Shooting Pain In Breast After Feeding – Causes & Solution
Sharp or shooting pain in your breasts makes your breastfeeding experience uncomfortable. This pain might even worsen if left untreated.
Hold on tight, dear mama. This post will guide you through painful conditions you could encounter during breastfeeding. We will also teach you how to tackle breast pain to make way for happy and comfy breastfeeding memories.
1 – Breast Engorgement
How to identify it?
- Stiff and swollen breasts.
- Stretched and shiny breast skin.
- Rigid and flat nipples.
- A red, hot lump on your breast.
- A throbbing breast pain.
What causes it?
When your breast milk is not appropriately drained, your milk ducts congest with milk. Then, the milk seeps into your breast tissues, causing you to have engorged breasts. You feel your breasts almost as hard as a rock.
How to heal it?
- Breast engorgement happens more likely in your early week of breastfeeding. It usually goes off in a couple of days when you feed your baby regularly.
- Follow a breastfeeding schedule to avoid milk saturation in your breasts.
How to prevent it?
- Latch on your baby correctly. Check this latching guide to ensure the baby sucks maximum milk from your breasts.
- Be patient when feeding your baby. Switch the sides of your breasts during nursing.
2 – Plugged milk ducts
How to identify it?
- A small, tender lump on your breast – usually appears one breast at a time.
What causes it?
- Plugged milk ducts are common in breastfeeding mothers. It signals excess milk stored in your milk ducts that need to be drained.
- A plugged milk duct puts pressure on the surrounding breast tissues and causes inflammation.
How to heal it?
- Relieve plugged milk ducts naturally by breastfeeding your baby or expressing milk by hand or a breast pump (manual or electric). Here’s how you can pump your milk efficiently.
- Use a warm compress on the affected area to open up clogged ducts.
- Give Gentle massage to the affected area in small circular motions pointing towards the nipple.
How to prevent it?
- If you feel fuller breasts, express the milk by feeding or pumping.
- At least drain the milk every 3 hours a day and 6 hours a night for the first three weeks of breastfeeding.
Still, if the condition persists, visit a gynecologist, or you might catch an infection that leads to Mastitis.
3 – Mastitis
How to identify it?
- Painful inflammation in your breasts.
- An intense chest pain, mainly above the nipple.
- Fever (temperature soaring up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit), body ache, or flu-like symptoms.
What causes it?
- Mastitis affects around 8-10% of breastfeeding mothers.
- It is an after-effect of congested milk ducts that catch an infection. The infection is caused by nipple cracks that serve as an entry point for bacteria.
How to heal it?
- Seek medical help if you suspect mastitis. The doctor might put you on a 10-day antibiotic or pain medication to treat the condition.
How to prevent it?
- A cold compress may provide temporary relief from breast pain and give you pain-free breastfeeding.
Mastitis also leads many mamas to cut down on breastfeeding if it does not heal on time. Sometimes, it leads to another serious condition like breast abscess.
4 – Breast Abscess
How to identify it?
- The affected area becomes red, warm, and painful.
- Probability of milk discharge from different parts of the breasts.
What causes it?
- When the infection in your breast persists, it causes pus in your breast.
- The bacteria can enter your blood vessels from a cut on the breast skin or through nipple piercings.
- It could also transfer through the baby’s mouth and ooze into your breast tissues through nipple cracks.
How to heal it?
- Seek medical help for breast abscesses. Your doctor might examine your breast with an ultrasound test.
- During treatment, the doctor will first give you local anesthesia, then make a minor incision on your affected area to drain the pus.
How to prevent it?
- Treat the former condition of breast abscess, Mastitis, from a gynecologist.
- Include anti-inflammatory (turmeric, cherries, etc.) and probiotic (yogurt, fermented pickles, etc.) foods in your diet.
5 – Thrush
How to identify it?
Thrush affects both baby and mama.
For mama:
- The nipple color turns pink, white, or almost red.
- A day-lasting nipple pain accompanied by a feeling of someone piercing your nipple or jabbing pins on it.
- Shiny, itching, or flaking skin on the nipple or areola.
