[Tuesday Tips] The ONE Solution to (Multiple) Clogged Milk Ducts

So, today I experienced perhaps the worst case of clogged milk ducts in my 5 weeks of motherhood and it was a direct result of not pumping/expressing on schedule the last 2 days (went out for a movie and shopping) where I went 5 hours (instead of the usual 2-3 hours) between each pumping session... not cool.

The moment you stop nursing or expressing, your milk supply starts to build up and if you leave it for long enough hours, your breasts engorges (becomes very full). Leaving your breasts engorged for too long contributes to clogged milk ducts and the tissue around the ducts becomes inflammed. Other common factors that contribute to clogged ducts include incomplete draining of breast milk either by ineffective latching techniques or a non-functioning pump (e.g. weak suction). If left untreated, it leads to the one thing that most breastfeeding mums dread the most - MASTITIS.

I had a minor clogged duct just a few weeks back that almost immediately cleared after I did one thing. And today, just overnight I experienced MULTIPLE clogged ducts all over my left boob which immediately cleared after I did the same ONE thing. What is it, you ask?

Source: homeremediesweb.com

I scoured the internet for advice, and many of them repeated the same steps: Massage, Hot compress (many suggested soaking a diaper in hot water), nurse and pump frequently until ducts become unclogged. Some suggestions even went as far as downing Castor Oil - what the??
They might work for some, but trust me, I did most of these (except the Castor Oil of course) and still it didn't clear my clogged ducts - in fact, it made it worse and got to the point where there were blue-black bruise like marks on my boob and were painful as hell. Especially the massage and frequent pumping advice - nearly brought me to tears. Heck, even lying down was a major pain.

So my solution??

--> Take a short nap and let your milk supply build up until your breasts become engorged. The moment you wake up, nurse your baby with the affected boob for at least a minute and lo and behold, your ducts will almost certainly become unclogged.

Skip the massage, put away your electric/manual pump, save the last diaper for when you really need it and leave the castor oil at the shops & use your baby because trust me, it worked like magic. Even my mum screamed out with joy because she witnessed how much pain I was going through the entire day prior to this!

And lesson to take away from this? If you have an oversupply like I do, draw out a schedule and pump on schedule. Don't wait too long in between pumps and if you know you'll be away from home for longer than your usual number of hours, take your pump out with you - it will save you so much pain, suffering... and castor oil. :P