Having serious pain in nippleand breast when done BF!! Help

Brittany - posted on 10/05/2011

I have a problem that sound very much like this. My daughter is 6 months old and it seem that she either sucks too hard or clamps down because of teething, and about 2 0 min after I stop i get a stinging/burning nipple and breast pain that stays for up to 2 hours and there is nothing that helps. I have called a lactation cons several times and they keep telling me it is my milk re-filling, but I don't beleive it, because my other breat is fine. I really believe it is a vasospasm. The end of my nipple turns really white after I take her off the breast too (blanching). There is some info. about it online, not sure what to do, but I try to make sure she is not too hungry on that side, and she latches all the way. Sometimes that helps. It has gotten a little better recently, but still very painful.

Darcy - posted on 05/10/2009

I just wanted to give an update. I have had no pain since my last post. I really think that it was the coffee drink! The pain and suffering I put upon myself!! I should have listened to the lactation consultant back in February. She mentioned another mom would get a milk blister every time she ate a chocolate truffle. I didn't even mention my coffee drink! I could have saved myself from alot of undue pain! I think the milk blister I had, I had for a long time, then it turned into vasospams. Anyway, I really do appreciate everyone giving me their comments and trying to help me. Many thanks! Darcy

Darcy - posted on 04/19/2009

I saw a different doctor on Friday, and really didn't get much help - AGAIN!! She did take another culture to see if anything is growing. None of the doctors I have seen do not seem to think it is a big deal. I am so frustrated! Two of the docs told me to stop breastfeeding, since I am only nursing my twins once or twice a day. I am afraid if I do, I will get an abscess but they said it is rare to get an abscess!



I have actually not had any pain the last two nights after nursing my boys. I am not sure why. This may sound strange, but I changed my morning coffee drink to a regular mocha from Starbuck's. I used to always drink regular mocha's, but back in December (when my nipple problem started up), I started drinking espresso truffles (I'm sure more saturated fat are in them). The lactation consultant thought my milk was too thick and causing me to get plugged ducts. I didn't really think that a coffee drink would cause such a problem, but maybe it did. I have been back on regular mocha's for about two weeks now, and no pain for two days. I feel really silly if this was the cause.



Anyway, I really appreciate everyone's comments. Your comments make me feel like I'm not alone with this problem!!

Erica - posted on 04/18/2009

i have had thrush for about 4weeks now and that sounds like what you have it is very painful and feels like someone is stabbing you it stinks and yes you could have it just on one side. mine gets better on one side then comes back contact your lactation consultant fast

Melanie - posted on 04/17/2009

not necessarily. you could have fungus growing on just one side.

Darcy - posted on 04/16/2009

If my problem was thrush, wouldn't I have soreness on my other breast?

Nina - posted on 04/15/2009

You might have thrush - the script diflucan doesn't always work on this. We had it for 4 months, and finally I fiound a neonatologist who headed up the UCincinnati breastfeeding clinic. She saved our breastfeeding with the new protocol - 9 grapeFRUITseed extract tablets a day for 10 days. It did the trick after passing it back and forth for 4 months. The pain is horrid, like something moving over ground glass shards inside the breast. Ibuprofen for the pain and the grapefruitseed extract - we all swear by it now!

Melanie - posted on 04/14/2009

Quoting Darcy:

Thanks everybody for your comments! I really appreciate any suggestions since my doctor doesn't seem to be helping me much. I will try again with the lactation consultants at our hospital.

Melanie, I do have a white nipple after nursing and that seems to be when it hurts the most-when it turns white. Do you know if vasospams are a result of mastitis or if they are a problem on their own? Sometimes a warm shower does ease the pain, but not always. Cold seems to make the pain worse.

Emily, as for weaning your twins, I would probably stop pumping after you nurse them. If you are engorged, then I would say to pump just enough for relief and in 2-3 days your milk supply should decrease. The more your breasts are stimulated, the more milk they make. It takes a few days for your body to adjust. As your girls start eating more solid foods, they will not nurse as much and your milk supply will gradually decrease. This is where I started having problems. I think I should have pumped a little when I was engorged. From my experience, it is much harder on breasts weaning twins than it is weaning singletons.  How did you know you had an abscess? Was it the ultrasound? Were you seeing your OB/GYN doctor or a general primary care doctor? I'm wondering who I should really see about my problem.

