So i ave been nursing my little girl since she was born. she was a great feeder (breastfeeder) until we introduced solids - or maybe a month or so later. as of about 7-8 months old she tapered out of her feedings, only breastfeeding first thing in the AM and last thing before bed as part of our bedtime routine, after bath & stories. She doesn't drink much milk via bottle either - maybe 10 oz/day plus what goes in her 12 tbsp cereal (split between two feedings).
Anyway, i am down to pumping about three-four times/day - around 8am, usually around noon or so, then around 5 and then before bed around 11. I've noticed this week my nipples are kind of tender - it kind of hurts when I pump. there doesn't seem to be any sign of anything wrong, i wonder if it's just because i am not doing it enough? and it's not killing me - just enough to make me wince when i turn the pump on.
does anyone have any insight/ similar experiences?
j
Have you tried putting some cream on they may just be dried out. there's a special cream, I can't think of the name right now, but that may help. Good Luck.
All I can think of is that maybe you waiting until your breasts are too full by the time you pump? If so, try pumping a little sooner. Also, if you are pumping less times than you were before your breasts are getting used to being pumped less and the pain should go away in a few days. Hope this helped. I know it can hurt so bad!!! I went in the hospital 9 days post partum for pp depression. I wanted to beast feed so badly so I tried to pump while in the hospital. Talk about pain. I finally had to just give it up which made me so sad because it was my second and last baby. Good luck and dont give up if you can stand it.
D.
It sounds as if your fertility/periods are returning. My nipples were really sore when I started ovulating again-it was short lived-about a week or so, then went back to normal.
i guess im not sure why you are still pumping unless its for the bottle she has
anyway ive read a few places that sometimes thrush has no other symptoms but discomfort in the nipples
it could be your daughters new teeth?
Perhaps you could try a larger size of breast sheild when you pump. I know that worked for me when it hurt when I pumped (the sheild was a little too small, and so it would rub and I would get sore)
Perhaps you are pumping too much? Are you getting a lot of milk when you pump? My nipples tend to hurt if I pump but am not making much milk. Also, I try to match my pumping to my daughter's feedings if I am not with her, to support the supply/demand theory. So if she has two bottles during the day while I'm at work, I pump twice. I don't pump any other time of day if I am with her, or when she wouldn't normally be breastfeeding (bedtime, wakeup if I am away from her). She is also ten months.
Good luck,
M.
A couple of people mentioned the possibility of being pregnant. My first thought was actually that your body is getting ready to ovulate again. Watch for changes in cervical fluid. I bet you'll be fertile within the next week.
When that happened with me, it was my period returning. It didn't last too long.
Hi! I actually stopped pumping around then. She nursed when she wanted to (about twice a day, like you) but didn't really want a bottle anymore. I asked her doctor at her 9 month appointment what to do. Doesn't she need a bottle or two at daycare? He said now that she is eating solids, she is getting her nutrients. If she NEEDED to nurse, she would. So, I didn't want to pump and have to dump, so I just stopped pumping. When she is thirsty, they give her water. She is now 13 months old and is still nursing twice a day (for comfort, mostly) and my milk supply is just as she needs.
Bottom line, I think you probably don't need to pump so much, if at all. Good luck!
My thought also was to ask if you could be pregnant - that causes tender nipples (speaking from experience as a mom who had 2 under 2)...
Hi J.,
This happened to me several months into breast-feeding, and it turned out to be yeast in/on my nipples. Out of the blue they became very red, dry, and sensitive--to the point that I actually started bleeding when I pumped and thought my daughter was biting me when she wasn't! My Dr. Sears book said that new onset of pain in an established breast-feeder was usually an indicator of yeast...so I called my OB for a dose of the oral antifungal (the one they give you for "regular" yeast infections) and my pain was 85% better in one day.
And bonus...my daughter's thrush and diaper rash, which had been very resistant to other therapies, disappeared completely after my one dose of the antifungal!
So, if your pain persists or gets worse, please call your OB or PCP right away and ask for a prescription!
So J., what a lucky lady you are to have her! My daughter, now 28 and a mom of twin boys to be 2 on Monday, nursed until she was 2. I found that my supply changed when I introduced solids. I also found my nipples to go through some changes when I pumped with my youngest, now 21.
I must tell you the first thing that came to mind was that you may be pregnant again! 10 months seems to be when our bodies start to crave a new baby and many women do find themselves with 2 under 2 or less because of that natural craving. Could this be a possibility for you?
It may be that she just isn't needing the supply you are trying to take off for her and you are over pumping. It may be that if you do want to continue to pumping that you need to increase your supply by pumping (this sounds crazy) more often BUT LESS TIME! Try increasing to 6 times if you can. Drink the 2 quarts of water or more, we use to use brewers yeast to increase milk supply but I've noticed on some of the other blogs there are other homeopathic meds to help with that.
Find out what you truly are trying to accomplish and adjust your plan. Go for it girl, you can do it!
R.
