Unblocking Clogged Milk Ducts

Usually, you can feel a big bump in your breast that is close to the surface and very tender to the touch – kind of like an ingrown hair, but on a larger scale. Mine were usually a little smaller than the size of a nickel. The key to this is that it is pretty painful!

Now, the real question is: How do you get rid of it?

You could try breastfeeding more often, or using your breast pump to try to work it out; this can help sometimes, but it doesn’t always get the job done.

Some people suggest nursing with the baby’s chin pointed toward the blocked milk duct – something about the suction being stronger this way is supposed to help loosen the blockage.

I have tried this method, and it works fairly well; it never really fixed the problem right away, but it did seem to help a bit.

Another method I have found to be quite effective is to massage the blocked duct, both while your baby is nursing and when she isn’t.

The way to do this is to start at the edge of the duct and massage inwards toward the nipple, using a circular motion. Continue this until you start to feel the swelling go down in the blocked duct, or until it’s too difficult to do any longer.

I won’t lie to you – this can be pretty painful, but it seems to be the best way to prevent a clogged milk duct from turning into a breast infection (which would end up being even more painful, and possibly require medical intervention to drain it).

If you can continue this a few times a day, for a couple of days at the most, it should work itself out!

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