could this be an issue?

[marcib28]

I'm a first-time mom with a 3w old. I know it's normal to have pretty sore nipples for the first couple of weeks with your first and have I ever! Since day 1 I have been told by lactation consultants that he was latching on correctly, but I've spent many feedings in tears because it hurt so bad! The soreness is getting better, but I'm concerned there may still be a problem...or it may be normal. At about 2w my nipples were still pretty sore, but not painful when he ate like they were previously. Over the last few days though, it's gone back to being painful, and not just when he eats. The most pain is caused by cold (when I get in the shower, etc). My nipples constantly feel numb when I touch them...unfortunately, it's not a good type of numb where I don't feel the pain. They have the tingly feeling 24/7, but still hurt like crazy when he eats and for a good 10-15 min after. Also, when I pump my breasts hurt. It feels like I'm pulling a muscle all the way down to the base of my breasts. It's in different spots on each side, but feels like fire in a straight line going from my nipple to the base. The pain on my right side follows my ribs and all the way around to my back. They're not sensitive to touch in those areas, so I don't think they're clogged ducts. I'm so confused. Due to a bad suck, I'm having to pump after each feeding and it is SO painful! I can't stand the pain without a heating pad.

I've mentioned this to 2 different lactation consultants and they have both said it doesn't sound normal, but haven't been able to offer any type of ideas as to what the problem may be. Does this sound like anything anyone here has experienced? Any ideas as to what the heck is wrong (if anything)?

[ellairiesmom]

not much help but my 2 cents...

nak

when i was preg & dd1 was nursing i was exp intense nip pain. then it got much worse in cold weather months of the preg & the coloring of the nip was off (blue/purple) so i was searching here & the web for answers.

one thing i came across was reynauds which is circulation related. i never got a diagnosis but i think it could have been either preg induced reynauds (if such a thing exists???) or hormones...

so sorry mama! wish i had an answer. keep up the good work tho!!!

[ElliesMomma]

i had a lot of pain with my first child, for the first 10 weeks of nursing.

it eventually got better.

yes, cold showers would hurt. heat it up really good before you get in.

give yourself all comfort measures that you think can help.

definitely try different positions. football hold is really good for sore nipples, you can put your nipple straight into his mouth. also try side lying in bed with him.

people swear by the lanisoh for sore nipples. i had *some* luck with it, way back when. but it didn't solve my sore problems entirely.

did you say he has a bad suck, and that's why you have to pump? if so, it sounds like it is a bad latch. are you doing the football hold? try it. baby lies on your side, head by your knee, feet tucked at your back, you lean over slightly putting nipple straight into his mouth. should not be a bad latch in this position, you are able to center the nipple right in his mouth.

[Jenne]

I'm a less than helpful "not a mama yet" but my first thought was yeast...are you seeing an signs in baby of yeast?

Jenne

[marcib28]

one thing i came across was reynauds which is circulation related. i never got a diagnosis but i think it could have been either preg induced reynauds (if such a thing exists???) or hormones...

I was just looking at this as a possibility...if it is this, do you know if it will go away by itself eventually?

i had a lot of pain with my first child, for the first 10 weeks of nursing.

10 weeks?! I don't know if I can do this for that long!

people swear by the lanisoh for sore nipples. i had *some* luck with it, way back when. but it didn't solve my sore problems entirely.

did you say he has a bad suck, and that's why you have to pump? if so, it sounds like it is a bad latch. are you doing the football hold? try it. baby lies on your side, head by your knee, feet tucked at your back, you lean over slightly putting nipple straight into his mouth. should not be a bad latch in this position, you are able to center the nipple right in his mouth.

I'm using the Lansinoh and it has helped me from getting cracked or raw nipples, but hasn't done anything for soreness.

I also thought that it had to be a bad latch...it doesn't make sense to me that he could have a bad suck if our latch was good, but the lactation consultants I've talked to both said the latch was perfect. We do the football hold quite a bit because it hurts my nipple just a little less. He doesn't seem to really like that position though.
I would like to do the side-lying position more often, but it's hard with having to pump after he eats because I tend to just fall asleep if we do that.

I'm a less than helpful "not a mama yet" but my first thought was yeast...are you seeing an signs in baby of yeast?

That's what I first thought, but there's no sign of yeast in baby. I'm terrified of any issues with this after watching my sister have a bad experience with it, so I'm definitely keeping an eye out for it.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[phrogger]

I had thrush without it showing any symptoms on the baby. I was treated and my constant pain/tingling went away. So it might not hurt to try.

[phrogger]

Also, are you pumping because the baby needs it? Are you trying to build up a freezer supply? Is the pump on too high and causing some damage? Can you go without pumping for a while and see if that helps?

[jecombs]

Here is some info on Reynauds's and vasospasm. Those were my first thoughts with the symptoms you describe. I was also wondering if your LO has been evaluated for tongue-tie? That could cause you pain and limit the amount of milk transferred during nursing and cause a bad latch.

I had a bit of vasospasm going on when I started nursing my DD (in absence of Reynaud's). The only thing that helped me was using nipple shields. You could try them, but I'd be careful since your LO is already having trouble transferring milk.

I have to say, I'm very suspicious of your LO's "perfect latch" if he isn't transferrring milk well. You might want to get a 3rd opinion...

