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This is going to be a rather brief post, but I felt I needed to share what I've learned!
I've been breastfeeding for almost 22 consecutive months, two different babies. For those who don't know me, Bekah (22 months on the 26th) is still breastfeeding. Of course Daniel (4 months) is as well. I plan to post further on the subject of extended breastfeeding and child-led weaning later. That's not the point. What is the point today is that during this time, I've had a couple incidences of clogged milk ducts (common) and I found something amazing that helps!
It isn't unusual at all to get clogged milk ducts, cysts, and even mastitis (a painful breast infection that often starts with a clogged duct). If you have any of these, part of your breast will be red and swollen and extremely painful. Some women seem more prone to these issues than others are. I was lucky, and didn't experience really any problems until just a couple months ago.
The first time I got clogged ducts was in October, when Daniel was about two months old. It happened on the inner side of my left breast and was VERY painful. It was swollen and none of the usual things were clearing it. Anytime anyone so much as brushed past me I wanted to scream, it hurt so much.
The usual things to try to clear this are:
*Frequent nursing
*Massaging the affected areas
*Using hot/cold compresses to get the milk flowing again
*Nursing with your baby underneath you, so your breast is pointing down (gravity helps)
With a toddler who likes to do her own "massage" plus both kids nursing frequently I thought it was go away easily enough. It started Wednesday night and by Friday morning I was done with it. I read somewhere online to try lecithin supplements (still NO idea why this was suggested; does anyone know?). I got some and took 1200 mg on Friday afternoon. That night as I nursed Daniel it resolved itself and everything was fine again!
This started to happen a second time last Friday (for me I think it's stress-related; there was traveling and such going on both times). I took lecithin (1200 mg each time) Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It was only very mildly painful, and I felt fine. I could feel only tiny little clogs throughout my breast (it was in the same place) instead of big, hard lumps. Then, Monday night, it was just suddenly gone. It was NO big deal at all.
So lecithin supplements really help with clogged ducts and may prevent mastitis! It's worth a try!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
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ow ow ow ow!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds so painful. Breastfeeding in general sounds painful. I don't think I'll be ready for that for a long time. Although, I guess compared to giving birth, breastfeeding can't be all that bad.
I know you are opposed to vaccines and even most medicines, so I wonder why you feel it is safe to take lecithin supplements. Shouldn't you get all the nutrients you need from the natural foods you eat? Aren't you worried that taking supplements, even of things that occur naturally in foods, could be detrimental to your breastmilk? I'm always worried about taking "extra" anything and am curious about your rationale.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 1 -- Typically breastfeeding isn't painful. Yes, there are occasional problems that can crop up, but the majority of the time it is no big deal.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 2 -- I'll post on this further later, but generally I don't take supplements, but I'm not against them. When I can obtain them from trusted sources, and they are "whole food" supplements (derived from foods naturally and not created in a lab) I will use them. There are certain circumstances in which your body needs large amounts of a certain vitamin or mineral and you cannot realistically get enough from food, especially if you are sick and have lost your appetite. In these situations, I would rather take something natural to boost my body's response than do nothing, or take drugs. It is about working with my body to heal, rather than against it.