Hi Holly,

Firstly, congratulations on the birth of your little boy!

I have experienced sharp stinging in my breasts as well (on and off since DD was about 3-4 weeks old), and it usually occurs between feeds, but occasionally straight after. I spoke to a BF counsellor about it, and they concluded that it wasn't thrush. Thrush would give you a deep, aching sensation for 20+ mins directly after a feed and possibly very sore nipples. Another indicator would be the way it affects your baby - there could be problems with attachment and feeding as it could hurt your baby's mouth. Also to watch out for is a white "coating" on your nipples or in bub's mouth, especially on their tongue. Do you have any of these things happening?

The stinging I experienced would be strong, but only last seconds at a time, right through the day. I've worked out (as it continues to happen sometimes even now) that it happens the most when DD is trying to increase my supply to match her needs (growth spurts) as it often happens in conjunction with when she was feeding vigorously and quickly, as well as more frequently.

I have thought that it is my ducts and reservoirs in my breasts learning to hold more milk, and doing what ever they need to do physiologically change to produce milk in quicker/greater amounts.

Have a talk to a counsellor at the ABA if you're concerned, and perhaps Barb Glare will come in and let you know what she thinks, but my thoughts are that you're getting that sensation as your breasts adjust physically to the increased demand on them as your little bub grows and requires more, especially if you don't have any other symptoms of thrush.

HTH,

Miss C