Lumpy Breasts

[Twinkletoesnw]

Has anyone got any tips or advice on lumpy breasts? I've recently stopped breastfeeding, and feel i still have quite a bit of milk, my breasts are so sore and lumpy...only on one breast! I have tried trying to express a little but as soon as i start nothing happens.
Also now I have stopped breast feeding I have noticed that one is like a melon the other an apple
I hope my right one shrinks a bit

 

[Kimbo]

hiya nic

i found this for you ...

What causes it?
There are three principal causes: infection, which accounts for about half of cases, engorgement and blocked ducts.


With engorgement, mastitis develops because the breasts are not emptying properly at each feed. They become swollen, lumpy, sore, leaky and tense. Superficial ducts full of milk may appear like hard cords along the surface of the breast, and both breasts may be affected. Though painful, the symptoms are not usually as severe as with infection. There may be some general symptoms such as feeling hot, uncomfortable and thirsty.


What's the treatment?
You can also try massaging the affected area of the breast as you feed, and applying warmth to the area.
You can try to relieve the symptoms with cooling treatments - everything from cabbage leaves to cold flannels to gel-filled cool packs. Gentle breast massage can also help.

Medicines are often not very effective in mastitis, but paracetamol or ibuprofen may be worth trying.

i got it from here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/mastitis1.shtml

hope you get it sorted

 

[Twinkletoesnw]

Yay thanks chick!

 

[erin]

Hi Twinkletoesnw,

First of all lots of as I know how much it hurts and how uncomfortable it is because I've been through that and still am. I know the most common advice is to massage them and put hot water flannels on them but massaging was impossible for me as it hurt loads (I couldn't even touch them let alone massaging them!) and hot flannels didn't seem to work (at least for me they didn't). Since you've stopped breastfeeding, I would suggest you pump a bit as it had helped me before (Now whenever I get a lump it goes away after a couple of feeds but there was a period when I was exclusively expressing and that was working equally well). I find that if you take some anti-inflammatories - try Nurofen express (that's the one I take) - it will go away sooner and will possibly make you feel more comfortable.

I hope it will go away soon for you