What to do if the nipple is blocked

If mothers do not take good care of themselves during breastfeeding, they will encounter various problems. The most common problem is that they will find that their nipples are blocked during feeding and are not so smooth. In this case, it will be very painful to feed again, so they need to be unblocked. The best way now is to adopt a combination of Chinese and Western medicine.

What to do if the nipple hole is blocked

1. There are small cracks and ulcers on the surface of the nipple and areola. The skin may also appear erosive, ooze sebum, form yellow scabs, and cause dry and cracked pain. It is especially painful during breastfeeding, as if it were being cut by a knife and is unbearable. Pain often makes it impossible to breastfeed, milk production decreases rapidly or becomes congested. Mastitis is caused by poor milk secretion, blocked milk ducts, unclean nipples, etc. The tongue coating is white or yellow, and the pulse is slow or stringy and rapid.

3. The nipples are softened by milk, causing pus-like white ulcers and reddish erosions, which make the mother feel unbearable pain when breastfeeding, as if being cut by a knife. Sometimes the crack is deep and may cause bleeding, or the secretions in the crack may dry up and form a scab, causing dry pain. Because of the pain caused by broken nipples, the mother is unwilling to breastfeed the baby, or the milk is not squeezed out completely, which can easily lead to local inflammation and even acute mastitis, and may also cause diarrhea or pseudomelena in the baby.

This disease should be differentiated from the following diseases.

1. Breast cancer: Some breast cancers may have symptoms similar to hyperplasia, but the lumps of breast cancer are mostly unilateral, fixed, and have a tendency to grow. During the menstrual cycle, it may show an increase in size without any tendency to decrease. Needle aspiration can confirm the diagnosis.

2. Breast fat necrosis: This disease often occurs in women who have suffered trauma and are obese. The lump is relatively superficial and does not penetrate deep into the breast parenchyma, and the lump does not change with the menstrual cycle. Fine needle aspiration cytology and tissue biopsy can confirm the diagnosis.

Internal treatment

Generally, no oral medication is required. For patients with itching and pain, excessive exudation, yellow tongue coating, and stringy and rapid pulse, the method of clearing the liver and eliminating dampness should be used. Longdan Xiegan Decoction can be used to treat it. You can also use Longdan Xiegan Pills, 4.5 grams each time, twice a day, with warm water.

External treatment

You can choose to apply external medicines such as moisturizing, antipruritic, tissue-promoting and dampness-relieving drugs, such as Coptis chinensis ointment and Indigo naturalis ointment; or apply egg yolk oil to the affected area twice a day.