Sharp Shooting Pains in One Breast Only

I've been having this in my right breast since my son was about 6 weeks old (he's 11 weeks now). I also have a pretty high pain tolerance (3 unmedicated vaginal births...) and this pain would send me to the medicine cabinet almost every time! My doctor explained that it is a spasm of the breast muscles upon emptying. Since my little guy is a strong little sucker, he can empty my breast VERY quickly. What I did to remedy this is to only allow him to eat on that side for a maximum of 10 minutes. If he still seems hungry, I will offer him the other side, which he ususally only eats for another couple of minutes before he is done - then I will start with that side for the next feeding. DON'T STOP BREASTFEEDING!!! =c)

Good luck -

I have a different take on the situation because I was there starting when my daughter was 4 weeks old. Only, mine was more of a pain in my arm pits, but because breast tissue wraps around to that area, they got me in, did several breast exams, sent me for an ultrasound and eventually diagnosed mastitis despite no fever, etc.

However, it came back, and I found a small nodule on my collarbone. Again, more breast ultrasounds/exams.

What I learned is that OB/GYN's, the good ones, take anything abnormal with the breast really seriously.

Again, my ultrasound came back benign, but thank God I pressed on because I did have cancer (NOT breast cancer), and the breast tenderness was just something else that had me scared enough to go to the doctor. I had to stop nursing my daughter so I could start chemo, but we're 18 months clean, and praying never to have to deal with the beast again.

So, take it seriously, understand why it's happening, and keep pressing if your instincts are telling you it's more than just breast feeding.

Grapefruit seed extract (not Grapeseed extract). I took it orally and applied to to my nipples. Worked great.

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Oh, you must be miserable!!!! I am so sorry! Do you wear underwire nursing bras? I had to stop wearing underwire and take a hot bath or use a warm compress whenever the pain would start.
I love the rolling pin remedy that J L suggested! I wish I had known about that one!

Does your breast feel warm to the touch? It really sounds like an infection. I went through that twice (with each of my boys). Make sure you're getting enough rest and drinking plenty of water. Advil is okay to take while nursing. Have you seen a lactation consultant? They might be able to help you. Good luck!

I would call the lactation consultant at the hospital that you had your daughter. If your hospital doesn't have on, then you could always contact La Leche League. They are invaluable and may have more ideas of things that will help. You may find cold packs after feedings help (Medela makes the rings that you keep in the fridge). If your breast starts getting red, warm, hurts constantly, and has pussy drainage you have mastitis and you need to go back to the doctor for antibiotics. Also, warm packs and massaging your breast prior to feedings will help with your flow and help open any plugged ducts. Make sure you're drinking plenty of water, too.

Try applying a hot pad after you nurse. Tuck it all the way up inside your armpit and down the side of your breast.
I don't know why it happens, but the heat helped relax those muscles and it stopped the pain.

I had this and wow did it suck. My lactation consultant said it was combo of a poor latch, plus vasospasms/Reynaud's syndrome. Does your left nipple looked blanched (white) after feeding? If so this may be what it is. I use to have to take ibuprofen (safe) plus the rest of the meds from my c-section to make the pain anywhere near tolerable. The other thing that helped is warm compresses (dry heat works too) before and after feeding, and a nice warm shower at the end of the day. Also the LC gave me some pointers to better position the baby (snug close to me in football hold...) It eventually went away for me and I am now BFing my baby for 7+months. Good luck!

I had almost constant plugged ducts from when my son was about 2 months to 6 months old (dairy was the trigger for me, took me a while to figure it out), and I only got mastitis a couple of times, out of the 80 or so times I had plugged ducts. You don't need to have mastitis to have a plugged duct, so no fever, etc. Do you have any lumps, especially in the area of the pain? If so, it is probably a plugged duct. I do remember having those sharp pains several times, and they did go away after a couple of days. You probably should try a second opinion (maybe find a new doctor, the Percocet and to stop breastfeeding is ridiculous), but hopefully it will just go away on its own.

I have the same issue and it does get better. I can't say why it occurs. However, it did seem to happen shortly after my son started sleeping through the night. This leads me to think that it had something to do with hormone regulation. Once my child slept through the night, and I was no longer breast feeding every 3 hours, I started my menstrual cycle about three weeks later. Now whenever I get those stabbing pains it seems to happen right before my cycle starts. Again, this is just a theory, but I am pretty "body-aware".