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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Im sure this isnt right.... should i see my GP, or will a BF help line be more helpful?

35 replies

nannyl · 08/01/2012 16:32

My baby is nearly 4months old and EBF.

For quite a long time, but not since the very beginning, i have had a bit of pain after feeding. (NOT my nipple but right inside my breast)

Her latch seems fine and I have no pain or discomfort or anything during feeding.

For quite a while it was happening in both breasts... certainly uncomfortable but only lasting 5 - 10mins and i could ignore it, and it seemed to get less and less, and doesnt seem to happen in my right breast at all any more.

Since Christmas it has got much more painful in my left breast, although it only happens some times, perhaps once or maybe 3 times a day. Definitely not after every feed.

It now feels like im being burnt /scalded in my breast, or like some-one is putting cigarettes out IN my breast.
At times it is unbearably painful, and really takes my breath away and brings tears to my eyes for about 10-15mins then it fades away all by itself to nothing.

I dont think i can put up with it any more.

It is more painful than giving birth (which i did with just TENs on level 4).

I have no idea what it is, or if there is anything the doctor can do.

Does anyone on here have an ideas?

Its not normal is it?

My breast looks normal, and most of the time feels fine and pain free, and as i say feeding my baby doesnt hurt at all either, but when it does hurt, OMG it sure does hurt.

OP posts:
stayathomegardener · 08/01/2012 16:55

Sounds like thrush in the breast,there are lots of previous threads on this that you could look up-did'nt want to read and run,I had it 12 years ago and the pain was indescribable but very treatable

Original poster
nannyl · 08/01/2012 17:04

thanks for that Smile

so it sounds like i need to see my GP then.

Baby has no signs of thrush, i dont think, is that normal, for only me to have it? Assuming thats what it is, i have had it since about October / November, though it mostly faded away around beginning december ish, and it must have cleared itself in right breast

OP posts:
RudolphsKerfuffle · 08/01/2012 17:14

I think I've seen someone (Tiktok?) say it is v unusual to only have thrush on one side only. Even if it had cleared on one side, by now wouldn't you expect to have re-acquired it on that side via your baby?

RudolphsKerfuffle · 08/01/2012 17:16

Sorry, that wasn't particularly helpful. I'd perhaps try a helpline to see what they suggest. I don't think a BFC can diagnose, but they could give you some suggestions to discuss with your GP.

crikeybadger · 08/01/2012 19:44

I think you're right to think that this pain isn't normal and needs to be investigated.

Is there any one in real life that really knows about breastfeeding? That could be but unlikely to be your GP or someone such as an infant feeding co-ordinator or a breastfeeding counsellor that you see at a breastfeeding support group?

There's a good leaflet about thrush on the Breastfeeding Network site that may be useful to take to the GPs- if you do decide it's thrush and need some treatment.

Bert2e · 08/01/2012 20:31

Here's the link: www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/pdfs/BfN_Thrush_leaflet_Feb_2009.pdf

Make sure you give a copy to your GP ;-)

Original poster
nannyl · 08/01/2012 21:37

thank you for that. Smile

very useful.

Think i need a trip to my GP tomorrow Sad

OP posts:
dukeofpork · 08/01/2012 21:58

If you look at your nipple, does it go white just after feeding?
This happened to me and the pain was excruciating! I can't remember whether I felt the pain in my breast or on the nipple but it was so intense I thought I would pass out. It affected both sides but one side was worse. It did eventually get better though (after about the 12 week mark I think).
No idea what caused it or how/why it stopped hurting!
Good luck with getting to the bottom of it.

Original poster
nannyl · 08/01/2012 22:43

now you come to mention it, yes, this time i did notice it white, and hadnt noticed that before.

It was so painful today that OH had to take baby off my lap... i couldnt hold her and deal with the pain Sad

off to see Dr tomorrow [really hoping they let me have an appt]

OP posts:
RudolphsKerfuffle · 08/01/2012 22:53

Might be completely off track, but it might be worth a look at this on Kellymom to see if anything fits.

Original poster
nannyl · 09/01/2012 15:56

thanks rudolph

well i have been to GP who has told me you dont get thrush IN breasts, said it must be mastitus and has given me anti-biotics Sad

OP posts:
Original poster
nannyl · 09/01/2012 15:57

also said if ABs dont work go to breast feeding clinic... my nearest is half hour drive away and only on a minday afternoon so at least a week to wait Sad

OP posts:
crikeybadger · 09/01/2012 16:38

Um, I wouldn't personally trust a doctor who says you can't get thrush in the breast- they are showing their lack of knowledge there. Confused

Perhaps a breastfeeding helpline would be worth a go in the meantime until you can get to a group?

tiktok · 09/01/2012 16:49

Thrush in the breasts is controversial, still. It really does not mean the doc does not know his/her stuff.

