Deep stabbing pain in nipples & breasts

[JoyApple]

Hi

I'm 20 weeks. Since last Wednesday I've been having deep stabbing pain in nipples and breasts as well as itching.

I went to the GP and popped into the local maternity day care unit too last week and both ruled out mastisis and thrush, and said it just looks like a bit of eczema and it's pregnancy growing pain and maybe your milk is coming.

The pain has been intense. It wakes me up from my sleep and I'm up half the night. Had to be off work and have to constantly hold my breasts. I've tried different new bras, different sizes,all super soft but can't bear them. Just wish someone would rip off my breasts 😭

I've been looking online and it seems perhaps it could be nipple vasospasm. There's hardly any useful information online though and having brown skin it's much harder to see the change of nipple colour. I've been dismissed by both GP and midwife last week so don't know what to do.

No fever or flu like symptoms. What do I do? Feel like I'm going to be dismissed again by GP/midwife unless I go with something concrete 😭 not sure I've even got the strength to get to the practice/hospital...

Just wanted to bump this, feeling really desperate for some help ...

Hi, I’m not sure of what that is. I’m a few weeks ahead of you and have had these pains too, but nothing like as extreme. The only thought I had was that you mentioned having darker skin and I thought I’d let you know in case you didn’t already, that Tommy’s offer a 1-1 midwife appointment service over the phone for black and mixed heritage women. I think this is related to the higher rates of bad outcomes for those women and their babies, so definitely don’t let yourself be fobbed off. It’s really likely just one of those painful and irritating but ultimately harmless pregnancy things, but you deserve pain this intense to be taken seriously. Good luck.
https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/about-tommys-pregnancy-information/video-call-service

Hiya, I had/have nipple vasospasm throughout my pregnancy and now that I am breastfeeding.

It's awful. To be honest not much helps. I was pregnant through winter so used to put socks down my bra to keep nipples warm which helped a little but didn't stop it

There is medication you can get for it called nifedipine, but they probably won't want you to have it when you're pregnant, but could be worth a discussion? It's a medication for high blood pressure so you might just need closer monitoring.

Maybe someone else will be along with a miracle cure...

I saw on the due in November thread that you were thinking of trying some over the counter thrush cream.

I had thrush when I was breastfeeding, it was nowhere near as painful as you describe but for some women it might be. I didn’t have many symptoms but my DS had it in his mouth. I’m pretty sure he got it from me though as I’d had antibiotics for tonsillitis and am super prone to thrush if I have them.

Anyway it took ages to shift, the thrush cream did pretty much nothing. I had several courses of thrush tablets and in the end I had a course where I took one every day for 2 weeks and that finally got rid of it. I’m not sure if you can take the tablets during pregnancy though. My DS was around 18 months old and only breastfed once or twice a day when this was going on so a much different level of risk for baby than during pregnancy or someone with a new born.

A steroid cream also really helped but again not sure what the risks are for that during pregnancy.

I think there is a test they can do for thrush? I didn’t have it but might be worth asking about.

Anyway I don’t know if that helps and it might not be thrush! But I think my point is that if it thrush then I’d be surprised if an over the counter cream manages to do much for it.

Sorry, I didn’t even think, but I also had nipple thrush while breastfeeding, twice, and it was agony. And yes, itchy and stabbing pain. No visible clue like discharge or anything. It was diagnosed through the baby’s mouth having signs. I had prescription rather than over the counter medication to get rid of it too.

I had this when pregnant and my boobs got cold it was horrendous and soooo painful I used to put hand warmers down my bra and wear multiple layers 😅 sounds strange but if I vigorously massaged my boobs when it happened it would help a little. Mine eased off fortunately in later pregnancy

It does sound like growing pains / your milk ducts growing. I had it worse in my first pregnancy but it wasn’t constant like you described. I would return to the gp and demand to see a different doctor if its that painful.

Thank you so much to each of you for replying and being so kind 😊it means alot.

@AutumnVibes thank you for the link to the Tommy's service, that is so handy to know! I'll book a slot.

@LemonDrizz sorry to hear you are still struggling with it! may I ask when in pregnancy you got it? And did it ease off & if so when? Did you also have itching of the breast?

@PinkPlantCase thank you for sharing your experience of thrush and that the cream is mild. When I had DC1 I took thrush medication multiple times (cream and tablets) and was told it was ductal thrush too, but nothing shifted it. Great idea re asking GP to swab, although I'm not sure what exactly they will swab as nothing is coming out!

@Roseandrose20 I'll look up hand warmers. May I ask when you say massage boobs does that include the nipples? I feel too scared to go near my nipples. When I wake up at night I tend to get frustrated with my breasts rather than nipple and end up scratching them out of frustration.

Also do you remember roughly when it started for you and in which week it ended? I suppose I'm looking for home.

@JoyApple

@LemonDrizz @Roseandrose20 did any of you struggle to wear a bra after this pain started? I really need to wear a bra as I'm heavy chested but I just can't seem to get comfy into one. I went and bought 3 new bras, and for re measured too but something about each is irritating me. I feel like I need a super super super soft seamless bra that is loose yet still a bit supportive ... Not sure how im going to find it, I've gone to local shops but not had luck ...

I had this and it was evil!!! It's hormonal. You likely have mild Raynaud's affecting your hands/feet and for some women it gets severe in pregnancy and may affect your nipples. The only, and I mean, only way to deal with this is to keep your breasts warm at all times - warm circular showers, warm bra & vest, warm muslin cloth overnight in addition to your duvet, avoid cold and shady places outside and sudden change in temperature. It's awful! Mine has been largely gone after I gave birth, it now happens very, very rarely.

