I am just curious about pain during letdown. My little one is now 6 weeks old, and when my milk lets down (like when he cries, or I look at him practically!) its rather painful. Does this go away eventually, or will it always be uncomfortable when my milk lets down?
Thank you everyone for the advice. I hope in 4 weeks, it will be gone! :) So for now, I'll just try and drink more water. I thought I was the only one with this pain. I catch myself clutching my breasts randomly in public, at work, wherever, because applying pressure seems to help. lol. Hopefully I won't be clutching myself after 3 months.
yep, it does. With my second, it was just a gushing feeling. I think the advice about water intake is a good one.
At least for me, it comes and goes. My daughter is 11.5 mos. old and the sensation of let down is so much less now. Although when I do feel it, it is definitely stronger than in the beginning. Hang in there!
It gets better as time goes on. It will be more like a tingling feeling that you get used to rather than being painful. I can't remember how long the painful part lasts though.
My letdown always felt like when you bite into a lemon and your salivary glands go nuts...except it's in your boobs. Is that what it feels like? It does get less intense as time goes on, and everntually goes away. My son just turned 2 and I'm still nursing him to sleep at night, and I can't even feel a letdown anymore.
Good for you for nursing your baby!
hi there, I had something similar happen to me when my son was that age. Only I would get uncomfortable tinngle. I would feel this right where the milk was stored.Anyhow I had learned thar rhis was normal and it was my body making more milk. You know you make milk while your baby is nusring. Also the sensation will go away and eventually you won't even notice yet.We still nusre and now i don't even notice when i have a let down. I hope that helps.
I have a 13 week old baby so I feel your pain. Ha,ha! It feels like it's burning inside sometimes? Just keep them nursing and it subsides. I remember either getting used to it or it just plain getting better as the months go by. Baby is probably overwhelmed with the amount of milk. Good luck! Stick to it!
Don't worry the painful letdown will go away as your body gets more used to nursing! :) Keep up the good work! I think it completley stopped hurting for me when my dd was 3 months old or so. God bless, M.
yes.... and it should get better with each kid... try putting a warm washcloth on your breasts right before the time you area bout to feed him - or a dry one warmed up in the dryer to help soak up the leaking... your body is still getting used to how much you need to produce for him, so hang in there.
J. - mother of 5
It'll get better. The pain turns to a tingle. Then there isn't even a tingle. It's only uncomfortable right now because your body is trying to figure out how much milk it needs to produce for your baby.
Mine was uncomfortable to the point of pain as well, especially when he was at that age where he was eating ALOT. Once we started baby food and he wasnt drinkin as much it eased a bit, course we weined at 9 months partly due to his full mouth of teeth and partly due to his inability to hold still for 5 min when there was so much to learn.
I had so much pain with let down, it hurt so much I would grimace and dread it. It absolutely will go away around 3 months. I don't even feel the let down anymore. Good luck, A.
It may just be soreness, but if the pain increases (especially if it becomes more constant or stronger), you might have thrush. I had it for months (and it is AWFUL) before I figured out how to cure it. If you find out you have that, just make up a bottle of 1 part white vinegar and six parts water. Use cotton balls to apply it on yourself before and after nursing (or whenever you feel a twinge of pain). It will take a few weeks to get rid of it completely, but this treatment will decrease the pain significantly in twenty-four hours.
Like I said, I don't know that it's thrush. But if the pain gets worse, this is the BEST remedy...believe me, I've been through every treatment out there.
Good luck!
hi, I had painful milk letdown with both of my children. The first 3 months were noticible, but by the end of the 3rd month with each baby, I hardly noticed the pain anymore. I think the pain was probably worse with my first baby. Your milk should probably be pretty well regulated by the 3rd month. I was even able to stop wearing nursing pads - yey! good luck & remember that you're giving your little one a very special gift, even though it can truly be a tough sacrifice some days!
K. C.
It will get a little better with time. Your milk supply will lower to what your son needs instead of having MEGA MILK. Also, you get used to it after a while. It is always more uncomfortable when you are engorged (or close to it). Good luck.
S.,
My letdown pain was awful, especially with my first baby. It will get better, but probably not until your baby is drinking a bit less milk, when they start some solid food. I believe it's a sign that you have an abundance of milk that's rocketing out (at least in my case) which is a good thing. So, hang in there my dear, and thankyou so much for breastfeeding! Our culture needs all the milk we can get.
Try compressing the nipple that you are not nursing your son with. It can be difficult at first, but with time, and practice, and development, it gets better for you both.
Praise Yah for the abundance in milk you have for your little son. May he grow and be nourished at your breast. And may you enjoy those precious snuggley moments with your little one.
aloha, mama. i imagine this is your first little one, and so those ducts have really never been used. i can still feel it when my milk drops (only once my eightteen month old son is nursing, not all willy-nilly like it used to be) but there is no more pain. if i remember correctly, the discomfort only lasted a couple months, so it will hopefully ease up for you soon! keeping your breasts warm can help to prevent any clogging of the ducts, which can be very painful, so might i suggest wool nursing pads? they are super absorbant (so you don't have to worry about leaking) and help to keep you warm which should make for an easier flow. happy nursing!!
Yes, it goes away eventually. It took me 3-4 months before my supply regulated itself to the actual amount needed. I could still feel the let-down sensation until my son was 2 or so (he nursed until he was 3), but it was more like slight pressure than pain. Stick with it, breast feeding is a wonderful thing. :)
For the first few months I felt "burning" whenever I would let down but the pain would pass once my son started to nurse. I can't remember exactly when it wasn't painful but I think after a few months. I could still feel the letdowns but it wasn't a painful feeling. I nursed for two years so after a while I didn't feel the letdowns at all.
No worries. It will eventually go away. At the beginning and it is the most uncomfortable and weird feeling only another mother could empathize with. You will still feel that general pain but it shouldn't feel as bad as you feel it now. Anytime I looked at my baby girl or a commercial got me emotional, I felt my breasts start to leak and it felt the same way as the let down, at least at the beginning. Congrats on your new little one! Enjoy!
This is the pins and needles sensation, and it stuck around for about 6 months with me. It would be the worst during growth spurts, when increased demand from my baby would lead to increased milk production and increased pain during letdown. I nursed for two years, so the last 18 months were relatively comfortable.
It was always a little uncomfortable in the first moments for me!
I remember having some pain in the first few months but it was more of a tingle in the later months. I would get that let down feeling even if I heard another baby cry. Enjoy this time if you can. Good for you!
As I recall with both of my kids the first few months were the time for painful or uncomfortable letdowns. By about 4-5 months out it was a lot better and eventually I barely felt letdown, but still had plenty of milk! Don't think that you must feel a letdown in order for milk to be flowing. You're body starts matching what your baby needs and you won't feel as much of the letdown.
Hi S.,
It has been awhile but from what I remember - the more dehydrated I was the more pain I felt during let down. Try upping your water intake and see if this helps! Good luck!
M.
I am in the same boat- my baby is 10 weeks old) but it does let up and eventually your milk won't come in until your baby is starting to nurse, and it won't be painful.
Hang in there, it's worth it :)