- Small bumps or blisters on the areola.
For baby:
- Painful red bumps inside baby’s mouth.
- Red rashes on the baby’s bottoms.
- White spots or patches on the baby’s tongue or inside of the cheeks.
What causes it?
Thrush is a yeast infection developed during breastfeeding. It is caused by the overgrowth of Candida albicans – a naturally living fungus on our skin.
The baby gets a yeast infection in its mouth, while you get it on your breast skin. It can happen to either you or your baby or both.
How to heal it?
Medical treatment is a must for healing thrush. The doctor treats the baby and mother, irrespective of who is infected. Why? The baby can get infected through the mouth if the mother has a yeast infection on her breast skin. Similarly, the baby can pass the infection to the mother while sucking her nipples.
How to prevent it?
- To eliminate the chances of yeast infection, add one part vinegar and four-parts water to wash your breast garments or even your breasts.
- To stop the yeast from aggravating further, reduce your sugar intake.
- Keep your breast area dry and clean, as yeast is more likely to grow in moist conditions.
- Clean your hands with soap and water after you touch your breasts or change your baby’s diaper.
- Use separate towels for every family member.
- Sterilize any items coming in contact with your breast and baby’s mouth.
Note: If you have pumped milk during a thrush and frozen it, discard it immediately. Freezing infected milk might not kill the yeast, and you might risk being infected again.
6 – Vasospasm
How to identify it?
- A needle stab-like feeling on your breasts and sometimes on your back during and after the breastfeeding sessions.
- Changes in the nipple color from white to bluish-purple.
What causes it?
Vasospasm happens when the blood vessels constrict, and there is less or no blood circulation in your breast area.
Your breasts also undergo trauma when:
- The baby is not latched on properly.
- You use an incorrect flange size pump for expressing milk.
If your baby is latched on correctly, but you experience nipple soreness and pain, you may have nipple vasospasm.
How to heal it?
- Keep a warm pad on your breasts after you have breastfed your baby.
How to prevent it?
- Avoid smoking cigarettes or caffeine during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as it can restrict your blood vessels.
- Clean the nipple area with a clean, dry cotton cloth, and wear a comfortable nursing bra after breastfeeding.
Tips to make your breastfeeding experience comfortable
1 – Position your baby correctly during breastfeeding
- Keep your baby’s mouth wide open.
- Ensure that most of the areola is inside your baby’s mouth.
- If your baby’s nose is pushed in at your breast skin, lower your hand on the baby’s back to add some space between the baby and your breast.
- Keep the baby’s abdomen facing your abdomen.
2- Maintain the correct feeding frequency
- In the first 2-3 months of breastfeeding, feed your baby every 2-3 hours, or more if the baby demands.
- If your baby does not breastfeed as often, express milk to match the mentioned frequency.
- Consult a midwife or a lactation consultant to teach you the proper breastfeeding techniques.
3- Wear a comfortable nursing bra
- A tight bra is also a leading cause of pain during breastfeeding in the breast. Wear a comfortable nursing bra designed especially for breastfeeding mamas.
- Choose a bra made of breathable fabric like cotton, which supports your breasts comfortably and gives easy access to them.
Parting Thoughts
Breastfeeding is an emotional and exhilarating experience we mothers deserve after bringing our little angel to life. So, if you suspect discomfort in your breasts, don’t ignore the early signs and get yourself treated.
Finally, keep up with your patience. You will soon rid yourself of your breast pain and witness a delicate and beautiful bonding with your little munchkin.
Faqs:
Can breastfeeding cause sharp pains?
When babies are latching on incorrectly, it can cause them pain or feel like a pinch every few times they suck. Over the long term, this can lead to sore nipples or cracked nipples. Talk to your health care professional or lactational consultant if you’re experiencing deep breast pain when nursing.
What causes sharp shooting pain in the breast?
Changes in hormone levels can affect the milk ducts or milk glands. Due to these changes in the ducts and glands, breast cysts are a typical cause of cyclic breast discomfort and can be unpleasant. Noncyclic breast discomfort may be caused by trauma, previous breast surgery, or other factors.