Blocked duct
What is a blocked duct?
If you find a painful swollen lump in your breast, often with a red inflamed patch on the skin near the lump, this is called a "blocked milk duct". In fact, the duct is not blocked in the true sense of the word but the tissue surrounding the milk duct has become inflamed, compressing the duct. Blocked ducts are actually the very early stages of mastitis.
True blocked ducts are much less common and tend to occur weeks or months into breastfeeding. The lumps are often painful and occasionally, there are red patches as well.
Some women notice a small white spot at the end of their nipple, which is a sign of a duct that has become blocked with skin cells growing over it. This is actually a blister which can be easily treated. If you have one, you can usually remove it by piercing the end of it with a sterile needle. Do this after your baby has fed when the skin on your nipple is softer.
What causes blocked ducts?
So-called "blocked ducts" (a more accurate description would be inflamed ducts) are almost always caused by breasts not being "milked" effectively by your baby when he feeds. If the breast is not properly drained, milk continues to "back up" because it is being made faster than it is removed. The milk is eventually forced out into the surrounding tissues, where it causes inflammation, turning them red, hot and painful.
The flu-like feeling you get with mastitis is not normally a sign of infection (although mastitis can be an infection, it is usually an inflammation). The flu-like feeling is a sign that your body is treating the milk as a foreign protein and your immune system is fighting it.
What is mastitis?
Mastitis is condition that causes your breasts to become inflamed. The inflammation can quickly progress to an infection. If you have it, you may notice that areas of your breasts are:
- red
- hard
- sore
- hot
- swollen
You may also feel a lump, which is often referred to as a blocked duct. However, this isn’t caused by a blockage, but by milk in getting into your breast tissue instead of your milk ducts.
You may also have flu-like symptoms, such as:
- chills
- a headache
- a temperature of more than 38.5 degrees C
- exhaustion
Having mastitis can be a miserable experience while it lasts. Rest assured that with the right treatment, mastitis can be cleared up quickly. Unfortunately, you can get mastitis more than once, but it's unlikely that you'll get it in both breasts at the same time. We hope that's some consolation!
What causes mastitis?
Mastitis is most often caused by milk stasis. This is when milk builds up in your breast because it’s being made faster than it’s removed.
Milk stasis can happen when your baby isn’t emptying your breasts well when he feeds. This may be because he isn’t latched on properly.
These things can also cause milk stasis and lead to mastitis:
- engorgement that doesn't return to normal
- feeding to a strict routine
- an injury to your breast.
Sometimes, milk stasis can become worse and develop into infective mastitis. This may happen if you’ve had cracked nipples. An infection can pass through the crack or fissure in your nipple into the lymphatic system of your breast.
You're more likely to develop mastitis if you are a first-time mum, but more experienced breastfeeding mums aren't immune. Mastitis can occur at any time while you're breastfeeding, although it's most common in the first month when you are learning to breastfeed.
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