Milk blisters again and again

[havsulen]

I don’t know why I get them and I don't know how to stop them from coming!

The thing is, a white blister appears, disappears and reappears on one of my breasts. It always comes on the same spot, and it varies in sixe. It seems as if on of the milk canals is blocked. Sometimes I can feel it as a hard thread going through my breats, and I know I have to focus on emptying the breast so that it won't become infected. After about a day, my dd (2, 5 years old) will have nursed so much that it becomes smaller and goes away again. Every time that happens, I forget about it and just hope that it won’t come back. But it does! I think I have had them for more than a year now, maybe 20 times or so.

It hurts! Especially when she latches on. I have to consentrate on my breathing to be able to continue nursing. What can I do to stop having them?

[My*Scorpio]

I am nursing a 12 month old, and have been having issues with blebs, or milk blisters, for about 6 months now. I think my problem stems from inadequate pumping - the breast that gets the blebs has never had more than 20 ml output per pumping session. My LLL leader also suggests stress as a factor.

One thing that has helped me is to take Lecitin suppliment 2x day. It is available at a drug store or health food store. I also use hand expression after using the pump to help drain more milk.

I can completely sympathise on the pain. It can be so intense.

[jandc_hammond]

Milk blisters can have various causes. I was getting them repeatedly for several weeks, always in the same spot. I finally discovered that DD's head was applying pressure on that exact spot when she was in the sling. I tried positioning her differently in the sling and haven't had any blisters since.

[havsulen]

Originally Posted by My*Scorpio

One thing that has helped me is to take Lecitin suppliment 2x day. It is available at a drug store or health food store.

Thanks so much for telling me about your experiences. I should have said that Lecitin is one piece of advice that I have heard of before, and tried. After 3 months of taking it, my breastfeeding councellor said I didn't need take it any longer as it didn't help me. Maybe I should go back on it just to try.

[havsulen]

Originally Posted by jandc_hammond

Milk blisters can have various causes. I was getting them repeatedly for several weeks, always in the same spot. I finally discovered that DD's head was applying pressure on that exact spot when she was in the sling. I tried positioning her differently in the sling and haven't had any blisters since.

Interesting!
But since I am nursing a toddler who combines nursing with all kinds of gymnastics, I can't see how ahe can possible put preassure on the same spot. I don't use bras, as I am afraid of the preassure you are warning me of - so thank you.

I am very interested in the other causes you are mentioning.

My councellor here in Norway where I live has heard of someone mentioning that eliminating dairy products or meat from the diet could help. Any experiences?

[jandc_hammond]

Kellymom is a good resource...here's a link to the page on milk blisters... http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipplebleb.html
It examines the causes and treatments. Hope that helps!