Breastfeeding Mothers Experiencing Persistent Pain

“I have had mastitis twice in 5 weeks post partum. I just wanna say to anyone else who’s had to go through this, you’re so strong. This is the hardest thing in the world, not feeling well enough for at least 48 hours til the meds kick in to even be able to pick up your baby. Then the boob pain making contact naps so painful & praying it heals up right. I never expected my post partum to be like this, my husbands boss was thankfully willing to let him be partially home the two days it took to”

“Hey yall! I've had severe mastitis (high fever, flu like symptoms, haed/lumpy/painful red breast) for 5 days. Saw the doc on day 3 and got antibiotics. Starting in day 2 my typically high supply dropped dramatically- I'm talking pumping 2-3 oz after a feed, per side, to pumping 0-1 oz per side without feeding. The fever and flu like symptoms are improving, the breast not as much. But the supply drop is on both sides. Has anyone had this happen and had their supply return to normal? I&#39”

“I have mastitis and have been mostly pumping as it’s been too excruciating to latch baby. Just looked at my pump after finishing a session and saw this 🤮 green clumps - picture in comments. has anyone experienced this? Should I stop latching entirely and pump and dump? I’m disgusted submitted by /u/Valuable-World6842 [link] [comments]”

“Just wondering if anyone has gone through something similar and would love to hear positive outcomes. Last week I got mastitis, I didn’t feed/pump for around 6 hours because I just wanted to sleep and of course I got a clogged duct that turned into mastitis (husband fed the baby previously pumped milk during my long slumber). My baby is 3.5 weeks old now and since the mastitis, my supply has absolutely tanked. For the first few days it seemed fine, the breast with the clogged duct didn’t produce”

“Having my own I&D on Thursday. Looking for any experiences anyone has had with this procedure, what recovery looks like, were you able to keep breastfeeding or pumping, anything you wish you had known going into it, did it really get rid of the abscess? (I’ve been dealing with mine since 7/10 so it feels like forever) submitted by /u/Small_Ad0510 [link] [comments]”

“Baby is three weeks old and has not had a proper latch. There is constant nipple pain, constant pinching of the nipple once baby comes off…. But baby is gaining proper weight. I exclusively pumped with my first because exclusively breast-feeding was difficult and I was determined this time to not go down that road for my mental health. But when is enough enough? I have done consultations with the lactation consultant, but it didn’t seem to help much… submitted by /u/InternationalPay1”

“If you’ve struggled with mastitis, would you breastfeed your next baby? I pumped with my first and got mastitis a couple times Then I EBF my second and got mastitis like 5-6 times. It was rough. We are trying for our third and I’m seriously considering formula. I don’t want to have to deal with the scare of mastitis and pain and all that. It makes me very nervous and I also don’t want to be on antibiotics repeatedly. I feel so bad because I LOVE breastfeeding. The bond, connection also no bottle”

“My doctor just diagnosed me with mastitis and is prescribing me antibiotics. The other advice is cooling and making sure my breast is properly emptied. Now my question/issue: baby is 10 months and only drinks on one side at a time. Most of his breastfeeding is at night. So he is drinking the affected side at 9 am and the next session on that side is at 7:30 pm. He only drinks once during the day at 2 pm. Should I pump in between? I don’t want to up my production but I also want to go too long be”

“Hey guys hoping for some help and advice on this one, I'm 6 weeks pp only just after finishing my Third dose of antibiotics from an infected c section so Baba has been dealing with this too, breastfeeding wasn't too bad once I figured out the latching thing. I used a breat pump at 4 weeks no more than 6 times but it's has left my nipples sore cracked, inflamed and I'm on the verge of tears ever time it's feeding time now, I've stopped using the pump and my hubby has sourc”

“Not ready to give up but need some real advice on what to do here. I'm not sure I can rely on what the drs are telling me about what is going on I had a lump, confirmed benign cyst by biopsy, however biopsy caused mastitis - 5 day course of antibiotics Mastitis cleared but boob turned very lumpy and hard, went back to the clinic, another ultrasound and more samples were taken by needle Confirmed multiple galactoceles - told to keep feeding as normal and come back in 3 months for review 2nd d”

