This post is dedicated to breastfeeding mothers out there, who are just like me once, desperately looking for an answer to get out of the horrifying pain of blocked duct.
The most unforgettable, painful, terrifying experience of breastfeeding is blocked duct, or what we called as 'bengkak susu'.
The most painful for me was after I gave birth to my second child, but my baby needed to be warded in NICU for 5 days. And during that time, it was Raya week. So no 'bidan urut' available at my region. I remembered asking around, searching online, begging for at least one of them to come and help. But none was available. Most already went balik kampung, and others were fully booked. So I was there, for 5 days without my baby to feed, with the most horrible post partum blocked duct, crying in pain and tried to do anything I can.
So here I am, writing this for those whoever in need of relief:
1. Do not press on the engorged breast. It will only worsen the pain. Blocked duct will not open by pressing on the breast.
2. Get yourself Lecithin, or better, prepare this if you are an expectant mother.
3. Sit in hot shower. Adjust the water to be hot enough but comfortable for you.
4. While sitting in the hot shower, take some soap (I used baby soap). Put some soap on the engorged breast and very gently massage from the outer to the tip. Please be as gentle as you can. Keep going until the milk comes out. No need to press hard, as it will only worsen the pain. You can also use breast pump. If you get tired, slowly come out of the shower and get some rest. You can repeat steps 3 and 4 when needed.
5. Take Panadol (paracetamol) to help with the pain. It is safe to use in breastfeeding.
Blocked duct will happen every once in a while through out the breastfeeding journey.
It's okay, we've got this Mommies!
