stabbing pains in breasts

[Apricott]

I'm breast-feeding my nearly three week old. He's had some latching issues, and still has some problems with the left breast, but my nipples are generally recovering now.

My current worry is that I have been getting sharp stabbing pains in my breasts. There's no redness, nor lumps near where the pains happen. Just pain. Is this something to put up with or is it something to worry about? Will mention it to HV tomorrow, but thought collective wisdom of MN might shed some light.

Thanks.

hi apricot. congrats on the newbie!
i am no expert and keep this buymped til someone with more knowledge comes along but... are the pains mainly before, during or after feeding or always?

hi apricott, it sounds to me you are getting the 'let down reflex'. i get the 'pins and needles' sensation too when my milk is coming down.

celebrate it but attaching your little one and letting your baby have a gush of milk

Congrats on your DS!
Do the sharp pains stop after a while or continue throughout the feed? I had deep sharp shooting pains when I had thrush on my breasts with DS a couple years ago. They did not go away once my milk let down (very different feeling from let down).

Keep an eye on it.

Good luck

Thanks for your repsonses.

It's not let-down (I fed dd so I know how that feels), but real stabbing, sometimes pretty unbearable pain. Seems to happen between feeds mainly, not while he's feeding. I'd been thinking maybe mastitis on the way, hadn't considered thrush.

apricott have you thought about vasospasm more info here I had this and it stopped but was very painful at the time

It can be caused by nipple trauma which is how I got it

I've been getting this recently - 2.9 years down the line. Like you it is in between feeds (which are quite widely spaced now ) but there's no sign of blocked ducts, thrush etc.

i had no signs of thrush apart from teh pain after feeding. i had resigned myself to thinking that bf would just be painful. after meds - the thrush has cleared up and all is good!

maybe mention it to the HV as a possibility??

I used to get stabbing pains after expressing (using electric pump) They could come hours after....very uncomfortable.. perhaps your LO is just really putting them to work?
I think your boobs will get used to the sucking and they'll go away in a while...try breathing through the pains and rub some massage oil with lavender in to help.

Good luck it is hard in the beginning but WILL get better and you'll treasure the time. Don't hold back feeding in the early weeks I'm sure the first 6 weeks primes your boobs for the rest of the time.

Oh and on a tangent here - get into talking books - they make all the night feeds very enjoyable....I miss all the books I could get through then!! - never get the chance now

xx

I had that pain too, it turned out to be thrush.

PS I had mastitis ( last Xmas day and Boxing day)
it came on like a constant ache ..then....a fast firming breast that got hotter and harder and insanely painful... I had a shocking headache a sore throat and blocked sinuses the the chills a terrible fever and the worst Christmas of my life - I wouldnt wish it on an enemy.

I don't think you have mastitis and god hope you never get it. Be careful to wear a good fitting bra with no pressure spots and don't eat too much high fat foods

xx

Apricott - I'm with BirthdayBabe on this one. Sounds like my experience. Mine was thrush in the milk ducts. Needed to get prescription of fluconozole. Like you, I cut up badly in the early days.

Unfortunately, I didn't realise what the pain was and thought that breastfeeding was supposed to be this sore(!) I couldn't even have any clothes touching my breasts. I thought that you literally had to be topless for most of the day