“LO is 3.5 months old, and I was first diagnosed with mastitis about a month ago. I originally went to my OB because I had a hard lump in my right breast that had become somewhat painful. She examined me, prescribed dicloxacillin, and sent me to the ER. They did an ultrasound and found a solid mass but no fluid. I was then referred to a breast center. At the breast center, they repeated the ultrasound and found a small amount of fluid (about 5 mL), which they removed with a fine-needle aspiration”

“Baby born 7/4 and had mastisis by 7/10. It was really fast. Was on two different antibiotics over three weeks which ended with me having an abscess drained late July. I have been seen by a breast specialist and a follow up ultrasound basically showed a milk filled cyst. It has been stable since early August, but never gone away. 48 hours ago it started hurting. I was put on antibiotics and it kept getting worse and had to have the abcess drained tonight at the ER. It had gotten alot bigger and w”

“Hello I know this is probably more for the women but I really want to help my wife out. We had our daughter about 6 weeks ago and she is mostly pumping due to breast feeding being difficult because my daughter has a high pallet, slight lip and a farther back tongue tie. ( we want to fix it but in Washington state all insurances are denying the procedure to fix the lip and tongue ties and it’s very expensive) anyways she was always a slight over suppler getting about 3-4 ounces sometimes 5 on bot”

“My nipples/areolas feel like shards of glass (specifically the right but starting on the left now too). Saw LC and OB and was told it’s just Montgomery glands and use hydrocortisone cream 2x a day. Shower water hurts, my clothing hurts, the pain is excruciating. Any tips/tricks for relief? TIA!!! submitted by /u/kat_sickle [link] [comments]”

“I weaned very slowly over the course of about two months and fully finished 2 weeks ago. For the past two days, one of my breasts has been very sore. I thought it was because my 13m old laid on it with an elbow really hard the other day but I was just feeling around and felt a hard knob on the underside of my breast. I've had mastitis twice before but both times the lump was bright red. All of my pumping supplies and everything has been put into storage. I'm also on my period which somet”

“Whenever baby latches on the right breast there is this shooting type of pain for more than week. I am feeding exclusively from left breast and pumping the right side. Today I tried feeding from right still the pain persists. I couldn’t locate the pain, seems more on the areola than the nipple. My LC consulted online told it is latching issue but I am not sure. I couldn’t find the source of the pain. No engorgement or clogged ducts but I suspect areola trauma. submitted by /u/Budget-”

“I have severe breast pain and I can feel several lumps in my breast. When I pump, only a small amount of milk comes out, and I keep finding a sticky lump of milk at the nipple after pumping. This happens every time I pump. I’ve been dealing with this for 1 day and half now, and I also have a headache. The pain is so severe that I can’t sleep. I’m crying rn, I tried using a cup filled with hot water as a warm compress, but it didn’t help. I’ve also tried breastfeeding my baby directly, but he cri”

“Hello all, here I am on reddit seeking answers because no one in real life has had any. I have had a milk bleb on my right nipple that started about 12 days ago. It has turned into 3 milk blebs that look like craters on my nipple with yellow stuff inside. I've been in touch with 2 lactation consultants and saw one in person and she recommended seeing a physician. I am living abroad in Korea and breastfeeding isn't a big thing out here, so I'm having a hard time finding a provider tha”

“I woke up last night to a very painful spot on my breast which was quite hard. My LO slept four hours so I just assumed I was engorged due to her not feeding from the breast for a couple hours longer than normal. She’s been drinking from it today and it’s softened but it’s still really painful in the same spot. It’s a bit red in that area. It doesn’t hurt when she feeds but it hurts to touch it. Is it worth a GP visit or should I see how I go? Going to take some ibuprofen and try an ice pack &#3”

“Lucky me, I got mastitis a week out of postpartum. I finished my round of antibiotics last week but I still have lingering pain. It ranges from a stinging feeling in my nipple to a burning sensation near my armpit, flares up when I BF too much but pumping is OK. My supply in this breast is also consistently lower than the other one. I’m frustrated. My other breast is great and I can confidently BF on that one, the nipple pain is even starting to get better. But because of the broken boob I find”

