pain *after* feeding and how long should a 5 week old feed??

[weeonion]

good evening folks...

after 5 weeks of up and downs with breastfeeding - we have a new twist to teh game. in my left boob - i get a strange sensation / pain after i feed. it almost feels like hot stingy pins and needles or heartburn in the tissues. it lasts for about 20minutes. is this just the milk coming back in? this is also the breast that we have the most trouble with latching on - coudl that be something to do with it??

also - we have had real diffs with feeding. she still has trouble latchin on and staying on. isnt that keen on opening her mouth and comes / on off about 10 times in a 20min feed. does that sound usual / unusual? she usually only feeds for about 15 - 20minutes. my boobs do feel soft after she is finished and she is gaining weight with wet nappies so i am hoping she is doing ok?

[thequeenofcontradiction]

Well done on getting to 5 weeks! I found that after about 6-7 weeks it got much easier but you're doing really well so far.

I think that if you're getting pain after feeding then it could be thrush. However it usually occurs in both breasts so I'm not sure.

Hopefully someone who knows more will be along soon!

[KristinaM]

stabbing pain can be thrush i think. more information

here

[ellenkpa]

hi WO, that's exactly what it felt like when I had oral thrush
it doesn't have to occur in both breasts, there have been several of us on the thread had it (Pinions/Eca/Maveta i think!)

[ellenkpa]

get it treated as it stops hurting as soon as youu get treatment and makes feeding much more enjoyable

and you know where we are if you need us

[MummyTL]

Hi weeonion, I think I remember reading a post of yours shortly after your lo was born - you were having such a hard time bf and were on the verge of giving up. So glad you didn't - well done. I had a really painful breast after feeding in the early weeks too. My GP said it wasn't thrush, and I never got to the bottom of it, but it did sort itself out eventually. I took paracetamol for the pain a few times and that helped.
Sounds like your baby's doing fine - wet nappies and gaining weight. The problems you're having latching on may well sort themselves out in time. Have you been to see the BF experts at Yorkhill? They gave me loads of help.

[weeonion]

thanks folks.
ellen - nice to hear from you !

mummy - u r right - i was and still am on the verge of giving up many times. i have not been quite the earth mother i thought i was gonna be but i have been determined to give this my all. have been to the bf specialists every week and they have been great - even if it has been just to make me realise that it isnt all down to me!

i have my health visitor in this morning and think i will mention it to her. x

[LucyLu1981]

Hi Weeonion - I had this EXACT same problem when bf my DD - does your nipple turn white after the feed (about 5-10mins after not straight away?) If so it may be a problem with blood circulation to the nipple and the pain is the blood returning. Normally this is caused by a bad latch but can occur anyway (I saw 3 different bf counselors who all said my latch was fine) The only things I found that helped was heat as the pain is caused by warm babies mouth then the nipple going cold when it comes out (whiteness is called vasospam kellymom has good info on it) I used to hold the palm of my hand on it when the stinging got really bad other suggestions are a few seconds with a hairdryer on low heat or a heated rice pack. My DD also used to come on and off constantly and only fed for 10-15mins - another theory is that the baby has a very strong suck hence they don't feed for long but this can hurt you! Congrats on keeping going I really do sympathise the pain is horrible!

[noseynora]

Sounds very like thrush. Horrible pain which is like a searing hot needle going though your nipple deep inside your breast? I was told it was thrush in the milk duct - see your doc/hv. Not contradicting Lucylu - just another suggestion. Don't give up - cream or whatever treatment you are given should clear it up and you'll be bf happily again soon.

[liath]

Hi weeonion,
Ds is coming off and on loads too. Was getting thoroughly cheesed off as the latch had been improving then this started and I keep having to repostion him and it's made my nips sore again .

I don't know if it's applicable to you but I saw a BF counsellor today and she reckons it's to do with there being a fast let down - the milk sprays into baby's mouth so fast that they can't cope and keep un-latching themselves. She said to express a little before feeds if it's been a long gap since th last feed and then when I'm feeding to lean backwards as much as I can so ds is almost on top of the boob.

I've tried this once so far and the easiest way was to feed on a beanbag - get ds latched then lean right back resting my head back on the wall. He only came off a couple of times so a big improvement . Might be worth a go?

BTW am so chuffed for you that you've got so far with the BF. It's bloody hard, I've found it 2 steps forward 1 step back even with a baby that naturally feeds quite well!!

[mears]

Gosh I was just enquiring after you today weeonion .
How fantastic you are doing to be still breastfeeding after all your initial problems. What you describe does sound like thruch but I would call the breastfeeding support people and ask them as they are the experts on hand to help you. Did you go to QMH? Have you been on antibiotics at all? That is often a contributory factor if it is thrush.

Feeding for 15-20 minutes if fine for a lot of babies. As she gets bigger she will latch on more easily. She may well be approaching a growth spurt so don't be surprised if she starts looking for more frequent feeds for a while.

You haven't hit the enjoyable stage yet - once they are a bit bigger they start to respond to you more when feeding - looking up at you and smiling (nipple tends to fall out then though ) is a much nicer time.

[trixymalixy]

WO - When i was first bf I used to get needle sharp pains in one of my breasts. I was worried it was thrush, but it wasn't. I found taking phytollacca (sp?) a homeopathic remedy helped.

Would get it checked out in case it is thrush though. Hope it isn't as you have had such a hard time of it already.

Well done for persevering!

[shonaspurtle]

Great to "hear" from you! I was thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were getting on.

It would be worth asking about thrush and maybe even treating it just in case. You need to get yourself and baby treated - it could even be a reason for her to come off if she had it in her mouth.

[pampam]

I got exactly the same pain around 5 weeks and like LucyLu1981 i got a white nipple and it was definately worse when my nipples got cold after a feed. It sorted itself out by about 10 weeks i think. I remember being worried about it cos it started to happen just as i was finally getting to grips with bfing. Get it checked just in case it's thrush but it may well be nothing to worry about. Well done for getting this far with the breastfeeding

[eca]

hi weeonion!!!

I've often been wondering how you're getting on babe. Glad to hear you're still sticking with the bf. I had lots of probs too and I think sheer bloody mindedness has kept me going thus far !

T had oral thrush and that caused the kind of pain you describe, but it was also painful when he latched on and my nipples were red and a bit swollen. T had white spots in his mouth and bf was painful for him until the cream started working. He would go to latch on because he was hungry, but then throw his head back and arch his back.

Hope you get to the bottom of the pain. Roll on the enjoyable bf times eh??

[Lio]

COuld you mention Reynaud's syndrome (sp?) to your bf counsellor? Poss. Also poss thrush.