plugged ducts - how to prevent them before they start?

Be careful about how your bras fit and how you sleep. Trauma to the breast could get you into trouble.

Another trick is to make sure that you nurse with baby facing different directions so you empty all the ducts. Other approaches include high dose vitamin C (but don't do it if you bruise easily or are prone to kidney stones), lecethin, and hot compresses to the breast before nursing to help imrpove circulation and emptying.

Let us know how it goes!

I read not to wear bras with an underwire or anything else restricting on the breasts since the milk ducts extend into the armpits and chest cavity near the lungs. G'luck

well, i've just been wearing bravado and glamourmom tanks, so no underwires. i read about latching on different directions - and that you should have his chin pointing to the sore area - but i always get plugged ducts on the top half, so i don't know how to have his chin their unless he is hanging upside down over my shoulder!!

vitamin c sounds very doable though - and leecithin, i've just started drinking almond milk and that contains lecithin.

thhank you so much for the tips!

i just started getting plugged ducts too since dd was teething....i heard someone else say that same thing too....i wonder if it has anything to do with her biting/clenching her jaw down and trying to nurse because i feel like she started doing that in the last month since her mouth hurt and then i got the plugged ducts too....just a thought

I second the pp comment about bras. I have been having reoccuring pds for the last month. I was just fitted for a new bra and discovered I was two cup sizes larger then I thought. duh..... I'm pretty sure that's at least contributing to the problem. I have also been taking lecithin. Oh, and I also believe that the nursing tops contributed to at least a few pds. The built in bras are too constricting along the bottom.
Anyway....hope you have better luck.....

I have heard to try to get your dc to nurse in different positions in order to get all the milk ducts fully expressed.

I am busty and was wearing unstructured nursing bras (more like sports bras) and as soon as I switched to underwire, my plugged ducts vanished.

Try not to overschedule yourself too.

I got a pd after I tightened my bra straps when ds was about 2. I was sick of my boobs being down so low. But when the PD happened, down they went!! What we do for our children!

I thought the same as you. I never had any supply issues, so I guess the looser bras were allowing me to be full to much or something.