Intense pain on one side, white nipple?

[highlove]

DD is 6 weeks. We had a really shaky start to breastfeeding with dreadful latch and pain slow weight gain. After some early formula and expressed top-ups, she's been fully EBF for the last 3-4 weeks.

We've got the latch sorted, at least I'm told it looks good. On one side it's fine and mostly fairly comfortable. However on the other, it's excruciating and getting worse. Letdown pain is almost unbearable and lasts a few minutes, then eases up to be just quite unconfirtae for the rest of the feed. I will also generally have burning/throbbing pain in the nipple for up to an hour after the feed and the nipple goes white, before turning back to pink a bit later. It's so painful I dread her going on that side but have been persevering. Last two feeds, though, and she's refused that side, possibly because I get so tense and have been in tears as she feeds that side. Any ideas, please?

Feeds generally (on both sides) are long - up to an hour even when she's not cluster feeding. She's very windy so I presume she's taking air down. And she's still probe to falling asleep at the boob.

All in all I keep thinking maybe we should move to FF. I desperately didn't want to and is love to make this work but I'm at wits end and have little confidence that I can do this any more. We've had loads of good RL support and still I can't get there.

Grateful for any thoughts or suggestions. Thanks.

Sorry for plethora of typos - one handed and on phone!

Can't post a proper reply I'm afraid, but google raynauld's and nipple and that's what I had. There are some things you can do to help it. Do you also get very cold/numb then painful fingers/toes in winter? It's linked.

Our 6 wk old also had vv long feeds and poor latch with slow weight gain. Still not completely sorted but this page from the kellymom website has helped me tell when he's actually swallowing and when he is just nibbling/sucking. Basically every time he stops actually swallowing I either try the compression or check the latch. Since I've tried it we've had more efficient feeds although I still think the latch could be better. I haven't had any pain though.

www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8:breast-compression&catid=5:information&Itemid=17

Can you go to your GP and get swabs done? Your symptoms sound similar to mine...

My DD is also six weeks and for about the last three weeks I've been suffering with really bad pain on both sides, lasting after feeding. I suspected thrush, went to docs, got fobbed off with canestan and nystan. My lovely health visitor then gave me info from the Breastfeeding Support Network, advising getting latch checked at a drop-in (which I did and it was fine) and then to go back to doc, with the print offs from the website and ask for swabs (and a different prescription if they came back positive - BSN don't recommend nystan etc).

A week later, I got results back this morning and it's not thrush but a staph infection - I think this comes through cracked nipples but I'm trying to find out more - and we've both been prescribed antibiotics. Started the course and really hoping they clear it up.

So, if you can hang in there a bit longer, maybe taking paracetamol to tackle the pain in the meantime, and try to get swabbed by GP?

Thanks all. It sounds closest to Raynaud's - it goes white then blue then back to pink. Neverquite did you mange to get it sorted? And if so what worked? Did your GP take it seriously?

Thanks.

I was going to suggest raynaulds too. Poor you, it hurts like hell.

Thanks Suzie. Did you have this and manage to treat it.

Weird it's just one side, though.

Mine was agrivated by a number of things, when those factors were under control it went away. My problems/solutions were:

• engorged/very full breasts. When feeding had settled down this ceased to be a problem. I had to write down which breast I'd last used as I kept forgetting and leaving one out!

• poor latch and resulting bruised and bashed nipples. I got round this by being really strict on latch. Poor DD would be unlatched and relatched as many times as it took to get it just right. Of course this is bloody agony with renauld's as you just want to grit your teeth and get it over with, but the nipple wil recover really quickly if you do. It may also help to use a manual breast pump to stimulate let down before attaching baby. The most painful bit is then over and baby is less frantic with their sucking.

• cold air hitting warm nipple. I got around this by putting a slightly warmed wheat bag on it first.

Good luck and perhaps contact your local LLL branch for advice. They were very helpful with me.

I had this. It was excruciating! 1000mg of evening primrose oil three times a day seems to have made things better. It took a few weeks for me to see an improvement though.

Blanching and pain after feeding can also be caused by tongue tie.

Has anyone that knows what they are doing checked for it?

Does your nipple also come out shaped like a new lipstick or with a crease down it?

Taking in air, falling asleep and long feeds are also common in tied babies.

article here with list of symptoms about half way down

Be aware that your midwife/doc/HV may not be knowledgeable about this.