Very painful boobs after breastfeeding and expressing

[angeltreats]

My little girl is a month old and we've had lots of issues with feeding, mostly due to tongue tie, so I've been mostly expressing and topping up with formula until we got the TT sorted. We've now had it snipped and have started her back on the boob. Her latch is shit but we're seeing a lactation consultant next week.

I have a bit of a weird problem though. After feeding or expressing, my boobs are incredibly painful. Not the nipple, but the boob itself, it's hard to describe but feels like it's been pulled really hard and then wrung out. It's kind of a really intense dull ache. It's worse when I've breastfed than when I've expressed but it's pretty bad either way. It's fine during feeding, the pain comes after I've finished. I uprofen is the only thing that helps.

Everything I can find on the internet seems to relate to sore nipples due to poor latching but as this happens when I express too and my nips are fine I don't think it's the same thing.

Anyone else experienced this?

Sounds like vasospasm from a poor latch

Google 'exaggerated latch' or call one of the breastfeeding helplines for expert and immediate help over the phone

Breastfeeding counsellors can really make a difference over the phone. You may have to call a few times as many if the helplines are run by volunteers in their own homes.

It could be thrush, tho that gets very over diagnosed IME so don't push doc to diagnose 'just in case'.

More likely could be some sort of vasoconstriction or vasospasm caused by the poor latch - essentially you're talking temporary nerve damage, some women report shooting pains after feeding (because baby is putting pressure on soft tissue that doesn't like getting squeezed and compressed!). The solution is fix the latch and wait for damage to heal naturally over days and weeks.

Or it could be the sort of vasospasm that's made worse by cold - often accompanied by nipple blanching (turning white). The solution is clap something warm on boob the second after feeding/expressing.

We had a total break from breastfeeding for two weeks though while we were sorting out the TT and even while exclusively expressing and not letting the baby anywhere near my boob the pain was still happening, so could it really still be a problem with latching by the end of two weeks recovery time?

Yes it could be possible, I've seen women with continued pain weeks after they've resolved latching difficulties. presumably if the problem is some sort of hypersensitivity caused by nerve damage a pump could have the same effect? In all honesty not much is known about this sort of pain, though I don't believe it's associated with anything serious or long lasting.

Or could be thrush or vasospasm caused by cold (sometimes linked to Reynaulds) - either of those sound possible?

Raynauds might be possible. I don't know about thrush, a friend did suggest it and I googled it but didn't think the symptoms matched up. Everything seems to assume nipple pain though which I don't have at all, it's a really strange pain unlike anything else I've experienced.

If thrush it would be ductal thrush - ie deep in the breast - different symptoms to nipple thrush, more deep shooting pains and after feeds rather than during. Doc can actually take a milk culture to see if there's thrush or another type of infection there - although you might have to be persistent!

If Reynaulds hopefully you can find some good info online.

Good luck, this must be really dispiriting after all the issues you've already overcome.

Beaky I had no idea you could get this from cold. I had problems recently after feeding in cold weather. Will keep a hand warmer in the changing bag for the boob! Thanks.

Boob warmer!