Breastfeeding Is Suddenly Hurting!

Hello,
I have much older children but I breastfed until my son was 2 1/2. it could be thrush and than you need an antibotic and you son, he has it in his mouth. I know he might not like it but you will have to sue the other breast until the pain goes away. I also used hot compresses.
I hope that you feel better soon.
T.

sounds like a plugged milk duct. Warm compresses should help. If that doesn't work or there is redness or swelling go to the doc, you might need antibiotics. I had a breast infection while pregnant so I would think they can happen at any time.

Congrats on wanting to nurse until your son is 2! I have a 20 month old and I am also still nursing him, in the hopes that he will eventually self-wean. The only time that I have experienced pain while nursing is when I developed thrush on my nipples. Have you ruled this out? If it is indeed thrush, then I would recommend taking some probiotics to help support the good bacteria in your body, as well as keeping your nipples clean and dry. Good luck!

Plugged milk duct maybe? Also, I discovered when I was pregnant that I likely have Raynaud's which can affect the extremities causing pain. I experienced it in my breasts when I was pregnant because of the narrowing of the arteries there. My OB and LLL were stumped when I was pregnant and found very little about it on the internet. Thankfully it went away mostly after I gave birth but it can happen still if the situations are right (cold especially) and sometimes while my daughter is breastfeeding it happens but only occasionally. I'm still nursing my daughter at 20 months so congrats for keeping on, keeping on. :) I couldn't nurse my son (or didn't realize I could overcome the obstacles 12 years ago) and I still regret it.

I personally think it is great you are nursing him that long, I did with my last two children and hope to do with my third who is 6 months old. it just is'nt working out as well as with the first two. I too have the same issue with using left breast more and recently ended up getting a real sore and even a tear in my nipple, after TLC and even using Oregel to numb it is finally healed and back to normal, The only thing I can think of is that they are just nursing to often or too long at a time, and on the same one too often. My daughter ate fairly often anyway but it seemed like once I talked about going back to work she turned into a booby baby that needed at all times, I think a lot of it was just using it as a pacifier, ( she won't take the real pacifier. I have started to alternate ever other feeding and after about two weeks things are back to normal.Anyway all I can say is to give the left breast a bit of a break and use the other one more often and see if that helps.

unfortunately this is when I stopped nursing too, too painful.

Have you gotten your period yet? If not, that could be another reason for the soreness. Maybe your breasts are getting tender in preparation for your period coming?

Hi A.!

I have had problems with nerves getting squashed while my boys are nursing (I have 19 month old twin boys). The pain was around the nipple and then radiated down the breast. They don't have the greatest latch and when they were around 14 months I had tremendous pain. I think my OB recommended Ibuprofen (Advil) for me - 3 pills/600 miligrams. I might have even had a prescription. I have started having similar pains lately but I think it is their teeth, which could of course be coming down on nerves as well, but in a different way then before. I think I just tried to ease off which ever breast was hurting as much as I could without compromising milk supply. I also used fenugreek or mother's milk tea during this time to make certain my supply didn't wane.

Good luck! P.

Maybe he's not biting, but using his teeth when he nurses.
Have him use only the right breast to give the other time to strenghten.

Hope this helps.

LIZ

A.,

I would contact your doctor. Sometimes you can get thrush, or a yeast infection on your breast from the moisture. This can cause pain in your breast & not a lot of other symptoms. If your child has white spots in his mouth and your nipples are sore and possibly a little red?

Hope that you get it figured out!

I applaud your decision to nurse until 2 too many people have negative opinions about that and aren't afraid to voice them I nursed until my son was 16 months old (I was eating like a horse and dropping weight like crazy so I stopped) I plan on nursing my 6 month old up until she is 2 if possible! I am sorry I don't know why your left side would be hurting but maybe try nursing more on the right and see if that helps??? Good luck!!!

well congrats for lasting that long breastfeeding. Good for you. I wasn't able to bc my son was allergic to the milk.
I have not heard of things like this. It might be that your milk isn't coming in as fast as he is drinking it if he is favoring one boob over the other. That is all I could think of. Maybe switching him throughout the day from one feeding to the next to give the left side a little break.

Good luck and I can't wait to see what other people are going to post.

I nursed for nearly 4 years and had pretty much everything happen including mastitis and cracked nipples and plugged ducts. i'd try hot compresses and check his latch. make sure he's covering the entire areola. at this age sometimes the latch can get a little lazy (for lack of a beeter word!). If you're in the LA area you can check out the pump station in santa Monica or Hollywood. i also reccomend Mothering.com forums. there is a lot of breastfeeding support. My daughter and I pretty much stopped when she said she was done. I do not have one regret. she is an amazing human being with much confidence,and she's extremely bright. You are an amzing mom doing something wonderful for your child. i commend you! best, H.

