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Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Infant feeding

Milk blister

16 replies

harverina · 14/07/2014 11:09

I have a tiny white blister on my left nipple. It's so sore in fact my whole breast is aching.

Is mastitis inevitable or can I get rid of the blister without it getting any worse?

I have been offering my left boob first since I noticed the blister last night. Dd is feeding well from it but doesn't feed as much as she once did as she is 9 months old.

I am at mil's just now but will be home late afternoon - when I am home I can pump if necessary?

I went in a really warm shower earlier and sprayed my breast for a while while massaging it.

Any other tips?

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mrsmugoo · 14/07/2014 12:37

This probably isn't the official advice but I popped mine with a sterile needle in the end after trying to get rid of it for about a fortnight - did the trick!

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harverina · 14/07/2014 13:43

yeah someone else has told me to do that but kellymom says not to at home in case of infection it doesn't look like it will pop though. It's like a white dot.

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Sam419419 · 14/07/2014 13:55

I had one of these and it hurt like hell so I feel your pain!

What did the trick in the end for me was putting a really hot (obviously dont burn yourself) wet flannel on it for a minute just before a feed and then tried my best to direct DS so that he covered the whole blister when feeding.

Think I got this advice from Kellymom?
If that hadn't have worked I think I would have popped it too!

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Sam419419 · 14/07/2014 13:56

Plus...I don't think mastitis is inevitable.

Just keep massaging the area where the blister is as best as you can.

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Fetacat · 14/07/2014 16:48

I had one of these it was very painful! I popped it with a sterile needle then fed then pumped for aages to release the blockage. Milk was streaming! The a week later it reappeared so had to repeat the popping. It didn't come back after the first time! I took paracaetomol I remember it was so painful to feed off it.

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harverina · 14/07/2014 19:12

Thanks everyone. I managed to scrape it a bit after reading kellymom and when I hand expessed lots of milk came out of the blister area. It felt much better but is sore again. Need to get the kids sorted for bed then pay some serious attention to myself to get this sorted!

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feeona123 · 14/07/2014 20:45

I've got one too! Doc wouldn't pop it for me grr!

Feeling less painful but doesn't look like it's going any time soon!

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harverina · 14/07/2014 23:15

Oh no! After a HOT bath and a massage my boob doesn't feel too bad. Could you scrape the skin off a little? Kellymom suggests trying that with a clean finger nail and it seems to have relieved my blockage a little.

It's so sore though!!

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feeona123 · 14/07/2014 23:31

I've tried trying to remove the skin but it's just too sore to touch! It also seems quite tough the skin over it!

Hoping it's just going to go by itself in a couple of days wishful thinking!!

X

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mrsmugoo · 15/07/2014 03:37

Another tip I've heard is put a cotton pad soaked in olive oil in your bra - the oil dissolves the milk. Never tried it though.

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Hallloumi · 15/07/2014 04:23

I popped my own a few months ago (sterile needle) after other efforts failed. What came out was just a small amount of ? solidified milk. The relief was pretty quick though took a few days for nipple to not be tender. Good luck.

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BirdsDoIt · 15/07/2014 04:46

I've had this quite a few times - oh joy. Definitely try popping it / scraping skin off. What I found also worked was hNd expressing in hot bath - is there a specific area of your breast that seems hard/more tender/more lumpy than the test? I focus on massaging that area from outside edge of breast towards nipple until I've expressed a good amount of milk through, after an initial soak in the bath, and still keeping that nipple under the water. I have a probably totally rubbish theory that if I do it lying on my front in the bath, gravity will help too. Ibuprofen is really good for getting the inflammation down and keeping milk flowing.

And as you're doing - keep nursing, ideally after a bath/shower. I find it usually takes a few days for lumpiness to clear fully.

It's unbelievably annoying, and painful, but doesn't mean mastitis is inevitable, if you deal with it ASAP.

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BirdsDoIt · 15/07/2014 04:48

Hand not hNd

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harverina · 15/07/2014 08:47

Thank you all for the tips. The lumpy area seems much better. I had a hot bath last night and hand expressed while I was in it. Just about to go in the shower so will crank up the heat and see if I can express a bit. Dd just fed from that side and it felt not too bad this morning - yesterday I was nearly in tears it was so sore. The blister is still there but I am hoping that the actual blockage has cleared?

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ooievaar · 15/07/2014 14:54

If the white spot is still there on the nipple, there's a chance that the blockage might recur I guess, so it's worth trying to shift it even if the lumps in your breast seem to have subsided.

I got rid of a particularly stubborn milk bleb recently by poking it with a not exactly sterilised needle, but only after treating the area with some mild hydrocortisone cream (0.5% if I remember correctly). That was what the practice nurse prescribed me when I went to get it lanced (not something I was looking forward to! but she said they wouldn't treat it like that anyway).

You need to wash the cream off before feeding, but 2 days of it reduced the swelling around the bleb enough for me to clear it with the needle. It's a bit hit and miss clearing it like that though - if you draw blood, you're poking in the wrong place...