IVF Pregnancy Information

1. DimaR
   
   

   After regular, relatively uneventful nursing for 8 months, my breasts and nipples have started to hurt over the last few days. Yesterday, it felt like there was an undrained sac in the right breast (it was like one part of the breast was engorged, for lack of a better description, like a little sausage inside) which went away about halfway through a nursing - I'm guessing it was clogged and eventually gave way?? I don't know. And my nipples have gotten really sore with pumping and nursing, although the schedule hasn't really changed. They feel like they felt during the first days of nursing and pumping.

   I've been, over the last 14 days or so, trying to get DS to STTN, but it doesn't really feel like engorgement.

   Any ideas?

   TIA!

3. KALLIOPI
   
   

   Nipple pain 8 months in is likely thrush.

4. DimaR
   
   

   Ugh, last thing I need.

   I just put the pump on and the pain was really bad for the first minute but has eased and now feels just the normal degree of pumping discomfort. Other than pain, I can't say that I've seen other symptoms.

5. comorphos
   
   

   I had some nipple pain when I had a milk blister. It also would cause a clog like you described. I would have to pick it out and then all the pain and the clogs would resolve. It looks like a little white blister of milk the size of the head of a pin.
   Jennifer

6. nickx
   
   

   For nipple pain, I would use Lanolin. That seemed to help. Sorry you are going through this. Ouch!

7. KALLIOPI
   
   

   For nipple pain, I would use Lanolin. That seemed to help. Sorry you are going through this. Ouch!

   Better than that is APNO (all purpose nipple ointment, has a pain killer, antifungal and antibiotic in it), the formula for this ointment is on KellyMom.com, you need a doctor's Rx for it.

8. carriewalczak
   
   

   Sore nipples can also mean AF is returning. I always get sore with ovulation and frequently get sore just before AF. Taking evening primrose oil helped.

   Plugged ducts aren't uncommon and will cause some nipple pain but it wont affect both sides unless both sides have plugs. Usually you will have more symptoms than just soreness with thrush. I had my first and only case at about 18 months. I think it was a little dermatitis that got out of hand. Some APNO and grapefruit seed extract cleared it up. I had sore nipples with redness and skin was a little flakey.

9. DimaR
   
   

   Thanks so much for all of that - interesting point on AF - I guess I started AF again with DS#1 around 9 months but I had been supplementing him from 4 months and stopped pumping altogether at 6 months. I've been EBF DS#2.

   So, since I could feel what is likely a yeast infection in the "usual" place (and decided to use Monistat for that), I jumped the gun and bought Gentian Violet, and now poor DS#2 looks like the Joker and I look like some Goth porn star!! (and scarily, DH was totally fascinated by the "girls" and their purple pasties last night - a little weird! He was bummed he couldn't touch because they hurt too much!!)

   I boiled all the bottles and pump parts and washed all my bras last night.

   Anyone have any additional experience with Gentian Violet and treating a presumed yeast infection? Really, the only symptom between both DS and me is very sore nipples (not on the skin, though - it's more or less like they ache.) I can't see any whiteness, patches, etc, and DS doesn't seem to have any pain with nursing. The websites I perused did say pain could be the sole symptom. I know I should go to the doctor but the websites also said that sometimes the only way you know/knew you have thrush is if the symptoms go away with treatment!

10. KALLIOPI
    
    

    LOL, sorry, don't be mad at me laughing at the Joker and pasties' reference (quoted wrong quote there).... I never tried it, I didn't feel comfortable using it and didn't even know where to get it. Check out Kellymom for info. I used grapefruit seed extract tablets with vinegar rinses, airing out, cutting sugars, and APNO. I had several rounds of it anyway (along with clogs and other gross stuff).

11. Ipazia
    
    

    DimaR, after trying many rounds of 'stuff' that was prescribed to me by a doctor, what cleared my thrush immediately was Culturelle.

    Sounds gross, but it worked immediately. I emptied the capsule out, added a tiny bit of water, made a paste, applied to nipples and let dry before putting a bra back on. Try it if all else fails!

12. fatsea
    
    

    I'm going through the same thing, minus the 8 month timing. Twins are 15 weeks old on Monday and I've been dealing with thrush for the last two months! I'm in total agony nursing and have been on the verge of giving up several times but just can't give up. I did gentian violet last week, haha, DH and I used the same analogy of the joker. The babies looked freaky! I feel like the gentian violet has helped a little bit but my pain is still there. I was expressing and bottle-feeding for the last month b/c I just couldn't deal with the pain of nursing (amplified with two babies) - now I feel like they don't know how to latch anymore and that's causing the pain. Ugh. Anyway, DimaR, I added grapefruit seed extract in liquid form and put it under the APNO and also take it as tablets. I added acidophilus as well. I have found Dr Jack Newman's website really valuable - he has a whole protocol for trush (candida protocol). Website is his name dot com. I hope it clears up for both of us. No fun!

    Ipazia, I'm going to look into Culturelle......

13. kyanos2
    
    

    Hi, I used nystatin for thrush early on at about 2 1/2 months.

    DD couldn't latch at birth and I pumped until she latched at about 2 1/2 months, then the fun started. I had a lot of pain when she latched and soreness at first I thought it was because I was new to BF and even though I pumped it would take awhile to adjust to actually feeding the baby.

    But it got worse and then it was suggested to me that it could be my positioning. If DD was positing so that she was pulling down on me it hurt a lot. The key was to get her up higher, more level with the breast and our tummies touching together. I still find it hurts sometimes now at almost 9 months if I feed her without using a breastfeeding pillow or some other pillow for support.

    The thrush showed up around the same time. Doctor couldn't see very much in DD's mouth but based on symptoms I had decide to treat it. I had to use two rounds of it to be sure it was all gone. Some information I've read on thrush and using nystatin actually recommends treating it for a bit longer than you might normally be prescribed.

    I also had a milk blister, that was fun trying to pop that but the pain from it did go away when it broke.

    Good luck DimaR and fatsea!!!

14. carriewalczak
    
    

    Sore nipples can also mean you are pregnant.... wouldn't that be a surprise? It can happen.

    If there are no other signs of thrush, I'd think it was hormonal and treat accordingly. You will know in the next week or so.

    I had some relief from thrush by using grapefruit seen extract, diluted on my nipples every time I remembered while I was waiting the weekend to get into my doctor for some APNO. My nipples were super itchy too.

    Jack Newman's site also has info and a protocol for treating thrush.

15. DimaR
    
    

    Thank you for all the leads. I held a bottle of grapefruit seed extract in my hand in the store but wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with it so didn't purchase it at the time.

    So, with the pain and the purple nipples all weekend, I was starting to wonder what was next, when I saw a pretty nasty diaper rash emerge on the insides of DS#2's legs - luckily not on his business, as is often the case with DS#2, but in the leg creases, so I thought - Aha, so here it is, now he has the diaper rash so we must definitely have thrush - I have nystatin from DS#1 so started a course of that for DS#2, and it seems to be working.

    BUT then an hour later, AF arrives and carrie walczak said sore nipples could also be AF returning.

    So today at least the soreness seems to be going away - we did GV for three days him, four days me. Maybe it was that, maybe AF?? But the poor boy does have his first case of diaper rash - so who knows?

    I'll finish 10 days of Nystatin for him and I'm going to keep acting like it's thrush with preventative measures on me but not treat anymore unless the soreness comes back.

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