Oh and buy very stretchy breastfeeding bras, non wired. You need the gentlest, comfiest possible bras atm.

@PurplePansy05 it's awful isn't it! Thanks for all the tips. May I ask did you get a diagnosis from GP/midwife? How was the process and were other things ruled out? My problem is very breasts and the area around the bra is very itchy too.

Also did you try or discuss any medication? Or did painkillers help? How about vitamins? I've seen online mention of vitamin b6 at 100mg but I feel scared to take such a high dose in pregnancy.

And finally, any bras you'd recommend please? 😊 I've just put in an order for two sloggi ones which will arrive tomorrow but no idea if they are good. They are not maternity though.

When I was struggling with breast pain my mum bought me some bras from Primark for people who’s had a mastectomy. They are the softest ones I’ve ever had. I wore them for feeding too as they zip at the front. And cheap enough that it’s not a disaster if they’re no good.

GP and midwives were pretty dismissive. I think unless you've experienced this, you don't understand the pain and discomfort, it felt like somebody was stabbing me in the nipples and twisting the knife! My nipples and breasts were in agony, like a sudden, painful spasm kind of feeling. I've concluded it must be Raynaud's because all of the symptoms fitted in exact with what I was experiencing and I used to have cold hands/feet all my life pre-pregnancy. Sure enough post-pregnancy this is no longer the case and I run hot all the time! So strange.

It wasn't itchy for me, however - if it is for you, you need to check with your GP that it's definitely not thrush or another skin issue, they get worse in pregnancy.

I would advise against taking super strong doses of any vitamins in pregnancy unless you're deficient. Can you ask for a blood test first?

I'll post some links to bras that I found best xx

https://uk.bravadodesigns.com/products/ballet-bra This one was the best for me, @JoyApple. As it's a nursing bra, you only pay once and it will last you longer if you choose to breastfeed.

Lindex Mom Seamless bras are also comfortable and M&S does multipacks of 3 bralette type bras that aren't specifically maternity or nursing, but they are very comfy, gentle and stretchy which is what you need now. xx

@PurplePansy05 thank you! That bra looks awesome.

I spoke to a midwife who was supportive but said she wasn't sure if it is vasospasm as there's so little info online. She reassured me it wasn't normal and recommended I ask GP for a referral to breast clinic. We also discussed post birth feeding plans (I don't plan to breastfeed at all) and she reassured me that I can ask from now for the medication to stop milk coming in, and I can get it written in my notes and birth plan etc.

Spoke to GP too and she dismissed it as being this condition, and said she can't give medication anyways as it's harmful to baby. I did ask for referral to a breast clinic so will have to wait a few weeks for that to come through. Just overall felt quite dismissed tbh.

She also said she would not recommend taking high dose b6 and kept saying she can't recommend anything as need experts to see it first. Just hope the wait isn't long.

I'm struggling with sleeping on my side as it squashes breast Currently sleeping on my back but not sure how long I'll be able to do that for.

Perhaps try sleeping with a warm bean bag (you know those you can put in a microwave) over your breasts? I appreciate it's warm weather now so not very convenient but I did this in July two years ago myself as was suffering much like you and it was really helpful. Just make sure it doesn't slip to your bump, I'd remove it before falling asleep. The warmth should help you ease the pain for the remainder of the night xx

OP, I would also add, if you don't intend to breastfeed, your milk supply will subside naturally and tbh Raynaud's of the nipple is not necessarily linked to the supply of milk but to the fact the pregnancy itself is causing chaos in blood flow/circulation around your body. So I'm not entirely sure the suppressants are the answer here and you may find yourself struggling more physically and mentally directly after the birth as a result because of your hormones were you to take them. Just something to consider, personally I don't think it's worth it as both your supply and Raynaud's itself will likely resolve soon and in the meantime, you have options to manage the pain well. Rubbing slightly warmed up olive oil in nipples/breasts also helps xx

@PurplePansy05 thanks for all the tips! :)

I wasn't aware the suppressant affected hormones? It is called Cabergoline. Is that the one you were thinking of?

I can't imagine trying to cope with this pain and milk coming in ... it would just be too much :(

@JoyApple How did your appointments go if you don’t mind me asking?
i’m going through something extremely similar and think is raynauds/ vasospasms

@1234preg I'm so sorry to hear that, it's so painful.

I had my appointment with breast clinic. The only thing they found were very small cysts on one of my breasts, but they are not sure if that's cause of pain and if it's just a pregnancy thing.

The pain has subsided thankfully, I'm currently using the pink bra linked above and also another bralette on top of it. It hurts when I come out of the shower so I've decreased the amount of showers I have. I also found aveeno cream helpful for the itching.

I still think it's vasospasm but looks like no one's heard of it! Breast clinic just wanted to rule out cancer

Whilst vasospasm is considered rare, when I ran breastfeeding groups an absolute ton of women had it. They just didn't bother seeing a doctor for it.

It's usually triggered by cold, or a change in temperature. If it's when you get out of the shower perhaps warm your towel on the radiator first and wrap it round you straight away! Warm pads in your bra in cold weather. Anything that would normally make your nipples pucker up is going to hurt. So stay warm.

It usually seems to go away on its own, although trauma will make it worse again, so be gentle with them!

@JoyApple @VikingLady
thanks both, I have mentioned it to my midwife as almost everything I can find online is during breastfeeding not pregnancy but to no avail.

the difficulty I’m having is it’s happening to me randomly when I’m not cold or like chaffing against anything it just happens multiple times a day and it’s driving me crazy