Can’t feed my 3 month old properly

[MDMDMD]

Posting on this forum too. New user here not sure where is best to post this problem

Hi all, I am writing desperately in hope for some advice. Sorry it’s a long post:

My baby is 15 weeks old and has always been EBF.

For the past month I have been going through awful shooting pains in one breast (right). It doesn’t go away for about 2-3 hours and I have to clench onto myself in excruciating pain. It has brought me to tears and IMO the pain is far worse than the pain I experienced during my C-section recovery. I have been given strong, safe for baby, painkillers but these don’t always help. The symptoms are similar to Raynauds Syndrome but after talking with a breastfeeding specialist, she mentioned it sounds like the latch. Baby had tongue tie clipped at 3 weeks and it may be back, and therefore she struggles to get a deep latch and so clicks losing suction.

I don’t have discolouration after a feed and warmth afterwards provides no comfort - which is why she ruled out Raynauds.

The pain always comes when baby has been clicking during a feed - oddly enough she does this on my right and not my left side. She showed me a technique to help baby get a deeper latch and although I have been working on this with her, my nipple became so sore to touch from the previous weeks. So much so I decided I would express for a few days to let it heal and get baby back on after.

So, of course my LO didn’t want to take the bottle from being EBF up till now. Tried cup feeding and it was slightly better but she just gets frustrated then refuses.

She now only feeds off the left (2 days going). She would normally empty both sides during a feed but with struggling to take the bottle, she just ends up not full. I cannot feed my baby properly. She got so much less milk on the first day of this. She was up every hour that night feeding one sided, and I am so so terrified of the pain I might get returning onto the right side again.

If the pain returns it will be the end of breastfeeding on that side for me. I am giving it another day or 2’s rest as If she latches on whilst it’s still sore I know it will be worse.

We have gone through so much - thrush, tongue tie, u name it and I really have kept on fighting to keep breast feeding no matter what. I am really struggling and feeling like a complete failure especially as she won’t take the bottle to maintain her normal intake of milk.

How am I supposed to maintain how much milk she was receiving before throughout this healing time?

Honestly dont know what to do. Going back to the right might be less painful with the healing time I’ve given myself, but the shooting pains may return. At that point, with refusing the bottle, then what do I do?

Someone please give me some advice.

Have you tried pumping to maintain your supply? It may feel like a waste if your LO isn't taking a bottle but at least your supply won't dip as much while the problem is figured out and you heal?
I had issues with pain BFing too, it's been tough but luckily I've managed to top my wee one up with bottles of formula and expressed milk.
Hang in there!

Please call one of the numbers below. They are trained advisors. I have not personally spoken to the NBL but the NCT advisors are great! Helped me no end with issues I had breast feeding. Best of luck x

National Breastfeeding Line (government funded): 0300 100 0212.

You can call the NCT breastfeeding line: 0300 330 0700 for support with any of these issues

Have you tried nipple shields?
My LO had a tongue tie and nipple shields helped with the pain until his tie was cut.
We can now feed off the left without a shield, however on the right my nipple is too short for LO to get a good latch and stay suctioned, he loses grip and comes off constantly, and without continuous suction the nipple goes flat again. He can't feed on the right without hurting me.
So 3 months old and we're still using a shield on the right.
My lactation consultant said there's no harm in using shields as long as we need to, as long as there's no issues with reduced supply (and I have an abundance of milk, so no worries there).

Maybe try some silicone shields and definitely see a lactation consultant.

You say you have 'gone through' thrush how did you get treated as it sounds very much like when I had thrush. Deep pain within the breast tissue radiating almost through to my back ( although it was many years ago I still remember that pain!)

If you have not already taken an oral course of antifungals and simultaneously treated your LO it may be worth another try, once the thrush had cleared my breastfeeding experience was completely different and I was able to extended breastfeed ( something I would have not dreamed of when having the pain!)

Good luck OP

I agree with the nipple shield suggestion too. We used them until dd was 9 weeks old when I had healed and dd decided she wouldn't tolerate them any longer.

Thanks to all who replied.

It’s not thrush this time as it’s affecting one breast only and there’s no redness, itching or patches on baby’s tongue.

I haven’t thought of using a nipple shield but will look into it as some of you suggested. Maybe it’s the only way to get her to feed from the right as she has no issue with the left.

I am going to see a LC on Monday and will give the volunteer line a call. Wish me luck!

I fed my daughter from a similar age to over a year from one side. My body adjusted and it just made enough milk. I was feeding more regularly at first to boost supply but weight never dropped and she was happy and thriving. It doesn't have to be the end of breastfeeding!

You are a trooper for carrying on through all the setbacks. Hope the phoneline can give you some good advice.

Thank you forumgirl! So nice to hear such encouraging words.

Icklekid - this may be my outcome. Just always feels like it’s never enough as my right has always been the better producer.

Phone line advised to get my latch checked again which I will do on Monday when the drop in session is open. Will prob bring a nipple shield with me as haven’t a clue about them. More research for me!

I would pump on the sore side only until you are actually at the appointment and then get the LC to help/watch you latch baby on. Improper latch can cause a huge amount of pain and the clicking you hear indicates an improper latch.

If you do end up using a nipple shield, it's not the end of the world but it can be inconvenient, my youngest B/F until she was 2 and never would give up the shield no matter what I did (always been stubborn lol) and we did just fine, as she was unable to latch at all we wouldn't have developed B/Fing without one.

We ended up using nipple shields for the entire 3 years dd nursed. They fit nicely in those pacifier carriers that attach to diaper bags. For home I just kept them stashed all over the house. I was finding them for years after she weaned.

Pain from poor latch tends to be at the nipple. What you are describing sounds like pain in the breast. Nipple pain, assuming no sores or broken skin, tends to subside when feeding stops. I think the suggestion of a deep thrush infection should be investigated.

