Sharp Needle Pain on My Breast.

Do you notice that your nipple turns white as well? If so, it may be nipple blanching. Nipple blanching is caused by a circulatory issue where all the blood quickly drains out of an appendage. In this case, your nipple is now an appendage! :) You can look up nipple blanching or Reynaud's syndrome online.
I found that it was essential to keep my nipple from getting cold. And I found it very helpful to press down on the nipple with my arm immediately after my baby stopped nursing...the same way you might try to stop a leaky breast at an inopportune moment. I had it a lot with my first, not so much with my second. Either way, keeping the nipple warm, applying pressure, and gritting my teeth got me through it. It can be a major cause of early-weaning, but I managed to nurse the first for 2 yrs, 10 months and the second is still going strong at 2 years, 9 months.
Good luck!
Jen

2 moms found this helpful

R.,
Call your OB and get on a Rx for a yeast infection and and Rx for Mastitis now! Or you will be hurting something aweful soon! I had three episodes of yeast infections and mastitis and they are NOT fun and don't forget to treat your little girl at the same time or you two will just pass it back and forth!

YOu probably have mastitis. I just had it 2 weeks ago. ask your doctor. let me know what you find out. I took an antibiotic.

Kasey - New mom, he is 4 months old, I am nursing/pumping

do you have a clogged duct? if you are warm or red in the area it might even have already gone to mastitis. try to massage your breast and see if milk is coming out the way it should be and how it is feeling as you do that. also warm compacts, I know it lets the milk down but it also helps to get the milk flowing again. warm cloth or a hot shower and massage the breast. if it is hot to the touch or red or the pain continues for a couple of days or you get chills or cold symptoms go to your doc and they will get you on an antibiotic for mastitis which is a clogged duct that has gotten infected.

Needlelike pain is actually more often from thush than from a clogged duct. Thrush is a yeast infection that passes back and forth from mom to baby. You might also see white spots or patches on baby's mouth or tongue. Your nipples might also appear flaky, be very itchy, or suddenly crack or bleed. Thrush needs to be treated in BOTH mom and baby, even if one person shows no signs since it is easily transferred back and forth. Physicians usually write a prescription for Nystatin. You can also take a full-spectrum probiotic like Jarro-Dophilus. If you continue to have pain, you might want to mention thrush to your physician. You can also call a La Leche League leader in your local area. They are trained breastfeeding consultants, who are also moms who nursed their own babies. LLL leaders are free to talk to, and many even offer home visits. They are an awesome resource. You can find a local La Leche League group in your area at http://www.llli.org/WebUS.html. The groups are also a great place to make friends and meet other nursing moms.

If you do have a plugged duct or mastitis, the best thing you can do is nurse, Nurse, NURSE! Pumping is a poor second choice to your baby. Baby will do a much better job emptying your breast of milk than a pump will. Offer to fee much more often than normal. Try to have lots of skin-to-skin contact with your baby. If you can wear a sling without wearing a shirt, and you can hold your baby with her in nothing but a diaper, that can really help stimulate nursing. Pumping can help, but nursing will do the job much more effectively!! Also, rest as much as you can. (I know, not easy! I have an older child too.) Mastitis is often a sign that a mom is doing too much and her body can't cope with the load. Try to lay down with your baby (shirtless, for that skin-to-skin contact) as much as possible, so that both of you can rest. I often laid down on the couch with my baby while my older daughter played in the living room. I didn't *usually* sleep, but it was rest, and it helped!

Best of luck,
S.

You've had great responses already. I will just add that if it is a plugged duct, it always helped me to position the baby to nurse with their nose pointed toward the pain - the baby gets the strongest suction in that direction to help move the plug out. If you can't work that out, pointing the chin in the direction of the plug is the next best option.

call ask a nure ###-###-#### or call your lactation specialist

My son & I had thrush and it was a searing pain in my boob. You might just want to research it and rule it out. It's really a pain.

It may be helpful to read kellymom.com, they have a lot of info on clogged ducts. In my experience clogged ducts cause more general breast pain, but mastitis causes the pain you are describing. Definitely check the symptoms listed for both issues, and call your doc, because you really want to nip mastitis in the bud. Good luck! Also, nursing with your breast dangling straight down into baby's mouth helps clear most clogged ducts. The best way is to get on hands and knees over the baby to feed, but it isn't very comfortable for long.

It could be a clogged duct, as other mom's suggested. But if the pain persists, gets worse, or you develop any fever, get to the doc PRONTO. It could develop into mastitis, or an infection in the breast. Very normal, especially with second time moms - I had it with my secong and third, but a whole lot of no fun. It requires a doctor diagnosis and antibiotics. But keep breast feeding her starting on that side - even if it is mastitis, it won't hurt her, and not nursing on that side can make it worse!

If it is the start of a plugged duct, many moms find it helpful to use a c-hold and breast compression to help keep milk moving out through all ducts so bacteria does not grow. You just hold your hand in the shape of a C (fingers on one side, thumb on the other) and use this shape to hold your breast as you nurse or pump. Gently compress and hold your breast for a count of 10 to 20, then release, and shift your hold to a different part of your breast. Many moms find this useful for fighting off plugged ducts and also for maintaining interest in feeding from a sleepy baby.
I think the other suggestions are great--if this doesn't clear up, you will want to consult with your care provider to rule out an infection such as staph or perhaps even thrush. As you work on getting to the root of the problem to eliminate it, you can remember that ibuprofen is compatible with breastfeeding.
La Leche League has reliable breastfeeding info and all their services are free. Check out www.llli.org and you can find a local number to contact for a live consultation, and/or you coul do a search on "thrush," "plugged duct" or "staph" on their Web site and see if symptoms match what you're dealing with and read through the treatment protocols.
I'm sorry you're hurting--good for you for nursing your baby! Keep us posted!

I think all of the suggestions are great. If they don't work you might have a bigger problem. I was breastfeading my third child and one day it started to hurt like you have described. I let it go for a couple of days. Emptied everytime I nursed him. Took warm showers and anything else you can think of. One morning I was nursing and the pain started to come so bad I had to take him off and start again. I could barely finish without crying. I called the Dr. and had my Milk tested. I had a staff infection in my milk. I had to take medication and my son had to take medication. It was a long process and because he was a premature baby I decided after two weeks of pumping and giving him the milk and afraid that he would get sick that I would not nurse any more. The Dr. said once you have a staff in your milk it can come back.

My suggestion: If you don't get better and the pain worsens ask the Dr. and make a suggestion to get your milk tested. It is so painful unless you have it you have no idea what the pain is like.
Good Luck!

See a lactation specialist or your doctor. Until you can see one of these people, take an ibuprofin, take a bath, massage your breast, etc.

When I was breastfeeding, I experienced sharp needlelike pain, and it was an infection. A midwife friend of mine had an awesome old-school remedy that worked like magic. You shred cabbage (I remember using purple cabbage; I don't remember if that's what she suggested, or just what I chose) and potatoes and put it inside your bra. It is quite messy but it works! Not quite sure why; something about it drawing out the toxins...sounds like massaging and continuing to breastfeed has helped it, but if it does return, I would give this a try!