Vasospasms?

[CardiCorgi]

Has anyone had these and did they go away on their own?
I´m pretty sure that this is the problem - the pain is worse in between feeds than during feeding itself and neither DD or I seem to have signs of thrush.
DD also likes to clamp down quite hard on the nipple.

I am sitting here with a hot water bottle clamped to my chest which seems to help a bit and have put an extra jumper on, but added to the night-time feeds and general tiredness plus my mother suggesting that I don't have enouh milk and should do a ff top-up it's making bf into a stressful and painful process.

I don't have any personal experience of vasospasm but I didn't want your post to go unanswered.

I found this article on Dr Jack Newman's website which discusses treatments for vasospasm (none of which include stopping bfing or top ups). It sounds like there are quite a few options for home treatment and if they don't work there are some pharmaceutical options as well.

What are the problems surrounding the night feeds? Can you co-sleep (safely obv.!) or would that not help due to the nature of the problem?

What makes you (or your mum) think you don't have enough milk? Is baby losing weight, or not making enough wet nappies or is it something else?

Could you ask your mum to be supportive or keep her opinions to herself as you want to be around her but her negative comments are making things more difficult? Easier said than done though I know

Thanks for the link. I really think that this is the problem; I get Raynauds in my fingers too when it is cold too and the central heating is off. Keeping warm last night seemed to make a difference although Dh did comment on how unattractive my snuggly flannel pyjamas were .

The night feeds are a different issue - I'm just feeling incredibly tired and the pain in between feeds hasn't helped. My mother is trying to be supportive, but she didn't bf herself (lack of help getting started in hospital) and she sees the evening cluster feeds as being a symptom of not enough milk (not having enough milk seems to have been a very common reason for women of her generation not to bf). She also finds it hard to see me so tired and not be able to help as much as she would like to. DD is producing plenty of wet nappies and can poo for Britain, plus she's getting chubby and has the makings of a double chin, so I'm pretty sure that she is getting enough.
Last night Dh gave DD a bottle of ebm for the 5am feed, so I could sleep through it and I feel a lot better today, so I think doing that when I am really tired may help. I'm not at all keen on co-sleeping, I just can't see it working for us.

Cluster feeding is biologically normal - it is just not culturally normal for people who brought up children in the 50's, 60's & 70's. It has nothing to do with lack of milk either, as some bottle fed babies cluster feed. Kellymom has some good info on cluster feeding here.

One tip I have heard of that wasn't mentioned by Jack Newman is keeping a muslin between your thighs/sit on it to keep it warm. So as you get ready to unlatch baby you get the cloth ready to immediately put over your nipple so it doesn't get a chance to get cold.

You could also try the reusable glove warmers (the kind with a metal disc in that can be recharged in a pan of boiling water) in your bra - poss. put a breast pad in between the warmer and you to avoid burns.

i had vasospasm (and a raynaulds white finger) which started when i was pregnant - although didn't realise that it was even possible for this to happen - i just thought it was bitterly cold and that made it bitterly painful.
when it happened the end of the nipple went white and literally cold to the touch, and very very painful. but it went completely back to normal when the episode passed.
i would agree with the keeping it warm method, if you find a technique that works for you, make sure it is warm before you start a feed, as i don't think it helps to try to latch the baby on while it is painful. don't know if it has any effect on milk flow though.

i tended to just use the palm of my hand, and it wasn't long before it passed, or get in a hot shower. and for generally keeping warm while feeding in chilly times / places, i wore a boob tube under my bust-well down over my belly-and tucked in to trousers, and a thermal base layer (thin ski-type garment)
cardigan on hand for night feeds - and learning to feed lying down helped a lot with cold and tired night feeds. i kept baby in moses basket right next to bed - which was nearly as good as co-sleeping.

if DH feels the need to comment on attractiveness of night attire, suggest that you ice his nipple until it is numb, then pinch it really hard. or maybe not - that might not help ;)

i had various other problems with attachment which also caused feeding to be painful - up until about 14 weeks.
the plus side is that i haven't had it happen for AGES. i couldn't tell you when it last happened.

when your baby clamps down- put a finger in the side of their mouth to remove them immediately, and (easier said than done) calmly but firmly tell them 'no biting'. sometimes when my baby did this, i could see that my nipple had gone white - so maybe she was complaining about the milk stopping - but i think you do have to get them to understand that biting (or gumming) is not ok. i'm glad she got the message particularly as she now has 6 teeth!

it might help if you can get someone to check your attachment while you feed - or just to have a check that there isn't anything else that could be causing you pain.

feel free to ignore the mother - do what is right for you and your baby!

hope this helps cardicorgi

I have vasospasm and I'm pretty sure it's a bad latch in my case (no history of Reynauds) I found this the hardest part of bf as it was so painful for hours on and off between feeds. I am now using nipple shields which has virtually stopped the problem. Without them I think I would have given up.
No-one can get the latch better for me, DD still takes the naked breast so I'm hoping weaning later if needed won't be too hard.
We've had no problems with supply etc.