“It’s CONSTANT and HURTS / aches submitted by /u/DancingUkulele [link] [comments]”

“I’m a first-time mum, three months postpartum after a C-section, and I’ve been struggling with painful breast and nipple issues for about two months. I’ve also had problems with low milk supply. My doctor prescribed me some medication to help increase my supply, and I’m still taking it throughout all of these issues. It started with white, stringy material on my left nipple and pain in that breast. Initially, I thought it was a milk bleb. The white material later appeared on my right nipple too,”

“On Friday I woke up for my under inner area of my left breast tender. I started icing and ibuprofen right away. I’m at about 48 hours. The area is still slightly tender. It also seems like my supply dropped on this side. How long can I expect the soreness and will my supply come back shortly after? No sign of fever or infection. I also never noticed a lump or an area of firmness. submitted by /u/Medical-Mongoose-486 [link] [comments]”

“This is the second time this has happened, but I’m not sure it’s a clogged duct. I have a spot under my boob that is so sore and tender to touch. It feels almost inflamed. I don’t have a hard spot and it’s not red or hot to the touch so that’s why I’m not sure if it’s a clogged duct. I’ve been using ibuprofen and icing it which helped it last time after about 2 days, but I just wanted some insight on if this is a clogged duct or something else submitted by /u/Old-Button9854 [link] &#”

“I'm ~8 weeks PP and EBF. About a month ago, I had a definite clogged duct on the left breast -- achy breast, tender spot with some redness/warmth, pain -- that went away with ice/rest/ibuprofen/tylenol. The redness truthfully never fully went away but didn't worsen, just became oddly dry, almost like eczema but with minimal to no itching? Anyway, last week redness on the left returned and expanded. now have a distinct wedge-shaped patch of redness on the left breast. It is maybe slightly”

“4 weeks pp, 2 weeks ago I got mastitis and a huge lump persisted even after antibiotics, sunflower lecithin, and trying to work out the clog. I went to my doctor this week because it started to really hurt and turn red again so I’m on another round of antibiotics. I went in for an ultrasound yesterday and they said it’s a galactocele. I’m super bummed because all of what I read is there really isn’t anything you can do about it. This is my last baby and I really don’t want to stop nursing. I gue”

“Hello! Before saying anything, I went to the dr today and am waiting on some cultures and already started antibiotics for mastitis, I just am curious about something! I had a 99.3 temp last night and felt achy and chills but no other symptoms. Then I woke up and it was back to 98.6, then it went back up to 99.4, then 100.1 so I made an appt with my ob. Now, I guess you could say there is a slightly tender spot on my breast but it’s not hot, I can’t feel a lump, And no redness. The night before l”

“Hi, does anyone have any experience of a galactocele or breast milk cyst? Would love to know what you did, if you ended up getting an aspiration or how you treated it. Mine is the size of a small kiwi fruit very lumpy. I am awaiting to get an ultrasound next week +/- aspiration. I can’t find much online but some people have said it fills right back up after an aspiration. Is it worth it? Feeling nervous and eager to know anyone who has experienced this. Thank you so much. submitted by &#32”

“13 months breastfeeding, I had a little experience of a lump/fever/chills at the start but it passed with treatment at home in a few days. Recently my baby has started sleeping 4 hour stretches (🙃) and I woke up at 2am last night with the most unbelievable pain from my nipple radiating under my breast. Within 2 hours I was dizzy, shaking, freezing under 3 blankets, but sweating, my breast was as heavy as a boulder. I went to out of hours and am currently waiting for a pharmacy to open to start”

“Hi everyone! As the tittle says, I’ve been breastfeeding for 4 weeks and I still can’t get the hold of a good latch, can’t really figure out breastfeeding. I honestly feel so dumb because I’ve seen two different lactation consultants (I’m seeing a third one today), pay out of pocket over 1000 dollars to release his tongue and lip tie and I’ve watched so many videos about getting a good latch, yet I can’t figure it out. I can’t get him to get a good latch and it hurts a lot at times. Should I giv”

