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whitewriterThe issue with my R) breast plugging and getting lumps seemed to getting worse. Where as previously, I could unblock it within 2 to 3 feeds, a week ago, it so happened that I went a whole night with being unable to clear the lump that had re-formed. So in the morning, I promptly called the child and family services about what to do - and they offered me an appointment with an LC the next day - which I thought was fantastic service.
I didn't feel unwell, so it was unlikely to be mastitis (just yet). The child and family nurse advised me regarding the basics of what to do with a lump - (all of which I was doing) and made the appointment for me.
Reassured, I kept going with what I thought was working the best (Hakka soak with salty water, pre-feeds) and actually by the end of the day, it managed to unblock and became soft again. Never mind, I wanted to go the LC anyways.
I arrived on time. Wendy wasn't settled in the pram but she was settled enough to get through the appointment.
There was no looking at my nipples or feeling the breast (which I found surprising) but there was other things like talking about feeding in general - (1 to 1.5 hours to feed both sides) which the LC said was unnecessary unless I wanted to continue to let her suck. She explained a baby like Gwendolyn should be able to drain a breast in 5 to 10 minutes and thereafter it's comfort or otherwise.
She went through the problem re: white blebs, explained their difficulties. Agreed the safety pin was the correct course of action although to be careful that doing so many times, each time was an avenue for infection. Although I used 70% ethanol to sterilize the needle, and I didn't go deep each time -- and ensured I expressed out milk afterwards to clear the block - I hadn't thought of it that way.
She also explained about treating one's breasts like fine crystal glasses and to be quite gentle with them (I think I had been rather rough actually) and gave some tips about the pressure required to express hind milk (really not much) and then looked at resources on dealing with white spot when she came across -- saturated fats --
diets high in saturated fats may contribute to sticky milk.
Well.
I do eat a lot of fatty things. I'd been chowing down on heaps of nuts - I was considering to cut back because I gained some weight rather than loosing or stabilising (there's gotta be an upside to creating 1 liter of milk a day).
Lecithin is another dietary supplement that can be useful to "thin out milk".
It seems to me Gwendolyn prefers the problem boob. Is the milk creamier on that side or is she a right handed baby, perhaps?
White bleb resources:
Also known as white spot, milk blister, milk bleb
ABA resource on blocked ducts
ABA resource on white spot
Breast Clinic
Mentions the use of warm water soaks and olive oil - which is the treatment I've found the most effective.
I've modified this slightly by adding a little epsom salt to the water (I keep a n urn of salty warm water in the kitchen for frequent soaks) and applying it via the haaka. -- This I got from the link below actually
Things that I tried that I thought were daft but I tried them anyway:
They're listed here mostly
-pumping on all 4s : for gravity to assist the pump.
-using a toothbrush to "break up the sticky milk" . I also tried my mums crazy back massager heh.
I think olive oil is the most effective nipple soother. This study backs up what I experienced as I was at one stage putting lanolin on the "good nipple" and olive oil on the troublesome right breast and now I just put olive oil on both. The negative thing about olive oil is that it is bloody hard to carry around.
I didn't feel unwell, so it was unlikely to be mastitis (just yet). The child and family nurse advised me regarding the basics of what to do with a lump - (all of which I was doing) and made the appointment for me.
Reassured, I kept going with what I thought was working the best (Hakka soak with salty water, pre-feeds) and actually by the end of the day, it managed to unblock and became soft again. Never mind, I wanted to go the LC anyways.
I arrived on time. Wendy wasn't settled in the pram but she was settled enough to get through the appointment.
There was no looking at my nipples or feeling the breast (which I found surprising) but there was other things like talking about feeding in general - (1 to 1.5 hours to feed both sides) which the LC said was unnecessary unless I wanted to continue to let her suck. She explained a baby like Gwendolyn should be able to drain a breast in 5 to 10 minutes and thereafter it's comfort or otherwise.
She went through the problem re: white blebs, explained their difficulties. Agreed the safety pin was the correct course of action although to be careful that doing so many times, each time was an avenue for infection. Although I used 70% ethanol to sterilize the needle, and I didn't go deep each time -- and ensured I expressed out milk afterwards to clear the block - I hadn't thought of it that way.
She also explained about treating one's breasts like fine crystal glasses and to be quite gentle with them (I think I had been rather rough actually) and gave some tips about the pressure required to express hind milk (really not much) and then looked at resources on dealing with white spot when she came across -- saturated fats --
diets high in saturated fats may contribute to sticky milk.
Well.
I do eat a lot of fatty things. I'd been chowing down on heaps of nuts - I was considering to cut back because I gained some weight rather than loosing or stabilising (there's gotta be an upside to creating 1 liter of milk a day).
Lecithin is another dietary supplement that can be useful to "thin out milk".
It seems to me Gwendolyn prefers the problem boob. Is the milk creamier on that side or is she a right handed baby, perhaps?
White bleb resources:
Also known as white spot, milk blister, milk bleb
ABA resource on blocked ducts
ABA resource on white spot
Breast Clinic
Mentions the use of warm water soaks and olive oil - which is the treatment I've found the most effective.
I've modified this slightly by adding a little epsom salt to the water (I keep a n urn of salty warm water in the kitchen for frequent soaks) and applying it via the haaka. -- This I got from the link below actually
Things that I tried that I thought were daft but I tried them anyway:
They're listed here mostly
-pumping on all 4s : for gravity to assist the pump.
-using a toothbrush to "break up the sticky milk" . I also tried my mums crazy back massager heh.
I think olive oil is the most effective nipple soother. This study backs up what I experienced as I was at one stage putting lanolin on the "good nipple" and olive oil on the troublesome right breast and now I just put olive oil on both. The negative thing about olive oil is that it is bloody hard to carry around.
