Tuesday, May 12, 2009

WTF?

And now I've got some sort of lump in my right breast. I noticed it a couple days ago and just assumed it was a result of engorgement, never really paying it much attention and not noticing that it never really went away no matter how much the baby had nursed on that side. Now, it's still rock hard and she won't latch on to that side without the nipple shield. I'm freaked out. It could very likely be nothing at all, but there's some history of breast cancer in my family, and I can't help but be freaked out.

3 comments:

canuck_grad said...

Is it extra sore on that side? I had a blocked duct when Little Man was a few weeks old and it was pretty hard. It hurt like hell. Well, it wasn't the lump so much that hurt, it wasn't like it hurt a lot to push on it or anything. But it hurt way more than usual when he nursed on that side, and it actually sent a funny pain up through my shoulder and neck at first. I had to get him to nurse extra on that side and put warm washcloths on it and massage it in the shower... it still took a couple of days to go away.

AcadeMama said...

After I posted this, I realized a blocked duct might be possible. There's not a lot of extra pain on the right side, but I'll try the warm washcloths and see if that helps. Do you remember how long it took to show improvement??

M said...

It sounds like a blocked duct to me. You need to encourage the baby to nurse on that side first. Try everything Canuck Grad suggested, as well as massaging the area while the baby nurses (easier said then done while nursing a newborn, I know). If it doesn't go away in a few days, I would call the lactation consultant or the doctor. A blocked duct can turn into mastitis, which is an infection that would require you to take antibiotics. Basically you just need to get the blocked milk out of the duct. You could also try pumping (if you have a pump) after she nurses. I did this when I had a blocked duct while nursing Wild Man. It was gone in a few days.