“Hi everyone. I could really use some advice from other moms who have experienced clogs and mastitis before. I’m a FTM and my baby is 6 weeks old. I got mastitis when she was 4 weeks old and I’ve had 4 more clogs since then, all in different spots. I’ve just gotten my biggest clog on my “good breast” which is why I’m making this post for advice. I swear I feel like I’ve done everything. Position changes, ice, NSAIDS, sunflower lecithin, Epsom soak (not haakaa). The lactation consultant I was seei”

“I feel so hopeless 😔 I'm 3 weeks postpartum and unfortunately have developed mastitis in my right breast, which even more unfortunately is (was 😭) my main producing breast. my left is a complete slacker. I used a haaka when dealing with previous nipple damage and I could get 2oz out of the right on average but only 0.5oz if that from my left. I tried the haaka today while baby gave us 6 hours of sleep and I could only get the 0.5oz from my left. I got basically nothing from my right. I kno”

“I feel so bad for not seeing this, I kept nursing her through several weeks of recurrent clogged ducts and I saw some signs - her clothes were fitting her pretty much the same, and she put her hand in her mouth a lot, but she didn’t cry or anything, so I thought it was developmental. I gave her a bottle of formula after a feed but she didn’t drink any. Went for her 2 month well visit and she only gained 0.45oz a day for the past month. I feel so guilty. Doctor said to supplement after each feed”

“I have been dealing with mastitis for damn near a month now. I first noticed/developed it on a Thursday. I went in the next day to a clinic bc I had a very high fever, 103. I was prescribed an antibiotic and told if it got worse or didn’t start clearing up or got worse to go to the ER. A day or two later it hit 104 and I went to the ER. I received iv antibiotics and was put on sepsis watch. Felt fine almost the whole next week until the weekend it got bad again and went back to the ER. I was pre”

“I’ve been working longer hours without breastfeeding and a couple days ago I developed a hard lump in my breast. I couldn’t feed baby right away so I had to wait a fews hours. I ended up with chills, nausea, headache, body aches and redness on my breast. She fed a lot though and it all resolved in its own within 24 hours. Now I had work again today and then had to take my oldest to a class right after work so I was only able to feed for a short time. There’s rock hard lumps in my boob going all”

“Hi All, My Wife is a new BF mom. Baby is a month old, and BF has been a challenge, but determined to continue. She's had mastitis once already and now have 2 newly formed lumps on her breast. My research makes me think its Galactocele, but she will have a proper diagnosis this week from an ultrasound. She does not pump, only BF. Our child BF's about 8-10 times a day, is gaining weight, and has at least 6 wet diapers a day....so this makes us think enough milk is coming out. But how can f”

“Looking for some anecdotal support from you all as I am beginning to feel discouraged that this clogged duct will ever clear. Here’s my story: It was almost two weeks that I had a clogged duct before it became mastitis. I was in denial that that’s what it was. I thought perhaps my boob was just bruised from my toddler climbing on me. I felt the tenderness and saw redness, but didn’t feel a lump. So, I didn’t do slicing to treat it expect feed her from that side first each feeding. Then, I go to”

“This is my first breastfeeding journey. I’m about 2 months pp. I basically exclusively pump, but do match baby sometimes. Today I woke up with pain on my left nipple when pumping. A decent amount of pain. As the day went on, I felt sore and tired and blah. I went to take a shower and seen one singular red line on my breast and took my temp. 100.1 I did put a message in the portal for my OB to see tomorrow. But does this sound like mastitis? submitted by /u/Embarrassed_Data_246 [link]”

“I don't even know how but it hurts so bad and is definitely damaged. Breastfeeding is excruciating and now I think I'm not letting him fully empty me out, so I'm worried about clogged ducts. I don't think I can stomach pumping like this. Anyone deal with something similar? submitted by /u/CapitalClaims [link] [comments]”

