Milk Blebs

Milk Blebs

Milk Blebs are solidified milk that block the milk pores.

It occurs when a tiny bit of skin overgrows a milk duct opening and milk backs up behind it. A milk blister usually shows up as a painful white, clear or yellow dot on the nipple or areola, and the pain tends to be focused at that spot and just behind it.

If you compress the breast so that milk is forced down the ducts, the blister will typically bulge outward. Milk blisters can be persistent and very painful during feeding, and may remain for several days or weeks and then spontaneously heal when the skin peels away from the affected area.

Treatment: It may open on its own during feeding but if not try the following:
1. Soak the nipple in warm water then gently rub it with a warm damp cloth or olive oil to soften the skin. Heat can also work well.
2. Try to remove the skin by rubbing the bleb with a damp cloth.
3. If these measures don't work - open it with a sterile needle and express or breastfeed immediately afterwards, be sure to remove any thickened milk that has backed up in the duct. There may be a small strand or string of hardened milk come out (this is normal).
4. Finish with soap and water wash. Then apply an antibiotic ointment afterwards to prevent infection.

If it reoccurs, try:
Lecithin supplements - 1 capsule (1200mg) 3-4 times per day
After 1-2 weeks with no blockage, reduce the dosage by 1 capsule
Massage the areola with grapefruit seed extract oil (a few drops of grapefruit extract in olive oil)
Don't forget to investigate the underlying cause. If left untreated it may lead to blocked ducts or mastitis.


Julia Daly
IBCLC
www.morethanmilk.co.nz

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