CLOGGED DUCTS? 😣 OUCH!! 😓

If you’ve had one, you know they can be mildly irritating all the way to horribly painful. They can also lead to breast infection/mastitis and the need for your health care provider to RX antibiotics in order to heal.

So? What are they? When milk doesn’t get moved from a duct it can collect there and get fatty/sticky.

When you wear clothing that’s too tight (I’m looking at you, underwire bras) or sleep in a position that puts pressure on specific places on your breast, or wear a seatbelt that presses into your chest often … you’re prone to clogs in that area of your breast tissue.

When you feel one it might be sensitive to the touch. Might feel like a small pea or a marble.

What to do? 👀

✨ BE GENTLE. Don’t go at your breast tissue like a deep tissue massage, you’ll only increase inflammation.

✨ In hot showers, hand express and gently massage the clog towards the nipple to encourage milk to move.

✨ Use an electric toothbrush, personal toy or the tines of a comb to massage the area.

✨ Sunflower Lecithin can be helpful to unclog milk by thinning the milk and helping flow. I love @legendairymilk brand 😻

✨ Hot water + 2-3 tablespoons of pure Epsom salt in a silicone pump like the @haakaausa! In the shower, submerge your nipple in the pump with the hot water and salts; allow for suction to remove milk and soak the nipple for 10-15 minutes. The Epsom salt is loaded with magnesium which helps the body reduce inflammation and expel toxins.

👊🏻 Mostly, avoidance by wearing the correct clothing, frequent and efficient milk removal and milk management is your best bet at keeping clogs at bay!