my breast are sore?

Question

i am breast feeding my 7 month old exclusively. now i have this soreness in my breast . the sore part is very tender. cna u please tell me what is going on and how i can help it

Answer 1

haha, curdle your milk! That's a great one! Seriously, that's impossible. For breastmilk to curdle, it must be past the boiling point. If your breasts are past the boiling point, you're dead.

Anyway, it sounds like you might have a blocked / clogged / plugged milk duct (as others have suggested). It's important to try to take care of this as soon as possible, since this is exactly what leads to mastitis (very painful).

I included some links below about how to work out a blocked milk duct.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Regarding the sore spot. That is a plugged ducts, hot compresses, showers etc are good. And when your baby is drinking massage the duct as hard as you can. Also you are supposed to try to have the babies nose pointed towards the sore spot.

Make sure you aren't wearing bras that are causing plugged ducts. I used to just wear my regular underwire bras to bed (I can NOT sleep without a bra) . Then I realised that was causing plugged ducts,so I bought a couple of non underwire bras for bed)

The other thing is if you see a milk blister coming out of your nipple, and I was in so much pain the thought of this seriously almost made me pass out and I am not squeemish: You have to pop it with a pin and use tweezers to pull it out.

Also nurse often on the sore side.

Much more info on plugged ducts here: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/mastitis.html


As for the suggestion that hot showers curdle milk, I can disprove that very easily. Take milk -cow's will work, if you really think breastmilk is different you can use that to. Heat it very slowly... note the point at which it curdles. That point is past the boiling point. Which is why recipes tell you to bring milk almost to a boil. If you are taking showers so hot the milk is boiling in your breasts, I assure you, you are already dead.

Answer 3

ur milk duct might be clogged what u can do is stand in the hot shower and pump or massage the sore area. that should help if not u might want to go see a doctor because i had the same problem but i got an infection from it and it was awful. anyway good luck i hope that i helped out a little.

Answer 4

there are alot of things that can be the problem... but check this...

after you are done feeding him on that breast... check the sore spot... is there a lump there... ok if there is... you could be a bit engorged in that spot... it happened to my wife on occasion.. like one spot of the breast would not let down... and the milk would just build up... and it would get sore...

Warm compress (wash cloth ran through hot water... or a sock filled with rice then microwaved.. )... massage it... and pump the breast empty... did the trick...

Answer 5

don't be alarmed, but if in fact it is a clogged milk duct you need to insist upon seeing your doctor immediatley. don't try all those silly home remedies, they only work 1/2 the time, the other 1/2 people let it go too long and end up needed surgery to repair it and a permanant scar on their breast, like me. good luck!!

Answer 6

Actually i wouldn't do hot showers because it can curdle your milk, what i would do is contact the nursing consultant at the local hospital or clinic. Tell them what has been going on and they will check into it, as well as most likely do a pregnancy test! good luck!