How To Get Rid Of A Milk Blister

baby breastfeeding: lopsided breasts

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The question, how to get rid of a milk blister is definitely a breastfeeding SOS. Breastfeeding is an enjoyable and valuable experience for both mom and baby.

However, developing a painful blister or a clogged pore is a big hole in the breastfeeding boat.

You may painfully try to row the breastfeeding boat, but that hole needs to be fixed pronto.  

Milk blisters may turn an otherwise enjoyable thing into a nightmare.

I suffered from both clogged milk ducts and milk blebs and boy! It was horribly painful.

Now, if you are dealing with a milk bleb, then you have come to the right place.

I’ll share with you some things I did to heal those painful milk blisters and return breastfeeding into the delight it really is.

Let us first look at things that may cause a milk blister before we get a solution for you dear mama.

baby breastfeeding

Possible causes of milk blister or thrush

The terms milk or nipple blister, blocked nipple pore, or bleb are used interchangeably to refer to milk under the skin.

This happens when a fragment of skin grows over the mouth of a milk duct, causing the fluid to build up behind it.

A milk blister appears as a white, clear, or painful yellow dot on the nipple or areola.

The throbbing pain is felt at that location as well as at the back of it.

Milk blebs may be caused by:

  • Wearing very tight bras – this exerts pressure on the breast, prohibiting the free flow of milk.
  • Poor latching – this leads to inadequate breastfeeding and breastmilk not being fully emptied from the breasts.
  • Too much milk supply – if the baby is not a heavy feeder, then the milk is not being completely finished, and the mom is not pumping it out.

A breastfeeding blister is not just a sore nipple.

Milk blebs are not easy to get rid of, and sometimes they resolve on their own eventually.

But rather than wait it out, some of these home remedies can make life bearable for a mother who is already contending with sleep deprivation and healing wounds.

RELATED: How To Dry Up Breast Milk Fast And Safely

How to get rid of milk blister from home

Softly apply pressure with a warm compress

A warm compress will be your faithful companion when getting rid of a breastfeeding blister.

Warm a little water and soak a clean and disinfected towel in it.


Squeeze out excess water and put the warm towel on the affected nipple behind the blister for a minimum of 10 minutes.

Repeat the process as you wish until you feel some relief to the breast. These Luxury Breast Gel Packs By Magic Gel will come in handy.

They will offer you the relieve you desperately need. The best thing is that they are reusable and durable perfect for the environmentally concerned mom.

Allow the baby to nurse immediately after as the suckling exerts pressure on the bleb.

Do not pump to try and exert the pressure. Pumping pulls and tags at the bleb instead of pushing it from the rear.

Unblock the ducts with saline water

Prepare saline water by adding two teaspoons of Epsom-salt to 1 cup of water.

Ensure the water is at tolerable temperature before soaking the boob in it.

A tepid Epsom-salt wash helps dry out blisters and reduces the swelling.

Do this at least four times in a day especially before breastfeeding.

When the warm compress or saline water soak is applied before breastfeeding, it leaves the skin soft.

This makes it easy to pop when the baby takes long, deep swigs.

Massage the nipple and keep it soft

Getting a deep rub on the boob massages the bleb and causes it to soften and easily pop.

Massage the nipple after applying the warm compress, and the saline soak.

Here is a little boob massager that I absolutely loved and used in both of my breastfeeding journeys.

Grab the LaVie Lactation Massager from Amazon. You will absolutely love it’s effectiveness.

In addition, keeping the nipple soft helps unblock the clogged pores on the breast. Apply some olive oil or coconut oil to the nipple to keep it soft.

Express some milk by hand

Expressing some milk from the nipple may also help with clogged pores.

Thoroughly wash and disinfect the hands. Put the nipple between the thumb and the index finger and give it a gentle squeeze.

Releasing the backed-up milk is a great way to provide immediate relief and reduce breast swelling.

The antibacterial properties of the milk may also aid in faster healing of the blisters when it passes through the duct.

Breastfeed the baby more

The pain from the bleb may be telling you otherwise, but nurse your baby more frequently to keep the milk flowing through the ducts.

When breastfeeding, start with the infected boob.

Do a combined healing process by using a warm compress and applying some pressure on the affected breast before nursing the baby.

Do not be surprised to see lump-filled, hardened milk coming out.

This means the blister is finally getting drained, and relief is closer than before.

If the milk bleb won’t go away, an experienced health care provider can help open it up with a sterile needle and allow the milk to flow out.

The site of the opening must be kept clean and dry to prevent infection that may cause the breast to have lesions.

You can use an antibacterial ointment on the breast to keep away infections and aid uneventful healing.

If the nipples are still sore and painful, a soothing ointment would be a good source of relief. Use one with natural ingredients to avoid introducing harmful chemicals to the baby when he breastfeeds.

Pain relievers that are generally accepted as safe during breastfeeding would also help a great deal.

All pain is bad, but a breastfeeding blister, especially on a boob that is still being suckled on, must be the ouchie of ouchies.

There’s no medal for withstanding debilitating pain, swallow a pain killer.

Keeping it away

This is the best answer for how to get rid of a milk blister.

Let’s look at a few things that you can do to prevent it from happening in the first place.

Latch properly and empty the breast

Make sure that the baby is properly latched before breastfeeding.

Once the baby has appropriately latched, ensure he feeds and empties one breast before moving to the other one.

If you are struggling with proper latching, this is the perfect breastfeeding class from milkology.org to help you nurse like a pro.

Wear comfortable bras

Your bra should be neither too tight nor too loose. Get measure for your right bra size and shop appropriately.

I’d recommend wearing nursing bras as they are comfier and they make breastfeeding a lot easier.

Finally

Keep the nipples hygienic. This is not only to prevent milk blisters but also for the health of your baby.

That’s how to get rid of milk blister. And may you never get one.

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