I have a 6 week old daughter and a 17 month old daughter... I breastfed my oldest and now I am doing the same with my 6 week old, so I feel like I can say I know what I am doing.
My issue is that with this baby my letdown in SO painful!
The only way I can describe it is that it feels like acid is dropping down my milk ducts EVERY time my milk lets down!
It burns and stings from way deep within and travels all the way to the nipple. Once the letdown reaches the nipple of course I leak (I know I have over active letdown) and then the pain is gone. The rest of the feedings are fine and pain free. It is only the letdown that makes me want to double over in pain.
I have my 6 week check up tomorrow, so I will ask my OB, but I guess I wanted to know if any other moms have felt this??
Oh and I am not prego!!! :)
Thanks for any insight....
Thanks everyone for all the advice!
I saw my OB today and she said it was pretty normal. I do have over active let down, so this many times goes along with it. My milk is just coming so fast through the ducts that it sets my nerves on end. She said it should get better as my milk starts to regulate itself. Right now it is still all over the place.
I also talked to a lactation consultant and basically she said the same thing. I am doing everything right and breastfeeding is going great, so I just have to kinda work through it.
Neither of them suspected any infection because the pain only happens with the letdown and not the feedings.
I remember very well what painful feedings are like and it was when I got prego with #2 while #1 was only 6 months old :) So this is for sure different.
I will just wait it out and hope it lets up soon!
Thanks again....
I've had it too--totally normal and it did go away (my daughter is 8 weeks now, it's gotten a little better). Hang in there, relax and take some deep breaths when it happens. It's not fun, but it's normal for some of us!
My letdowns were much more painful with my second baby and a lot more frequent. It gets better after a few months; hang in there!!
I know that you already did your update, and I didn't real all the responses, but the ones I saw were talking more about thrush and mastitis.
I also had an overactive letdown (and nipple damage, but that is another post). The letdown was intense! I learned to breathe through it, and try to relax, and keep in mine that this was for the nourishment of my son. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not, but I did start to get used to it, and I always knew when the leaking was about the start. :)
Have you heard of Raynaud's Syndrome - Where your fingers or toes turn W. from lack of circulation? I have that. It was worse when I was younger before being on thyroid medication. When I was breastfeeding it hurt SO badly with every let down. Mine happened whether I was breastfeeding or not. Every let down hurt so badly. I knew I had Raynaud's Syndrome then after my first baby I read about this and nipple vasospasm I figured that had to be it since there was nothing else wrong. Having fall/winter-time babies didn't help either.
J.,
I had this sensation while BF my first born. It turned out that I had mastitis (breast infection) from a clogged duct and bacteria growth. I had to go on antibiotics, and make sure I nursed from the painful side more than the non-painful side.
Be sure to ask you doctor at you appointment, and if you develop a fever, go see her ASAP.
Hope it all works out.
Chrissy
Look into thrush... could be??
I used to have a painful letdown with my son. I thought it would never go away, but after he was about 2-3 months old it got better and finally the pain went away all together. By the time my son was 6 weeks I thought that lactation issues would be resolved as my milk would be in for a while at that point, but my doctor said that it can take a few months for all the issue to resolve themselves and during that time it can be painful. My son is now 4 months and I no longer have any pain during letdown.
I don't have any particular advice, but I can direct you to a few places that might help. First, your OB is unlikely to be helpful. They simply do not have training in lactation consultation, and if they advise you to pump and feed through a bottle, wean, or use medical supplements, their advice can be more harmful than helpful. I would recommend trying one of these places for help.
Call your local La Leche League leader. They are free, well trained, and mamas themselves. You can find a local LLL group at http://www.llli.org/WebUS.html
Many hospitals offer a consultation with a lactation consultant as part of your delivery fee. They may also offer lactation consultation for a fee. Some hospitals have free breastfeeding clinics. Call your local hospital and see what is available.
Search for "painful let down" on www.kellymom.org or www.llli.org. These are both reputable sites that might have some good articles for you.
Finally, have you tried googling "painful milk let down?" Realize that you may or may not be getting reputable websites. Check their credentials.
Best of luck to you and your little one. I hope you get it figured out quickly.
Cheers,
S. L
I had intense let down too, but it was more of a painful tingling feeling. I've also had mastitis, and that was more of a stinging, burning, or "acid" feeling like you describe. Oh, it hurt!!! It did not hurt the whole time I nursed (of course I went into the doctor day after it started, as I did NOT want to get the fever and everything else).
You could always try asking for antibiotics for a couple days. If the pain goes away 24 hours later, you know you had an infection. If not, then you've got some pretty intense letdown! :o
Dear J.,
I just wanted to let you know this is "normal" I have had 6 babies & with each my let down is very intense (ok painful but I do not like the negativity of that word). I always need to press in on my breast with my arms crossed to help with the intensity of the letdown. My theory...I have soooo much milk. And it will come out fast even the babies could not keep up at times. SO when all that milk comes through those tiny milk ducts it is uncomfortable. I hope you find relief and congrats on the new baby!!! :)
Yeah, I have painful letdown too. In fact, my boobs just kind of hurt all the time - like that sore PMS feeling. I'm also nursing my second and it was the same last time. But I do remember it getting better as time went on.
I don't know if there's anything we can do about it. I never asked. I just figure for me, it's part of the whole nursing thing. And it will go away when I'm done nursing.
For me it was like you say for the first 2-3 months with all four of my kids and then went away. If you want to try, though, it might be a clogged milk duct and drinking pineapple juice for a few days will make it go away. Sorry.
I know just what you mean. I experience this too. I'm afraid I don't have any tricks. I talked to both my OB and daughter's Pediatrician about it at different times and they weren't able to offer any advice. I didn't experience this with my first and I breast fed her for 5 mos. My baby is 11mos and we are still breastfeeding full time. I'm not sure if I got used to the let down or if it has gotten better. I'm not sure if that helps you at all. But you're not alone. I'll be eager to read any other responses you get.
