Sore Boob

[maggie111]

Baby is 3 weeks old now, and feeding what feels like all the time He had tongue tie which got fixed but I still think he's having an issue with his latch as he's feeding for 30 minutes, falls asleep, wakes up 20 minutes later to feed on the other boob and then feeds for another 30 minutes... Repeat after an hour or 2 (or 3 if I'm super lucky)

Anyway, he woke up this morning, I gave him my right breast which was feeling really sore, he fed, went to sleep, it still felt sore so I put him back on it when he woke up 30 minutes later and he fed again. It was still sore

I've since fed him on it again, and I have tried pumping to drain it and didn't get much out - so now I wonder if I'm having the start of an infection or something?

I've looked up the symptoms and can't see any red blotchiness to indicate an infection. It feels hard to me - but then it's very sensitive to touch.

I did see a yellow blotch in my breast pad yesterday - but when I hand expressed some milk it was normal coloured and I haven't seen anything since - I decided it was just something that fell down my top or something but with the pain today... I just don't know.

Feel like I'm going mad or something. I'm getting so frustrated with his feeding habits, this pain really seems unfair on top of everything else.

 

[staralfur]

First of all, his feeding pattern sounds completely normal for a newborn. Especially at 3 weeks as there is a huge growth spurt. It's exhausting but it doesn't last forever.

Can you feel a lump or anything in the sore breast? It definitely sounds like a blocked duct. You can try having a hot shower and massaging your breast. Continue feeding frequently from the affected breast. If you start to feel sick (fever, flu symptoms) then contact your doctor.

 

[maggie111]

He's had 11 nursing sessions so far since midnight - all of them lasting 20 minutes + ... That can't be normal?? (It's only 5pm here in UK.)

I really thought he went through his newborn growth spurt last weekend.

On the positive side, my breast feels better. I remember a midwife said ages ago about trying different positions to help drain all the milk ducts. I've just fed him under my arm and my boob is still sore but feels much better - I think he's not been emptying it for some reason.

 

[staralfur]

Yep, normal. My LO used to feed from 10pm-7am non-stop and then every hour in the day during growth spurts. It doesn't seem like they could possibly need to feed that much, but your supply is still coming in and it's the only way to build it. As long as he's having enough wet/dirty diapers and gaining weight then there's no problem with the amount of feeds he's having.

It is possible that if his latch is not quite right he's not emptying the breast as efficiently. Do you have an LC or somewhere you could pop into to check the latch?

 

[hobbnob]

No that is normal. My lo didn't slow down till 6 weeks. They go through several growth spurts that first month.