Thrush and expressing

[islandbaby]

Another post from me... my life seems to be dominated by breastfeeding and breastfeedibg issues at the moment!

So, I have a little white patch on the end of one nipple which i suspect to be thrush. I am expressing often at the moment as feeding is really painful, but now it's even hurting to express. The nipple gets a bit bruised looking when the pump has finished with it, and i only do it for about 6 or 7 minutes (no more milk after that). I also get a lot less milk from that boob than the other.

Would painful expressing back up my self-diagnosis of thrush? Other reasons for it if not?

(The pain is a very pinched pain on the nipple, and a quite painful tugging feeling from within the breast)

Hi - I had thrush and found it very painful to express during the worst of it, so I took a break from expressing until the treatment had kicked in. On the plus side I can reassure you that the thrush did not affect my ability to feed DD - this was never uncomfortable. HTH

It sounds as though you may have a blocked duct in the breast as well as the thrush - that is the tugging feeling. Try and keep feeding from that side - it is excruciating I know but not feeding will only worsen the blockage and your pump just won't be as good at releasing the block.
You want to be feeding in a position that leaves your breast as free as possible - bending over your baby and dangling your nipple into their mouth is a good one, also rugby ball hold.

Is there more pain deep in your breast after a feed?

I would go to your GP and get some thrush treatment - it can only get worse unfortunately!

Great... thrush, poor latch, vasospasms, nipple compression AND blocked ducts...

thanks for the info. Will have to try and grin and bear the feed on that side, have been avoiding that side...

Have a warm bath before you feed as it helps to loosen things - I always found that easier to organise in the evening when DH was around to look after DS.

You poor thing - I had such problems with thrush and recurrent mastitis, bad latch, cracked nipples - you name it! So I really sympathise.

For me it was worth persevering and I fed DS until he was two, because once we got over the initial problems it was brilliant. Hang in there, it will get better :)

The white spot could be a milk blister not thrush.

I suffer from blocked ducts very easily - if one of my twins skips a feed, then I almost certainly get a lump on his/her boob later that day.

I fing it much easier to clear them using a pump, and counter intuitive as it might sound, they're easier to clear if I let the boob get really full and then pump.

I'm aware that some of this might contradict guidelines for clearing blockages, so don't try it unless you want to, but wanted you to know that allowing the breast to fill and then puming (with massage) can clear blockages.

Hope your blockages go soon