Nipple blanching & pain

[Fink]

Looking for advice/experiences - DD is 14 weeks old, i've had nipple blanching after some (not all) feeds on both sides for a number of weeks, with pain lasting on-and-off for quite a while afterwards (tho not really bad pain - have only taken drugs twice). Have read Kellymom but still can't diagnose problem.

I've asked HV, NCT, local support group etc and there seems to be no problem with the latch (although i suppose you can never completely tell).

Am reluctant to go to GP as hasn't been v. helpful in past and has shoved me on antibiotics unnecessarily - suspect they would treat for thrush even if it wasn't that.

Any ideas?

She sometimes stops 'active' feeding and goes for comfort feeding for a long while (up to an hour), pain and blanching are usually worst after this. Any suggestions as to whether it's better in this case to take her off (already try techniques to keep her awake and active feeding, sometimes work, sometimes don't) or let her finish on her own? Do comfort feeds still provide any substantial nutrition or can she do without?

Sorry for long post, hope someone can help!

[Minshu]

Could it be reynauds ? A circulation problem, when going between warm environment of the mouth and cooler air.

No experience of this myself, but hopefully someone better qualified will come along.

At 14 weeks I was managing to stop my DD comfort suckling - she was getting more and more alert, and happy with fingers when sleepy most of the time (she was never interested in a dummy).

[pamplemousse]

My only experience of blanching nipples and pain was when I had thrush.
Someone will be along to advise on the other part about taking her off or not when comfort sucking.
Best of luck, hope it goes soon

[Davidsmom]

Hi,

I had this up to I think 10 weeks of BF. DS was a v long feeder but not v effective so had weight problems and I was having long feeds then pumping after each one for months as I was worried my supply would go. (Long story & would do things differently again)

Anyway I am sure my nipple blanching- pain was due to the extended feeds/ pumping. Could have been thrush but stopped feeding for as long and reduced the pumping & things settled down.

I got v white nipples with a deep, deep burning almost throbbing pain for ages after the feed so bad I could hardly hold DS after.

I did google "white nipple/ breastfeeding" and got some.. errr interesting information completely unrelated to breastfeeding but I seem to remember Kellymom had some tips.

Tips I found useful were putting hot flannels or those gel pack things on helped a lot or (might find it weird) heating nipples with a hairdryer! Honest!

I had it a little with my DD who fed for hours/ cluster fed in the evening but I tried to give her lots of little feeds rather than one long drawn out one.

Anyway hope it settles.

[Fink]

Thanks everyone.

Minshu - I looked into Raynaud's, I used to work with a child who had it and it was v. painful,I don't have a high pain threshold but i'd describe this as uncomfortable rather than scream out loud agony, which made me think it wasn't that.

pamplemousse - it might be thrush but, as i said, i didn't want to go to the GP and suggest that cos i'd be treated for it whether it was or not. What other symptoms did you have, if you don't mind sharing? I haven't got red, shiny nipples, which is why i think it might not be, and the pain is mainly after rather than during feeds.

Davidsmom - thanks for the tips and reassurance from your experience, i'll give them a go.

[Maveta]

Yes i had this, I think I have reynaud´s when I get cold I have one finger that goes white and numb and when I was breastfeeding I had this in my nipples too, was pretty painful ds also had tongue tie so he was probably clamping the nipple so it could have been this too. i think it improved after his tt was snipped but can´t really remember now. I think they just advise keeping warm/ checking latch all a bit hard because i had thrush a couple of times too and for that they advise ´airing´ the nipples so all a bit contradictory. god it was hard to figure out what to do! sorry i can´t be more constructive, was 3 yrs ago now!

[LaDiDaDi]

I had this with dd and it was due to her clamping down, a bad habit that she never got out of and made bf very painful.

I sometimes get it with ds but it's only when he is very sleepy and comfort sucking, it's as if his latch has slipped iyswim, the rest of the time he is fine though I suspect that he'as not the most efficient feeder. I just break his latch and then put him back on again.

[LaTristesse]

Interesting topic - I've had blanched nips and lots of razor blade like pain at the start of each feed and for up to an hour afterwards for several weeks now. I also have a crap GP so have been looking for answers elsewhere. My theory is that it is thrush - I've had that on and off since DS was 5 weeks (now 10 weeks) but we had other symptoms too (DS had sore red bum, I had deep breast pain) which we don't have now. Am tempted to get some Daktarin gel for my nips to see if this helps...
Great to read the other suggestions, good luck with your symptoms OP, and thanks for starting the topic.

[linspins]

My goodness, this sounds like me!
My Ds is 16 weeks and breastfeeds every 2 hours during the day. My right nipple goes white after each feed, and stings and burns intermittently between feeds. I've had his latch checked, quite a few times, and it seems ok. But he does have a bad habit of clamping down and pulling sharply away, then letting my nipple ping out of his mouth. VERY painful, and maybe the cause of the blanching...but Reynauds has been suggested to me too.
I also have a tiny sore patch right in the middle of my right nipple, that won't heal, and looks like when you get a sore taste bud on your tongue that goes white (does that make sense?). So I have no idea what's going on, I only know it hurts loads when he feeds on the right, (razors like LaTristesse) and the nipple blanches and stings....
So hoping for more answers here on your thread Fink!
How's it going with you?

[barkfox]

Hi - just wondered if anyone had seen this - www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipple-blanching.html

(I had bad nipple vasospasm in early pregnancy, and it was v painful....so am guessing it might be an unwelcome feature of BF-ing as well).

[Fink]

Thanks for the replies everyone, it's so reassuring to hear others' experiences.
Linspins, I have the 'ping' thing too, not fun!

What bugs me is that I got all the info I could before DD was born and, yeah, I knew about some of the isues that could arise, like mastitis & thrush, but none of the HV etc tell you how common they are. Out of a group of about 30 new mums I know, only one has been able to bf with no problems! I still would have chosen to bf, but at least I wouldn't have been so disheartened in the beginning when things started to go wrong, and I bet more women would continue bf for longer too [rant over].

[LaTristesse]

Yup, pinging here too! Cool link there Barkfox - I'll have a read...

[linspins]

Ow ow ow ow ow! I am so fed up with breastfeeding! I went to a BF clinic yesterday and the lady there, very knowlegeable, said I had some damage to my right nipple, but didn't know why it had been there for about 4 or 5 weeks and hadn't healed. She is doing some detective work to try to track down a multipurpose nipple cream that some canadian breastfeeding guru doctor recommends. Don't know if you can get it in the uk..
She helped me work on my latch, which is good when I'm actually at the clinic, but goes awry at home! DS is 16 weeks now (and strong) and has his own ideas about how he likes to latch on.
I am SO determined to keep going but it's depressing that it hurts so much.
Hope everyone else is getting on better.
xx