It hurts!

[Tissy]

Ok, not a very serious problem, it will probably settle, but...

Dd 10 months old has had a bad cold recently, been a bit off her solids, clingy and crabbit. Consequently b/feeding rather more than usual. My right boob is REALLY sore when she sucks and she appears to be sucking much harder on this side than on the left (or that's what it feels like).Every time she sucks in, it feels like she's pulling on the ducts. I don't understand this! The right boob has always had a better "flow", although is smaller (when expressing I get more out of this side!), expressing isn't painful at all, there are no red patches or lumps or tenderness, just an awful feeling that she's trying to turn me inside out!
Anyone else experienced this?

Tissy I had this when dd was about 3 months, and I know exactly what you mean about "pulling on the ducts" Still not sure what caused it (overuse?) but I just expressed only from that side for 3 days and fed her ebm from a bottle. Of course if she is v. clingy she probably won't take a bottle, but this gave my right boob a chance to recover.

Poor you Tissy, I remember that well. It was always when teething that dd really took it out of me. Maybe try just to keep her to the left until the pain settles down. Its probably more the comfort that she needs rather than the milk so if she will use the left side she might not notice the lack of milk if it runs out...? Hope it clears up soon, until then try to keep imagining all those wonderful anti-bodies of yours that will be kicking her cold up the bum and out of her system faster.

Tissy - is her nose still blocked? Has she adopted a different position on that side to breathe mors easily but which is perhaps incorrect? As we feed older babies I think we pay less attention to their positioning which can lead to pain. It might be that you are going to develop mastitis and you are having pain prior to a lump/redness revealing itself.
Perhaps you should try feeding from the left and expressing from the right for a couple of days. Hope it sorts itself out.

Thanks for the replies- I'll check her nose and positioning!