Can I stop bf on 1 side for a couple of days???

[Eltjuh]

Hi all,

I'm pretty sure I have got nipple thrush (and baby has a little thrush in his mouth, very mild though!) - went to see my gp on wednesday, she didn't do a swab of either my nipple or baby's mouth, but she gave me a prescription for Canesten to put on my nipple (I checked with the pharmacy that that's the right one for my nipples and they said it was!)
Anyway, I've been applying that at every feed, even when feeding off the other side as the doctor said I could apply more than the 2 times a day as it says on the box!

I also went to a breastfeeding support group yesterday and got someone to check my latch on that side as my nipple is VERY sore, it really hurts to feed off that side at the moment.
I don't remember it hurting at first when Logan was first born so I'm guessing it's the thrush -- It's a really bad burning feeling, that stays after he finishes feeding aswell!
Sometimes it doesn't seem as bad though so I'm trying to get the best latch possible cause I think it may be a little part of the problem......

Anyway, I was wondering whether I'd be able to stop feeding off that side for a couple of days and pick it back up later, just to give my nipple some rest! My other side is perfectly fine and doesn't hurt at all!
Sometimes my right breast/nipple hurts so much I'm ready to give up breastfeeding alltogether, but I don't really want to do that.....

 

[Rachel_C]

You can but I would expect your supply on that side to take a dive. Some women only ever feed off one side, although it might make them a bit lopsided, so it's not a problem for LO.

I'd probably go for the middle ground - can you express milk from the sore side? Perhaps you could feed LO on that side half as much as you normally would and express for the other feeds to give you a bit of a breather from the pain but still let your boobs know the milk is needed. I would worry that if you just stopped using that side, you would get engorged and your whole boob would be sore then. It could also lead to other problems like blocked ducts.

 

[Eltjuh]

I could possibly express, though I've only got a manual pump and it can take me quite a while to get a decent amount out.... depending when I do it (usually helps if I do it whilst feeding off the other side)
I've thought about doing 2 feeds off the good side and then 1 off the painful one and then another 2 off the good side again (and so on).

I just wish it would stop hurting! I was crying cause it hurt so much last night. And then hubby wanted to give me a cuddle but accidentally brushed past my nipple with his hand (as I was trying to airdry it) and it almost made me cry again!

 

[RCAFWife]

I feel your pain Eltjuh! I was there not so long ago when my DS was about 3 weeks old. My MW gave me a prescription for a nipple cream with an anti-fungal and a pain killer in it and that helped a lot. DS didn't have the white patches in his mouth or anything but I still had that burning after the feed as well. I used ice packs (or Booby Tubes by Earth Mama Angel Baby brand) on the affected boob after a feed, or I would just pump because it was much less painful than having DS nurse on it. The ice helped a lot, as well as making sure the nursing pad I had over that boob was dry. I found when it was wet or even just damp it would make the burning SO much worse But a good latch is very important in reducing the pain too - I consulted a lactation consultant for that since my DS was grabbing only the nipple on just that side (very strange) but had no problems latching with the other boob...

Hope you get some relief soon! I also felt like quitting - I even had a meltdown in the shower and DH found me on the shower floor in tears But once I did all the things I mentioned above, it helped me to continue BF

 

[Eltjuh]

I ended up ringing my health visitor today after the doctors surgery told me they had no appointments until after easter or I could get an emergency appointment on monday morning, but I really wanted to start treating LO as I felt like it was transferring to the other boob aswell! The health visitor ended up ringing the doctors surgery for me and getting me an appointment today - not sure why she managed it when I couldn't!! Anyway, went to see the doctor and he said he wasn't convinced Logan has it (cause he didn't see anything in his mouth) but gave me the prescription for the drops anyway.
I managed to have 2 pretty painless feeds off that side today - even before I got the drops for Logan..... I do think some part of it is the latch, but that seems to get a little better now, I have to pop him off and back on a few times sometimes, but he seems to get it right in the end!

So we're just gonna keep using the drops (he's only had 1 dose so far today as he's only supposed to have 4 doses a day, so one every other feed really as he feeds about every 3 hrs) and keep using the cream!
Fingers crossed it'll be gone soon! though like I said it seems to be a little better already. Either way I'm glad he got the drops because that way even if he didn't have it I could be giving it to him and then we'd be passing it back and forth.

And I was crying on the phone to my health visitor! I just had enough this morning when I rang her and honestly was close to giving up cause I really didn't want to get it on both sides! If I would've had it on both sides I would've given up already I think!

Not entirely sure how long I'm supposed to use it for after the symptoms are gone, cause I know you're supposed to continue for a little while (kinda like anti-biotics) even if the pain is gone. Guess I'll probably use it for another week or so after it's gone!

 

[AriBerri]

That's great that it's getting better! I wonder if perhaps the thrush was making him uncomfortable and so he was latching in a way that was more comfortable for him but obviously worse for you? And maybe the poor latch could have caused some soreness/cracking on the nipples?

Good luck! So glad it seems to be passing

 

[Eltjuh]

Definitely seems to be much better now! I managed to feed him a few times without any pain really... Sometimes, usually the first time he latches on I still get the pain, so I take him off and try again and then it's usually fine!
Not 100% back to normal yet, but so much better! I'm actually not really dreading feeding him off that side anymore, still a little, but that might be more cause I'm scared it might hurt again rather than it actually hurting haha.