Plugged Milk Duct

Developing a plugged milk duct is one of the top reasons why I dislike breastfeeding and this weekend I suffered with the worst plugged milk duct I've ever had!  My right breast felt like a bar of soap, i.e., about the size of my fist, and HARD.  The pain was mild to moderate, however the stress was excruciating.  I worried every single minute of the whole ordeal, wondering if it would ever go away, and anticipating the onset of an infection. Following the only remedy also added to the stress: for 36 hours I alternated applying cold and hot compresses and attempted to extract milk via nursing or pumping.  I nursed or pumped every two hours.  Kira was frustrated with the constant sucking and yet no milk.  She either cried and fussed, or was bored and listless.  Finally, 36 hours after I realized my breast was hardening up, I nursed Kira lying in my bed while Trevor massaged the affected area, and the plugged milk duct cleared up.  A very anticlimactic ending for such a nightmare.

The plugged milk duct was the result of missing a feeding with Kira; on Saturday I went to my friend's bridal shower and couldn't feed Kira on our regular three-hour feeding schedule.  In preparation for our time apart, I pumped a little milk after some feedings on Thursday and Friday.  I try not to pump too much at once because that would trigger my body to produce even more milk which would require even more urgent emptying, thus I spread out the pumping over several days until I have a 6-to-7-oz supply.  Despite my cautious planning, I still ended up with a plugged milk duct.  I'm especially surprised because while pumping extra milk, I noticed that I wasn't able to pump very much milk - only 1-1.5 oz after each feeding.  With so little extra milk, I would think that the likelihood of a plugged milk duct (i.e., extra milk backing up) were low.  On a side note, the difficulty I had pumping extra milk made me worry that my milk production was decreasing and that maybe Kira was not getting enough sustenance. Then again, it may be that Kira and I are so well synchronized that my body knows not to produce much more milk than what Kira needs, and I suppose this would also explain the drastic consequences of missing a feeding.

How exactly do mothers wean their babies without having plugged milk ducts, infections, engorgement, and breast pain?  With the prospect of having more plugged milk ducts, I'm starting to think I will never wean Kira, which is saying a lot because a few weeks ago I couldn't wait to be rid of breast feeding.