (to be done before nursing): "- Hot Shower. It can be helpful to massage in the shower with a large-toothed comb. The comb should be drawn through a bar of soap until it is very soapy and then used to gently massage over the affected area in the direction of the nipple."

 

The only way I could ever get rid of those is by doing all that has been mentioned above AND "dangle feeding". :blush: I really think that gravity was most effective in getting rid of them. Basically, you get on all fours over the baby and nurse her with you on top. It sounds ridiculous and silly, but it was the only thing that has ever worked for me. I hope you've gotten some relief by now!

 

Might also be helpful for hubby to massage that area as he can apply more pressure than you can do to yourself especially when its painful.
The comb method is AWESOME!
Go bra free a few days while you are working on it, and avoid wearing baby on that breast or constricting it in anyway.