When did you last have thrush? How was it treated? You have to continue treatment for about 10-14 days after symptoms go away to really clear it. The deep thrush can feel very much like that though so worth getting it checked and taking more treatment certainly can’t hurt if you feel like nothing else seems to be sorting it.

Just to add, deep thrush is in the ducts themselves so you would have no itching or redness or white patches as it’s very sub surface. Just deep shooting breast pain.

@MDMDMD I had that exact pain you are describing - it felt like someone was sticking a needle through my breast! It was deep thrush, which is really difficult to diagnose, but I found it fairly easy to treat. Definitely get in touch with a lactation consultant to check latch, too, but please have a read of this : www.breastfeedinginc.ca/informations/using-gentian-violet/

It could be that the tongue tie has reattached or that one has been missed, have a read of this from Milk Matters.

Like sone of the other posters are suggesting, this could still be thrush. Have a read of this.

Have you got a decent fitting bra too? Bras that are too tight can cause problems

I had very deep agonising pain between feeds which breastfeeding folk thought was thrush. However, when my milk was sent off for analysis by the GP who didn’t believe breast thrush exists, it turned out to be mastitis (as in, a bacterial infection) even though I wasn’t presenting with a temperature, red, lumpiness etc. It took several doses of antibiotics but was fixed eventually.

That pain was terrible though. I’m sorry you’re going through something similar.

This may be really obvious but have you tried doing rugby ball style hold on the sore side? A different angle might help if it’s one sided pain and linked to latch

Firstly remember you are doing a brilliant job. I remember my struggles to feed well and it’s just horrendous when you’re sleep deprived and worried about your little one. You’re doing the best you can and that’s all you can do.
A tongue tie can reform and that needs checking. My experience is that professionals are woefully bad at diagnosing them. Is there any way you can afford a private opinion and snip if required?
Keep expressing and offering a bottle. Try a different make of bottle/test if the one you have isn’t working. It is said babies can get nipple confusion but that wasn’t my experience and I managed to combination feed both of mine to an extent with no problems after a few months.
Get all the support you can. Call the helplines and get to support groups. I Hope it improves for you soon.

Thanks so much again to those of you who have left recent replies.

Can it be deep thrush if it is only on one side and only experiencing pain after clicking

Oops sent that to early by accident

Meant to say

I’m wondering whether it could really be deep thrush when it’s only on one side and the pain is experienced after a very clicky feed? Thoughts?

I have a feeling it may be tongue tie or that she just generally struggles to get a deep latch. :(

Too*

I think you need some RL support to talk through the possibility of thrush, latch and tt. Is there a La Leche League Leader near to you or could you contact a Lactation Consultant who specialises in tt?

I have just looked back at replies and realised I missed a few (obviously haven’t woken up properly yet) which have kind of answered my q about whether it could be deep thrush.

@ mindutopia what u said at the beginning is interesting. It is def deep breast pain and not on the surface of the nipple.

@ tefiti yes a needle going through or even feeling like there’s bits of broken glass inside! I will now book an app at the docs to have it swabbed. IMO my gps don’t know a lot about breastfeeding yet they promote it so much all over the NHS. I guess in my case to be fair, this isn’t a straight forward diagnosis. But I appreciate all your responses as now I’ve got something to investigate. Hate not having answers!!

@Constanza was your mastitis just on the one breast? Glad you were able to solve it!

To those who responded about nipple shields - not my ideal situation but your replies have made it seem possible and positive!

I am sure I have forgotten to reply to someone here so sorry if I have missed you

Totally agree with the thrush possibility. I eventually gave up feeding at 6 months with my dd (unaware it was the thrush causing my problems 😢)
We had a great feeding relationship to begin with but around the 8-12 week mark my dd became a really fussy feeder pulling on and off, feeding for really short periods then waking up hungry. After a week or so of this my nipples were agony, I was in tears at every feed because of the pain which started to radiate inside the breast. I saw the hv and gp and was prescribed treatment for thrush. I used the treatment religiously which seemed to take forever to work. All the while I was in excruciating pain with each feed. (During this time I had started to wean dd mistaking the signs of thrush for hunger and lack of satisfaction after a feed 😢) we struggled along till she was 6 months but shamefully I avoided feeding her as often because it was just too painful (replaced with food & cooled boiled water). Due to this my supply had already started to dwindle. So on hitting 6 months I switched to FF. this did not resolve the problem as I continued to have stabbing pains deep inside the breast for a considerable time after stopping which again I assumed was because I had stopped feeding. Eventually after seeing the GP I was given antibiotics for an "infection" but I still believe it was thrush causing the "infection" which I was on super high alert for when I had my second dd. Thankfully it stayed away 🙏. Sorry for the long post just wanted to say keep looking for the answer definitely go back and get checked for deep thrush, it's definitely a thing!! And 💐 for you because I understand how painful it is. If it is comfortable to pump I would continue to do so to keep up your supply even if you don't feed it to baby. So that once the pain is under control you still have milk coming. Good luck

No, I had pain in both breasts but it was worse in one side. It felt like broken glass filling up my milk ducts starting from under my arm and working up to near the nipple. As the pain was at its worst between feeds I didn’t want to give up feeding in case it got worse. My GP had my milk tested to prove that it wasn’t thrush as he said that breast thrush wasn’t biologically possible (he said “well breast feeding is supposed to hurt” and “I’m going to write to the head of midwifery to ask her staff to stop sending me patients with made up diseases”) and then it grew something. It’s worrh a try. Whenever I’ve had mastitis since (although always presenting in normal symptoms since then - lumps, red, gunky milk - I’ve needed the next level of antibiotics.