Anyway, thanks again everyone!

 

Sound like Raynauds, Darcy. Check this link to Dr Jack Newman's information. If you follow his advice it should really help. Please keep us posted!

http://www.nbcionline.org/index.php?opti...

Darcy - posted on 04/14/2009

Thanks everybody for your comments! I really appreciate any suggestions since my doctor doesn't seem to be helping me much. I will try again with the lactation consultants at our hospital.

Melanie, I do have a white nipple after nursing and that seems to be when it hurts the most-when it turns white. Do you know if vasospams are a result of mastitis or if they are a problem on their own? Sometimes a warm shower does ease the pain, but not always. Cold seems to make the pain worse.

Emily, as for weaning your twins, I would probably stop pumping after you nurse them. If you are engorged, then I would say to pump just enough for relief and in 2-3 days your milk supply should decrease. The more your breasts are stimulated, the more milk they make. It takes a few days for your body to adjust. As your girls start eating more solid foods, they will not nurse as much and your milk supply will gradually decrease. This is where I started having problems. I think I should have pumped a little when I was engorged. From my experience, it is much harder on breasts weaning twins than it is weaning singletons.  How did you know you had an abscess? Was it the ultrasound? Were you seeing your OB/GYN doctor or a general primary care doctor? I'm wondering who I should really see about my problem.

Anyway, thanks again everyone!

Rebecca - posted on 04/13/2009

I would be careful with cabbage leaves because they can stop your milk supply. I am not trying to discredit Meredith's comment above but everyone i know, has used cabbage leaves to dry up their supply when they are stopping breast feeding.

Ariane - posted on 04/12/2009

i had thrush - it was so painful. and agree - you need to treat your baby's mouth as well as yourself.

a big well done to all the mummies who push through to breastfeed their children!

Meredith - posted on 04/12/2009

I have and I find cabbage leaves help.. Silly I know lay down with a cabbage leaf on each breast and during the day apply Lanolin

Rebecca - posted on 04/11/2009

It could also be thrush. I had nipple thrush and mastitis when my bub was 3 months old and it caused the same pain as you are describing! I had to get an anti fungal cream that i could use on my nipples and inside my daughters mouth because other wise the infection could be past backwards and forwards! I also expressed off any excess milk after feeds. I would wet a wash cloth with warm water and put it on my breasts to ease the discomfort and then express. Hope this helps.

Also if it is thrush i was told not to use the expressed milk because it would just restart the infection.

Melanie - posted on 04/11/2009

I also went though what Emily did and agree with her advice. But if I may just ad the caveat of when pumping, don't pump more than just to relieve the engorgement: I made the mistake of over- pumping which caused me to produce more milk which led to futher blocked ducts, infections, etc. It's a vicious circle and the only way for me was to wean off the pumping (like one would wean off breastfeeding) and ultimately I had to take a prescription to dry up my milk because it just wasn't stopping by itself.



Do your nipples turn white during/after a feed? The pain could also be vasospasms, although you don't HAVE to have white nipples to experience this (I didn't). There is a precription you can get to help with those.



Good luck.

Teyaka - posted on 04/11/2009

Try pumping once you're done feeding. Your body may be producing more than the baby is eating. ALSO try massaging your breast after you feed. This might help a little bit as far as comfort. Try finding a lactaion nurse in your area. Most of the hospitals have one. They can tell you exactly what you need to do or if you need to see someone else they will let you know. But I hope that it gets better. I reccommend going to a lactation nurse first.

Emily - posted on 04/11/2009

Oh do I feel for you. I am nursing twins and have had mastitis 5x and 2 absesses (one that needed to be lanced in the emergency room the other aspirated by a breast surgeon). Are you pumping after feeding them at night? My girls are starting to wean and I am pumping all the time to aviod all this stuff...but if feel like I'm never going to stop pumping. We twin moms are so prone to all of the wierdest things because there is just so much milk. I would go to a breast surgeon if I were you. They can do an ultrasound of the area to see what it going on...wouln't be surprised if it is an absess. If it is having it aspirated is NOTHING though both of my absesses were far from the nipple area. Good luck! If you have any weaning advice please pass it along I am feeling so stuck and full!