“Hi all! First time mom to an almost 8 week old over here. Our breast-feeding journey has been going really well thus far, apart from severe pain when latching on the right side due to a wound that opened up within the first 2 weeks of breastfeeding. I’ve had several appointments with lactation consultants, and at the last one, she recommended I go to my OB to get a culture taken to see if there might be an infection since the wound on that side won’t heal up (we’ve worked through the tension bab”

“About a month ago, I got a horrible breast abscess from breastfeeding that landed me in the hospital for many days. I thought the worst was over, but the infection came back and I started antibiotics again. And, now, I’m seeing the very small beginnings of something on the other breast and more antibiotics. Has anyone been through something like this and beat the infections successfully and not have to stop breastfeeding? I really, really, really don’t want to stop. The benefits for baby, the co”

“Worse than newborn struggles uggghhhh. I had to shut down one side already because I had a laceration around the base of the nipple that was excruciating and would not heal despite treating with BM & nipple cream and feeding less on that side. Now I have a clogged duct, which seems to be advancing to mastitis, on the other side?! Why. I wasn’t planning to wean for another few months, but I guess this is my sign 😅🥲 submitted by /u/abra-cadabra-84 [link] [comments]”

“I have what I assume to be a clogged nipple pore/milk bleb. Woke up in a lot of pain and engorged on that boob and have a white zit sized dot in the center. I’ve gotten most of the pain to go away by massaging & nursing. Does the white dot eventually go away? submitted by /u/DearAprilSideA [link] [comments]”

“As the title says, I’ve had consistent sore spots in various places on my breasts that randomly pulse with pain. Towards the end of nursing they will also burn. I had mastitis 2 weeks ago, that’s over and finished antibiotics. For some context I EBF, and have very large breasts. Wondering if I’m getting clogged ducts? Even with mastitis I never felt a definitive lump. I tend to sleep on my side but because of large breasts this still puts pressure on one of them. Anything I can do to keep this f”

“I have had a crack on my nipple for a week and this morning it had pus. Called my OB and they said rest it, use polysporin, and use a nipple shield if I do nurse or I can pump instead. Tried to pump with several different flanges and couldn’t get anything. Then I tried the shield. My 14 month old started SCREAMING. He got so freaked out he started flailing and crying so hard. And now he won’t nurse from it. So I’ve gone 24 hours without removing milk from my left breast. I can’t get anything out”

“I’m preparing to breastfeed again, and since my first (stopped feeding around 2 years ago) I’ve had a scar on one nipples where it repeatedly had split and re-healed. It keeps ‘opening‘ (peeling the top layer of skin off, say in the shower, and not bleeding but with more delicate and very thin layer of skin below). Im worried it’s going to immediately split as soon as i breastfeed again. has anyone had this and any suggestions of what it might be? submitted by /u/Abbacadabra272 [link”

“I’ve mastitis on my right breast and I’ve been taking ibuprofen. Still keep nursing and pumping as usual. However, my left breast, the one doesn’t have mastitis, has significantly dropped the milk supply, like over 50%. What’s going on? I’m so stressed out because I’m going back to work next week and I’m afraid that I don’t have enough for my baby… submitted by /u/ElevatorLife9279 [link] [comments]”

“Hi everyone, I have a case of mastitis, 3 days ago i started feeling the pain in my breast and started doing ibuprofen and ice, but unfortunately i woke up the next day to body aches, chills, headache, low grade fever. I called my doctor and he prescribed me antibiotics, it’s been 48 hours and while my systemic symptoms improved, no more body aches/chills… the pain in my breast is still awful. It feels like a deep severe bruise. Is this concerning? Does it usually take longer for the pain to sub”

“Hello everyone I am a first time mom so sorry if my question sounds dumb. I had mastitis surgery 2 months postpartum on my right breast. After that my breast was not producing milk after trying many times so I gave up and only breastfeed my daughter from my left breast. I just stopped breastfeeding 2 weeks so my daughter is now 15 months. My breast are both very different sizes like very noticeable. In my bra my left breast always pops out but my right breast stays in place that’s how noticeable”

