MILC Moment: Breast Massage for Plugged Ducts and Mastitis

 When you get a plugged duct, it may start as a little lump in the breast. It may feel a little tender, and the skin over it might look more pink or red. If it doesn’t get better, it may get bigger and the congestion may start to spread to other areas of your breast. More of the skin might look red. You might feel body aches or chills, or get a low grade fever. If the congestion still doesn’t go away, you might start feeling worse – like you have the flu, with a high fever. At that point, you should definitely be calling WBWC (or your OB care provider) – “Help! I think I have mastitis!”

A round of antibiotics will usually clear up mastitis pretty quickly. But we like to avoid antibiotics if we can, and of course we like to avoid you getting sick! Could we prevent a bad case of mastitis? Plugged ducts, engorgement, and mastitis can sometimes be treated with just our hands - just by clearing out those congested areas before your breasts get really inflamed. A lot of the suggestions you read online suggest getting behind the plug and forcing it forward. We used to do this too, until we learned new techniques from an IBCLC named Maya Bolman, who teaches LCs about traditional Russian breast massage and hand expression, which can work much better than pumping for a plugged duct.

If you’re getting a plugged duct, or if you feel like your plugged duct is getting worse, check out this video for techniques from Maya on how to massage and hand express to help clear your breasts: https://vimeo.com/65196007

All the WBWC LCs, and many of the midwives and nurses, have been trained on how to do breast massage to help clear plugged ducts and breast congestion. If you feel like a plugged duct is getting worse, and you’re not able to clear it yourself, you can call for an appointment to get some hands-on help. If you believe you are getting mastitis, or have mastitis, you should always call WBWC (or your OB care provider) for care. Do not delay in getting care for mastitis, as it can become more serious if it is not treated. Some cases of mastitis require the use of antibiotics for treatment.

We hope that you never have to deal with plugged ducts, engorgement, or mastitis, but if you do it’s good to know that you have some very good tools to deal with them – your own two hands!

Best,

Your MILC LCs: Rebecca, Ellen, Elley, Nancy, and Deborah