Pain Above Right Breast (Nursing)

There are a variety of reasons for this. Your best bet would be to call a La Leche League leader to describe your symptoms more completely. The leader can help you tease out the cause, solutions to try, and if/when to see a dr. or lactation consultant. Call soon, because if it's mastitis or thrush, the more quickly you institute treatment, the better you will be. Find a leader in your area (I see you're in CA) at http://www.llli.org/web/california.html. Good luck!

yes I have had this while trying to nurse my first born. I had a mastitis and even before I had children I had an infection in a duct gland..They say pain is good and is a sign of infection vs cancer. So try not to worry just yet ;- ) What ever you do, do not put ice on it..that will stop your milk flow and make it worse. Watch for thrush in your baby...a milky white coating on their tounge.

I had that happen with my left one, which was my son's favorite, and it was a clogged duct. It used to hurt like crazy! It was almost on my chest, above the breast, so I wasn't sure initially what it was but a friend suggested this. I would massage downward, toward the nipple, while he nursed and after a few days the pain went away. If you get a fever or a lump I would move up your appointment, if you can.

Good luck!

Jen

I'm a peer breastfeeding counselor with Nursing Mothers Counsel (Bay Area), and I, too, would say it could be a plugged duct. Your son preferring that side doesn't eliminate the risk of a plugged duct, but they are usually fairly simple to clear up. It's a matter of unplugging the duct. If possible, try to get your son in a position where his chin puts pressure on the spot. If that's not possible, you can use heat and gentle compression to ease the plug down the duct.

Is the pain shooting? Is it aching? Regardless, if you're still experiencing it in a day or so, it wouldn't hurt to call your doctor to see if you can get in a little sooner. Mastitis will show other signs, such as feeling like you have the flu and will include a fever.

Is your doctor breastfeeding friendly? I ask because breastfeeding isn't included in medical school, so what doctors know, they learn on their own through classes, etc or what they've accrued through their experiences, which could be up to date or not. Hopefully, your doctor is breastfeeding knowledgeable :)

I would think clogged duct but if he prefers that side it is unlikely. I would almost say it is the extra weight pulling down. Perhaps try a more supportive bra.

I agree probably a plugged duct, follow the advice you've already received there. I nursed 4 out of my 5 kids, and all preferred my left breast. The flow of milk for whatever reason was always better and it produced more than my right one so I was lopsided during the year I was nursing. How fun. I figured it was just easier for them to get the milk out but I didn't worry about it.

I am nursing a 2.5 month old and have experienced pain in both breasts. It could be a lot of things. I had mastitis and that's very painful, feels like a painful lump. I also had shooting pain in the breast tissue. That was caused by the baby developing thrush and passing to me thru an open sore while feeding. That i had to get treated with antibiotics. never hurts to ask your doc