Unclogging my milk ducts

I’ve been on exclusive pump since mid of 2nd month post partum… from time to time, I get clogs at night and I would panic and call for professional help eg mdm partum/ freelance lactation consultant.

Clogs can happen near or at areola or much further. Think of your breast as a “drainage system”. The nipple is the tap. To effectively clear the clog, you must ensure your areola is soft (no clog). If you have clog at both the areola and wider breast, *always* clear the one at the areola first so that you can express or squeeze it out (of the tap). Then, deal with the other clog located further from the areola.

There are a few methods to unclog:

1. self-express in the toilet (I am so bad at this. How do you even manually squeeze it out? 🤣 I leave this to professional)

2. Call for professional help

- this was what I relied on at the start but I do get random clogs in the middle of the night. Nobody is going to save me at 2am and sometimes, you might need to wait to get help. Self sufficiency is important!

- good masseur/ therapist will not make this painful. Do not hurt or cause your breast tissue to be inflamed.

2. Use of device such as the kneading lactation massager from momcozy

- this was least helpful for me 🥲 it has warmer function and “massage”. I used for 30min and not sure what I’ve achieved.

3. Warm shower just before your pump

- works well but I am somewhat to lazy to shower like 3 times a day 🤣

4. Warm up your breast gel pad, then pump (i would prefer to do [3] than [4], since I get to shower and clean myself up anyway)

- I mostly use my Lansinoh gel pad for cool compress. Too lazy to microwave and warm it up.

5. 💡 My ultimate preferred method for self sustenance: cotton cloth soaked in warm water and pump:

- Soak a thin cotton cloth in warm water and squeeze it semi dry. Have it rest on impacted area for a min or two or until the cloth turns cool. You may need to repeat 3 or more times, depending how hard your clogs are.

- I do not have specific temperature to quote. I simply turn on my tap and switch to the hottest temp available. Be careful not to burn yourself! 🤣

- Once the impacted areas are warmed up, massage gently with your fingers in a circular motion (see 2nd pic) to soften it. (Optional: “shake up” your boob to loosen the clog)

- Lastly, massage and push the clog towards your nipple. As you perform this, get your pump ready to extract it out! I use trusty Spectra.

Lastly, take note that you should not go overboard for method 5, meaning- do not overpump or use too much pressure while massaging your breast. I stop my pump at the 25th minute mark. If it still feels hard, I simply wait for the next pump session. Usually the 2nd pump session would fix it.

My fav brand of cotton cloth is available on Shopee. I use this to clean my face too (one-time use). Drop me a DM/ message if you would like to know which brand I use! I’ve tried 3 brands and this works the best- soft, absorbent and does not have weird smell.

Others: I do take sunflower lecithin too. Honestly, I don’t know if it helps. Gynae says not scientifically proven..Mommy community says it works. I take it anyway, but instead of 3 times a day, I only take 1/2.

(To be continued- my pumping journey for the last 5 months)

#breastfeedingmom #exclusivepumping #exclusivelypumpingjourney