Blocked Duct While Nursing

Plugged ducts are a common concern in breastfeeding moms.

Blocked duct while nursing.

Milk may build up and cause a tender lump to form in your breast. Milk ducts carry breast milk from the glands small sacs where it is made down to your nipple. Wearing an underwire or tight fitting bra may create excessive pressure on the breasts and contribute to clogged milk ducts. You have an illness such as a cold.

When a duct is blocked the flow of milk from the duct to your nipple may decrease or stop. The result is a small lump in your breast that might look a little red and may feel sore or tender when you touch it. What causes a clogged milk duct. Illness may cause you to not want to feed your baby as often or pump as frequently.

This may trap milk inside a duct. There are two most common fears for any nursing or pumping mom. You might experience one if your breast isn t completely emptied after a feed if. Not changing positions while nursing can also contribute to duct blockage.

Several things can cause plugged ducts. Blocked ducts are more likely to occur if a breastfeeding woman does not thoroughly drain the breast as this can allow milk to accumulate and block the duct. Clogged or plugged milk ducts happen when a milk duct in your breast gets blocked or otherwise has poor drainage. A duct becomes compressed or damaged due to pressure from a nursing bra that doesn t fit well or from sleeping on your stomach for example.

This usually happens in one breast at a time. A plugged milk duct feels like a tender sore lump or knot in the breast. The usual recommended dosage for recurrent plugged ducts is 3600 4800 mg lecithin per day or 1 capsule 1200 milligram 3 4 times per day. And there is reason to be afraid of these two things.

A plugged duct usually comes on gradually and affects only one breast. If a duct gets blocked or milk has trouble flowing through a clog can form. When you re breastfeeding milk flows through your breasts in a pipe like system of ducts. Breastfeeding your child is an amazing experience but sometimes it does come with a fair bit of challenges.

It happens when a milk duct does not drain properly. A plugged duct is a milk duct in your breast that is blocked. Pressure builds up behind the plugged duct and the tissue around it gets irritated. This often occurs due to your baby sleeping through the night a return to work you or your baby falling ill or weaning your baby from breast milk.

Lecithin has been recommended to combat recurrent plugged ducts. One of the most common causes of a clogged milk duct after weaning is a change in feeding schedule or a skipped feeding. After a week or two with no blockage mom can reduce the dosage by one capsule. A plugged or blocked duct is an area of the breast where milk flow is obstructed.