| Education and Support for Nursing Mothers |
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| Plugged Ducts and Mastitis Do you feel a lump or sore spot somewhere in the breast, but lack a fever, generalized aches & pains throughout the body, or red streaks on the breast? In that case, you probably have a plugged duct. The best cure for a plugged duct is to nurse. Try to line the baby's nose or chin up in the direction of the lump (this could take a bit of creativity on your part), because the draw will be strongest from those areas. Applying a warm compress for 15 minutes prior to nursing, and massaging from behind the clog toward the nipple while nursing, are also often helpful. Another trick is to get into the hottest shower you can stand and allow the hot water to pour over the sore area while you massage it from behind. A wide-toothed comb, well-soaped, can be an excellent tool for massaging out the clog in the shower. Once the clog is cleared, the pain may persist for a few days -- the inside of the duct was likely somewhat inflamed or bruised. It's safe to take ibuprofen for the pain. On the other hand, if you are experiencing pain that started suddenly, is localized, has a red, hot, swollen area on the breast, have flue-like symptoms and a temperature of 101 degrees F or higher, you most likely have a bacterial infection of the breast, called mastitis. Sometimes you might also see pus and blood in your milk and red streaks from the site of the infection. If this is what you're experiencing, you should contact your doctor immediately. You may need antibiotic treatment, and you should continue to breastfeed. If your doctor says you must not breastfeed while on a particular antibiotic, have him or her check with Dr. Thomas Hale's lactation pharmacology book and find an appropriate antibiotic that is safe while nursing (almost all antibiotics are safe for nursing moms). |
| The Scoop on Poop Did you ever imagine before parenthood that you could be so obsessed with another person's poop? Probably not! Some basic information about poop: A breastfed baby's stools (after the first few days, where they're meconium stools) are typically soft, yellowish, and "seedy." I think spicy brown mustard mixed with small-curd cottage cheese would probably resemble this poop pretty closely. Also, an exclusively-breastfed baby's stools do not have anywhere near as obnoxious a smell as a formula-fed baby's stools, or the stools of a breastfed baby who has started solids. (Enjoy the reprieve while you can.) A newborn breastfed baby may poop multiple times a day, or only one time a day. As long as the total amount you're seeing is about enough to give you a palmful of stool, hat's fine. After the first month, the baby may become an infrequent pooper. How infrequent? Some perfectly-healthy breastfed babies go as long as 3 weeks between poops. This is not constipation. Constipation refers to the consistancy, not to the frequency. Breastfed babies are almost never, ever constipated. If your baby is passing hard, rabbit-pellet-like stools, your baby is constipated. If your baby is passing soft, unformed stools once a week, you have a normal, healthy baby. One word of caution: if you have an infrequent pooper, be prepared for those infequent poops to be on the larger side. You may need to change not only the baby's diaper, but the baby's clothes, and your clothes. The baby might need a bath... and you might, too! If you find the diapers aren't doing a good job containing the stool, switch to the next larger size diapers, even if the weight range on the size you are using indicates they should fit your baby for a few more weeks. Stools that are frothy and green could be the result of a foremilk-hindmilk imbalance. (Also see oversupply at this site.) Green mucousy stools could be the result of a virus or a food sensitivity. |
| Plugged Ducts and Mastitis The Scoop on Poop |
| Common Concerns p. 5 |
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| Last Updated February 2, 2004 |
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