Hi A.,
Kudos to you for nursing your son! I stopped nursing my daughter at one year but I regret it. She's very healthy but I wish I'd done it longer so congrats to you! I hope you feel better soon. Not sure what to tell you but I would contact my ob/gyn or lactation specialist who might provide some insight. Good luck to you:)

I nursed my DS until he was 2 1/2, I also favored nursing him on my lt. side (for the same reason). Unfortunatly I don't have any real answers for you, but I would experience the same thing. My only thoughts were it could still be hormone related, where are you at in your cycle? Could your AF be due? Or even ovulating could make your breasts more tender depends on your body.
I think my DS's latch may have caused it ?, he was super lazy and too anxious to latch and most of the time his top teeth would drag on my areola (just above my nipple), I thought I'd have two indentation marks on my areola permantly!!
Sometimes it hurt so bad I thought it could be mastisis (sorry I'm a horrible speller), but other than the pain I had no other symptoms. At times I wondered if he was nursing the life out of that breast!
You may want to have it checked out hopefully you have a Dr. that supports extended b/f'ing, mine didn't and just recommended weaning - ugh! I found moist heat helped.

I have breastfed all 4 of mine until 3 and I have gotten some of the rudest reactions. Even 2 shocks most people so I understand you not wanting them to respond.
I had zero problems with pain (except shortly after birth) until my fourth was close to 2. I actually had a plugged duct for the first time and that is excruciating so you would definitely be able to distinguish the difference between that or mastitis (even more excruciating Ive heard). It can get quite uncomfortable off and on when they get lazy about keeping their teeth off of you. I have gone thru periods of discomfort like youre decribing and it has just worked itself out when I have encouraged the other side more frequently. It is most likely just added pressure from the teeth so try to tough it out. Breastfeeding is so awesome for them even at this age. I found it most important between 2 and 3 because thats when they seem to catch everything and all they want is mamas milk. Good luck and hope that helps.

Hi A.!

First of all, kudos to you for your choice to ebf. I nursed my daughter for a little over 2 years and feel great for my choice to continue our relationship beyond any set timelines. My daughter (now 4 going on 40)is smart, sassy, independent and extremely secure. --- Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Mama's milk is best! :D Good job mama!

On to your question...

Here are some thoughts?
- Check his latch. Due to your long-standing nursing relationship, I wouldn't think that your LO teething/teeth should cause pain. If latched correctly, his tongue should cover the bottom of your nipple and the top teeth would be far up on your breast enough not to hurt.

- Does it only hurt while you're nursing? Have you ever had a plugged duct? Here is a link from kellymom on plugged ducts: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/mastitis.html

Hope that helps!

The constant nursing on one side, especially in one position, puts a lot of strain on your skin. You should rotate from nursing while sitting to nursing while lying down, and both sides, in order for your skin to have a chance to rest.

A.,
It's probably a blocked duct. I get them all the time and I don't even wear bras! Usually a little milk blister appears on my nipple as it's resolving and it's painful. The only remedy is to use warm compresses, take lecithin (1,200 mg's 2 x a day is good) and nurse or pump often. These things always clear them up quickly for me.
Congrats on nursing until 2! Better to give mama's human milk than cow's milk! :-)
D.

Hi A.,

Be careful you might have a breast infection. I know when I had one, it was painful to nurse on that breast, and it totally felt like you're describing, like when you are first nursing. Sometimes when you have a breast infection the clog is deep inside the breast and you can't feel it, so you don't know you have it. If you start having flu like symptoms, or puss on the nipple, call your dr. right away and get on antibiotics, you don't want to mess with it, it can get serious! I was in bed for two days and couldn't move my joints, had fever and chills, it was a disaster! But the antibiotics cleared it up pretty quick. Good luck, hope you figure it out!

A.-

I am glad you are a yoga teacher because the advice I have will be easy for you.
And just to let you know, I nursed all my kids past 5 years.
What I want you to try is: Get on all fours with baby boy under you and let him nurse with your breasts hanging down. We want all the ducts to empty. Try to get him to take BOTH sides completely until they feel "slack". Do this for 2 days and then email me if it still hurts.

Hi A.,

I breastfed my daughter until she was four so I'm there. I think you should see a doctor because it might be an infection.

V.

First, I nursed my first past two and my second past 3 so I do understand (-: Good for you for nursing so long.

It could be his latch has changed a bit with the new teeth, as they get older they also seem to get a bit lazy on the boob. At this age, as soon as it hurts maybe say, ouch that hurts mommy and remove him and try to re-latch. If you keep doing that and you think his latch is fine, then I'd think say it might be his teeth resting on you or I know when I nursed my first and got pregnant with my second, at about 4mos of preg. it really hurt to nurse on either side. I'm guessing it was because I was out of milk but it felt like my daughter was chomping down even though she wasn't. With my second, he had teeth so early and was always a biter (when he was asleep, he didn't bite just to bite). I dealt with biting from 6mos or so till 3 years old. I will not let that happen the next time! Anyway, I'm drifting a bit here (-:

I hope it is something that goes away for you so you can continue to nurse as long as you'd like,
M.

