Daily maintenance

...for women with high supply or frequent plugged ducts 

**I'll have follow-up posts to talk more about the things that need to be more fleshed out here, but this is the general list.  Of course, as you read through this, remember the Disclaimers!



Things that I do daily to maintain good lactation:

1.        Check for sore spots.  I use this throughout the day to make sure that I am not developing a plug.  It’s a bit like a monthly breast exam, only a more general.  I use the heel of my hand and feel around to see if there are sore spots.  If there are, I check again after I’ve nursed the baby on that side.   If it’s still there, I go into full Plugged Duct Eradication mode.  (More on that in another post.)

2.       Check for plugs in the nipple.  This I do in the shower.  Just a quick squeeze to be sure that the milk is running where it should be.   I’ve become very familiar with many of the outlets on the nipple, especially the ones that tend to plug.  I’ve had countless times that I’ve gotten a bit of a plug out in the shower before it starts trouble. 

3.       Drink lots of water.  Lots.

4.       Nurse the baby.  Lots.

5.       Utilize cabbage to avoid oversupply issues. 

6.       Eat healthily.  Avoid eating lots of sugar.  I eat a small amount occasionally, and some seems to be okay, but if I go overboard, I pay a high price, so I am careful.  Also, I never, ever, ever eat sugar without something to balance it.  Ice cream is good because there’s a lot of fat to balance the sugar.  But ice cream actually doesn’t work for me because dairy also tends to add to plugged ducts for me.  So watch your diet and see if you have foods that trigger plugs. 

 

See how I'm in bed?  Rest!  Don't bother making your bed if you have a new baby -- you need to be IN that bed!  And really, if you're a plugged duct kind of person, you may not make your bed for months, even years, depending on how long you nurse.

 

7.       Rest.  If you are prone to plugged ducts and mastitis, please accept right now that while you’re breastfeeding, especially in the early months, you will have to have a much slower pace of life than you used to.  OR you will have a hectic pace followed by a slower pace that is forced on you because you have mastitis.  This is not a fun way to slow down. 

8.       Exercise, but in a sane way.  And only after your healthcare providers give you the okay.  Exercise will definitely help you to build up your strength and be more able to do activities, but you have to work up slowly.  Don’t expect to have your baby and start right back in where you left off, if you were exercising.  Start off slowly, or you’ll give yourself plugs or mastitis just by exercising.

9.       Take vitamin C.  And other vitamins as you need to stay healthy. 

10.   If you feel worn thin, tired, or overstretched, call a halt and get some rest!

 

I like this photo, because although I look tired, I'm sitting, holding the baby.  Listen to your body and rest when it's time.