“If your baby had a shallow latch, did it ever get better?? All the professionals we’ve seen say that my baby’s latch will get better with time. He’s 6 weeks old and I’m exhausted from the pain and poor milk transfer/supplementing 😩 submitted by /u/sunshine5023 [link] [comments]”

“I remember from my first child that the pain went slowly away from week 6 pp. But why? I still don‘t know. Now I‘m 3 weeks pp with my second and I‘m just about to throw in the towel. I‘m a mental wreck. Meltdown before every latching because I‘m so afraid of the pain. I‘ve seen three lactation consultants and used a low level laser and nothing really helped. Is it an angle wrong by 2deg or a milimetre offset when latching? Can this be crucial? Also, the debate around MM/lanolin/just air/breast d”

“I’m pretty close to giving up. My one breast is always heavy and engorged. I just got another clog. The left one is producing less and less she has no interest in that one. My nipples are red and sore. I’m defeated. 7 weeks pp submitted by /u/Abject_Willow_2082 [link] [comments]”

“I’m at my wits end with mastitis. Started with a red lump on right breast 2 weeks ago. Went to the OB and they prescribed antibiotics. I was also doing ice and ibuprofen and nursing like normal. The right breast improved only for the left to have the hardest ridge going from my armpit to my nipple the following day. Same protocol, ice and rest, keeping the antibiotics of course. For the past 10 days the redness/hardness/soreness just keeps changing place on the left breast, literally doing the r”

“I am now five weeks postpartum. We had dealt with poor latch for the first few weeks, but it’s been pretty good the last week and a half, generally no pain with the latch. Sometimes it’s a bit pinchy, but I can un latch and relatch little one. about four days ago I started getting this pain on the top of my breast. It is not engorged. I can’t really feel a clogged duct, but it is warm at times. Very sensitive to touch it almost feels like a burn. I have been icing it and taking Advil, but I’m no”

“What title says, pretty dramatic I know. But the pain is borderline unbearable. I messaged my doctor on Sunday and haven’t heard anything back. I use warm compresses, apply moisture lotion before pumping and feeding baby. I’m almost 9 months pp and have never had this issue. It’s only on one nipple but when one heals 3 more pop up. I currently have multiple all on my nipple and it’s just so painful. I don’t want to stop breastfeeding and I honestly don’t know if that’s even really an option as m”

“I'm at a complete loss on what to do. I'm 4 weeks pp and 3 weeks ago I had pain and redness in my right breast with a small lump but no fever or flu-like symptoms.I had a telehealth appt with an obgyn and she thought it was inflammatory mastitis. She told me to follow the BAIT method and it seemed to go away a few days later. A week later it came back in the same spot and I had a sizeable firm lump with more redness. Still no fever or flu-like symptoms but I insisted on an in-person appo”

“My baby is 6 weeks old, feeding enthusiastically and gaining well since birth! However I’ve had significant nipple pain the entire time. My nipples are cracked and no amount of lanolin of silverettes makes a difference 😭 I’ve seen two LCs and his latch looks good from the outside but always hurts and my nipples come out lipstick shaped. We had a tongue tie snipped 5 days ago after advice from LC and I was really hoping that would be the answer to my pain, but things are feeling the same and I’m”

“Has anyone experienced this? I’ve had 2 periods so far at 10 and 11ish months postpartum and both time i’ve gotten mastitis. Last time it was only on one side and this time I am struggling with both sides. The inflammation on one side has gone down but it’s still a little sore and now I’m waiting to see how the other side goes down. Last time it took a few days but went away on its own and i’m not concerned about it being bacterial. Does anyone have any experience with this? Or anyone know why t”

“Before I get into it - I’ve already seen my doctor and received a breast ultrasound with normal results! I’m curious if anyone else has experienced this since the doctor didn’t have any answers. I’ve been breastfeeding for 6 months and have had a fair amount of boob issues. Nipples have been fine but I’ve constantly had clogs, engorgement, and pretty intense pain. The clogs were the worst part. For the first 4 months it was normal for me to have hot, red, grape-sized lumps multiple times a week,”