Honestly....the jury is still out on this one :)

tiktok · 09/01/2012 16:54

Dr Thomas Hale - the world's leading expert in medications and breastfeeding and hugely knowledgable about breast pathology during breastfeeding - thinks thrush in the breasts is either rare or does not exist...he has done some small scale research that backs up his claim.

Google it.

Most pain in the breasts that's diagnosed as thrush is actually infection, according to Dr H.

organiccarrotcake · 09/01/2012 19:12

TT but it was Hale who set the cat amongst the pigeons with it though, no? I mean, there is a lot of evidence from women who have had pain (sometimes for extended periods) and have had Fluc treatment and is has gone away VV quickly. Further there's a lot of evidence that candida is killed by breastmilk so it's very difficult to culture from within the breast.

Not sure, therefore, how it does survive in there...

tiktok · 09/01/2012 19:29

What you say is true occ - as I say it is controversial, and I don't think we can dismiss a doctor who says 'no thrush in breasts' as lacking in knowledge.

The evidence 'for' thrush in breasts is very circumstantial, rather than anything else.

organiccarrotcake · 09/01/2012 19:39

It's certainly not scientifically explored sufficiently (as is the case with so many BFing related issues). And as you say, there's controversy.

I see what you mean about not dismissing the doctor out of hand, but I would certainly be wary of him. This is because there isn't sufficient evidence to make a statement either way. Therefore if a doctor had said, "The evidence for thrush in the breast is controversial and I'd rather look at other options first" I'd have certainly felt a lot more confident than with a doctor who dismisses it completely.

Given the fact that a lot of women have had their pain go away after fluc treatment, it just can't be ignored, I feel.

PieceOfTheMoon · 09/01/2012 19:53

Hi nannl. In case it is mastitis make sure you have at least a 10 day course of ABs. I had it 4 times because my GP kept trying to fob me off with 7 days.

DonkeyTeapot · 09/01/2012 19:55

I had pain after feeding DD, my nipples were bright pink but were white on the tip when she had finished feeding. DD had one or two tiny white specks in her mouth, certainly not big white patches like you see if you google oral thrush.

At my doctor's surgery, my GP thought it was thrush, but the nurse thought not. At the baby clinic, one of the nurses thought it was, but two of the other staff (inc my HV) thought it wasn't. However, when I had the thrush treatment, it did clear up. (It was just canesten cream for me and Nystan for DD, but I don't think I had it deep in the breast, just in the nipple.)

TruthSweet · 09/01/2012 20:27

I had the one tablet of Fluc. when I went to the GP with what I thought was ductal thrush and fully expected to have to demand beg ask for more (GP wouldn't prescribe any more than 1 tablet even with the BfN leaflet in her hand). It worked and I really was doubtful that the pain would go away so it can't have been placebo (or can it??).

I have seen one study that tested women who had been diagnosed with thrush and all of them had a staph infection which none of the control group had. Some of the control group did have thrush though but were symptomless Confused It's a fairly old study so I imagine more work has been done to follow this up.

gastrognome · 09/01/2012 20:40

I had symptoms that sound very similar to yours with my first child: pain deep in the breast after feeding, first on both sides and then on one side ony, no signs of thrush in baby. My doctor told me it couldn't be thrush if the baby had no symptoms (from what I've read since I don't think this is true) so didn't prescribe anything.

In the end I concluded it must be thrush despite what the doc said, so I took grapefruit seed extract and the pain cleared up within a few days. I also used a solution of grapefruit seed extract to swab the nipple area after feeding. I never treated baby directly.

Same thing has occurred a couple of times when feeding my second baby, and grapefruit seed extract gets rid of it fairly quickly.

crikeybadger · 09/01/2012 20:50

Ooh sorry - I didn't realise it was controversial Blush

Occ is probably right with the word 'wary' about the GP's advice especially as they diagnosed mastitis which doesn't seem to fit OP's symptoms

I'd rather simplistically assumed that deep breast pain is caused by thrush being in the breast.

Original poster
nannyl · 09/01/2012 20:55

thanks everyone for all these really helpful comments

im going to (reluctantly) start ABs tonight... (I dont feel i can go back to dr if i havent at least tried what they prescribe)

If it doesnt work will bear the grapefruit seed extract in mind. thanks.

must also google dr hale

OP posts:
crikeybadger · 09/01/2012 21:04

Have had a quick read through some refs and it seems that thrush is often confused with vasospasm.

Any of those symptoms ring a bell nannyl?

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