Hi, I'm surprised no one has responded to you!

Call your local La Leche League leader (free visits if they can swing it, free advice, free meetings). It's a breastfeeding support group and they can help you with ANY problem.

http://www.lllusa.org/web/LAWestsideCA.html

I do not have much advice on why it is suddenly hurting but want to congratulate you on your decision to nurse to age two! I am currently nursing my sixth child...yes 6! :-) The shortest I've nursed is my first and that was until she was nine months old. I had gone back to work and not successful at pumping. However, my 4 and 5 year olds are only 14 months apart. I nursed them until they were 31 and 46 months (2.5 yrs & just about 4). I nursed two at the same time. I figured it would be hard to wean the older if he saw me nursing the younger one. I also felt it was not his fault I was having another so soon. So...I nursed them both with no problems!

My 9 month old has eight teeth and sometimes when he falls into a deep sleep will bite down. I gently (but quickly) unlatch him. You are breaking the suction first without just pulling him off right? I don't want to insult your intelligence... sorry. :-) Just a thought.

Best of luck and congrats again!

Try a nipple shield. They are silicone & work wonders to reduce or eliminate pain & cracking. You can get them at babies 'r us & I've also seen them at target. The brand is Medella.

This started to happen to me (but I was pregnant), but before I realized that I also noticed the my daughter, then 10 months had started to prefect her sippy cups and nursed a little differently. I know your son is a little older, but has he mastered something new, like drinking from a straw or regular cup? Sometimes, especially once they've dropped a few feedings they will either suck harder, since it is more work, or attach differently. My daughter is now 15 months and just weened (she stopped being interested since my milk supply dropped so much with the pregnancy) and I was heartbroken. Somethink else you can try, if you plan on weening slowly (like dropping one feeding every few weeks) is start by dropping some of the day time feedings first to give your left breast a break! Good luck.

Thrush?

Good job for breastfeeding the way we're meant to ;)~!

Get some advent nipple guards at babies r us and take some resting times, also ice them. It's the best advice I can give. Also change breasts to the right for a few days while you rest the other. Could be a blockage too. Good luck.

I nursed my son until just before he turned 2. I enjoyed the bonding.
I know this is late, but try nursing more on side that is not so painful for a few days and then try both sides again. I experienced pain and soreness as well, but when I started different holds (ie. cradle hold and basketball hold), the soreness healed after a while.

A.,

I can't understand why anyone wouldn't want to breastfeed until 2! LOL

Have your periods returned? My boobs always got tender with my periods, they got super tender when I was newly pregnant (so I'd re-test in a week or so just to be sure). Their latch does change as they get teeth but that usually resolves itself pretty quickly (and I could always see the rub marks when they were rubbing my nipple against a new tooth).

I'd also check out www.kellymom.com and search for "thrush." I was fortunate to never have had it but I've heard it can make nursing awfully painful.

Good luck,
T.

I had that happen for a few weeks when my son was about a year old. He was teething so he was latching on differently so it didn't hurt him as much. Some of the top teeth really hurt them to suck so they change positions and it can be uncomfortable for us. You're doing a great job and the right thing for your baby! It should get better soon.

Hi A., I breastfed my two girls for 1 year each. On my second one I developed an infection from clogged milk ducts twice. It started with just some pain. If the area around the nipple starts to turn red and gets very painful it may be an infection. and it is best to see your doctor. I was given antibiotics and some cream(not harmful) to baby and it went away pretty quickly but if you do develop an infection it is best to treat it asap. Hope this helps, H.

First of all congrats on making it this far! I would see your dr, since there are so many things it could be. It could something as simple at a plugged duct or you could have an infection.

Good luck.

my first thought was "maybe you're pregnant!" b/c nursing hurt me quite a bit when i was pregnant and nursing. then you stated you'd checked and were not, so i, like many others, thought maybe it could be a plugged duct. I've had a few an it can be quite tender and painful, eventually leading to flu-like symptoms and general weakness. i was able to massage it out in a warm bath (even had to evoke the help of my recently weaned 3 year old, which ended up doing the trick after 2 weeks of having him weaned!) i didn't need abx, but i caught it early. if you're not getting engorged on that side, and don't have a specific area of tenderness, this might not be the case though.

on another note, a fun idea for weaning that made the transition easier for us was having a "no more milk" party, which we instituted for my son's 3rd bday. we talked about it for a couple of months beforehand, he shared ideas about what toys he like for his n.m.m. party, and talked about how after that the milk would just be for the baby cause the baby can't eat sandwiches, cheese, carrots, etc. it has been a super smooth transition, even needing him to nurse out my duct post-weaning ;)

good luck, mama!