sharp razor blade pains in left breast when feeding - help!

[PrincessScrumpy]

My dtds are 3w old and are bf with one bottle of half expressed breast milk and half formula a day (I don't have time to express enough for 2 full feeds as I also have dd1 who's 3). Both latch on well despite being prem (36w) and tube fed in SCBU to start with but now my left boob is really painful with each suck - it gets more bearable once latched on but still not nice. I really want to keep feeding them but in the middle of the night the pain is getting too much. MW thought it could be thrush and checked the girls mouths but there is no sign and I have no other symptoms.

I fed dd1 until 8 months and although I'm trying to be realistic about not stressing if it doesn't work out so easily feeding twins I know I'll regret it if I give up this soon. Please help.

It could still be thrush. Is there a local bfing support group you could go to at all? They tend to be better at spotting things than the HCPs!

It could also be the beginnings of mastitis (which I got as run down, trying to do too much with small baby and toddler). Is your breast tender or lumpy at all? Are the veins more obvious? If the pain continues when feeding then I think that is a sign of mastitis but I'm not an expert.

Either way, you need professional help (i.e. GP/someone who can give you a prescription) and fast. Also, try www.kellymom.com - has some useful info on both.

It's not normal, and you need to get it fixed. Good luck.

Have a look at this it might help:
www.sunderland.nhs.uk/admin/mopil/pdf/20060405104105.pdf

I had similar pains for the first 7 weeks due to a poor latch and even when it got better it got better gradually with one breast recovering faster than the other. When one breast was OK but not the other I did the cradle hold for the OK one and the rugby hold for the other as that replicated the craddle position but on the other side if you see what I mean!

Cudos on bfing three!!!!!