[marcib28]

Also, are you pumping because the baby needs it? Are you trying to build up a freezer supply? Is the pump on too high and causing some damage? Can you go without pumping for a while and see if that helps?

I am pumping because I've been told he isn't getting enough straight from me. I haven't been able to turn the pump on higher than its minimum setting and even that hurts. I wish I could go without pumping. I think it might help. Now that you mention it, when my nipples started feeling a lot better, I'd gone a while without pumping. Then I had to start it up again. My lo had lost weight between appointments, so they had me go see a lc and had me start pumping after each feeding and giving him an extra 3/4 to 1 oz in a bottle. I hate it Pumping is more painful than bfing and I didn't want to have to give him a bottle that much this soon...

Here is some info on Reynauds's and vasospasm. Those were my first thoughts with the symptoms you describe. I was also wondering if your LO has been evaluated for tongue-tie? That could cause you pain and limit the amount of milk transferred during nursing and cause a bad latch.

Thanks for the info. I've been told that he's not tongue-tied...I don't know though. No one seems to be able to offer any advice that will help FIX the problem with bfing for us. It's all just solutions to help him gain weight (which I know is the most important thing, but it would be nice to just fix whatever the bfing issue is). Maybe a 3rd opinion wouldn't be a bad idea.

[sky_and_lavender]

I'm so sorry. I had excruciating pain with nursing, sounds somewhat similar to what you describe. Even after improving my baby's latch it was tough. I did discover that my Reynaud's syndrome was causing vasospasm in my nipples/breasts. I'm not sure that was the only cause of pain. (Maybe severe sleep dep and exhaustion and me being sensitive to everything were also big factors. Maybe my babe's mouth getting bigger and more adept--the tincture of time--were the deciding factors!) In case it gives you hope, my pain very gradually started getting better after 4 weeks and was mostly nonexistent by 2 months. Now, at 6 months, I'm fine.

Is your baby gaining weight? One thing I have learned is that pretty much every new mother worries the baby is not getting enough milk. The worry just makes everything harder. If there is true concern, you might consider renting an ultra-accurate scale (like the one LCs use) for a month or two.
There is a lot of variation in what is "enough" weight gain, it seems. The smallest amount I've heard is 1/3 an once per day (on average), especially if you have petite people in your family. If your baby seems content and is meeting early milestones, you may not need to worry so much. Pumping may be necessary, or it may just be throwing everything off.

The Dr. Jack Newman site, with its videos and handouts, was a huge help for me. There is a video of an obvious vasospasm (sometimes it is not as obvious and happens several minutes later), a good latch, and how to do breast compression to increase milk transfer. There are handouts on improving weight gain and how to approach nipple pain.

Don't give up. It's bound to get better.

[dachshund mom]

I had pain in my sides, where your bra band goes, and pain after DD would nurse. Midwife said it was thrush and gave me three pills of diflucan. Cleared it right up. The baby never got it.

[groovyem]

I am EPer, when I started pumping I had alot of pain till I got larger flanges (cones!). That seemed to help. I also didn't realize how dry my nipples were. 6 mo later and I am still prone to dry nipples, as long as I use a little Lansinoh creme every nite, no problems, but I will say dry nipples are sooo painful. I did have a alot of pain with pumping and I think I just had to get used to it, in a way, toughen up my boobs. I don't think they will ever be the same! Good luck to you, it all does get easier, then they learn to crawl!

[mommy212]

I had really bad nipple pain for a horrible 6 weeks or so before mine toughened up (we had a rough start). I put Lansinoh on them when they were cracked, but found that continuing to put it on when they were not somehow made it worse. I have had some of the "muscle pulling pain" thing to the base of my breast when pumping as well. I have found that if I run the area while pumping, it goes away after 2 or 3 times.

[jeliphish]

Sounds exactly how I feel right now and it sounds exactly like thrush. I've had it for about a week and I have reached my breaking point. I'm getting a script tomorrow. You can have it without baby showing any symptoms.

[Mulvah]

Originally Posted by marcib28

I was just looking at this as a possibility...if it is this, do you know if it will go away by itself eventually?



10 weeks?! I don't know if I can do this for that long!

....

I'm no pro, but....

I had nipple blanching, vasospasm, and thrush issues for a while. I was determined to keep going and I didn't think I would make it. For us, it got better than worse and now, we are doing well at 2.5 months. Give yourself at least 8 weeks. You can do it. Advil helps!

If you aren't sure about thrush, maybe try some of the home remedies. Here are a few of the things I did - I took acidophilus, drank tons of water, and applied grapefruit seed extract to my nipples. In addition, I made my own nipple cream with neosporin/polysporin, lotrimin, and hydrocortisone. (I only applied it at night and then wiped it off gently with a wipe when the baby would nurse. My ped was fine with this and actually said I didn't HAVE to wipe it off. I wanted to.) I also cut down on the amount of refined sugars and white carbs I ate.

For baby, I would apply the grapefruit seed extract, then dip my nipple in probiotics (break open the capsule), and he would suck it off when he nursed.

Good luck. I hope you figure out what the problem is and find a quick solution.

[ellairiesmom]

my "possible" reynaud's symptoms went away immediately after i delivered...and my nipples went back to pinkish from purple too...

i feel like i'll never quite know exactly what was going on but i will say that all winter it was horrible pain...nursing dd1, out of the shower, in our chilly house, outside...i used hand warmers in my bra a few times during the pregnancy.