Is this a duct or mastitis, ouch!

[hlkm2e]

Oh my god, my boob hurts so bad! It kept me up most of the night. I think its a duct, but my god, I can hardly feed him on it it hurts so bad. And that's just making it worse. How do I know if it's a duct vs. mastitis. Isn't he a little old for me to get mastitis. He still nurses every 3 hours or so, night and day. He does seem to eat only one at a time. I've got warm compresses on it right now. Not helping so much, but I'll keep it up. It doesn't really seem to get better after he nurses, but that could be because I keep messing with it. I can feel a flat lump about bigger than a quarter on the inside side of my breast. I try to rub it when he feeds but it practically sends my out of my chair in pain. Any suggestions?

I just pumped for the first time, I couldn't let down, so I feed him on the other side. It didn't really seem to help much. Got about an ounce

[DancingOtter]

That sounds like a plugged duct... but if it stays plugged it could get infected. Is your breast red and streaky at all? That would point to mastitis.

Try taking a HOT shower and letting the water pour right over the affected area. While doing this, hand express as much milk from that side as you can and massage the area as much as you can stand. If this doesn't work, apply heat to the area every time you pump or the baby eats on that side and try to work it free.

You can get a plugged duct or mastitis at any age, really. Is your bra band too tight? Are you wearing an underwire? Did you go too long without nursing one day? Any of these or other things can lead to a plugged duct.

If you feel like it's infected (start feeling like the flu, etc) then you may want to use antibiodics or find some treatment for mastitis.