Painful feeding of 8 week old??

Hi, just wondering if anyone has had a similar situation or can advise please? I have been breastfeeding my son for 8 weeks and I have previously breastfed two other children successfully up to 11 months of age. But just in the last 2 weeks my nipples have started to get REALLY sore! So much so that the skin/material of my nipples seems to turn white/colourless, as though my son has just about sucked the life out of them! I have experience mastitis, blocked ducs and just about all other "general" breastfeeding issues before and this is different again. Not sure if it is a sign that my little boy is a great sucker or that perhaps I am empty and he is purely sucking on me. He generally feds for about 10 - 15 minutes each side. I expressed before he was due for a fed, got 150ml in about 10 minutes and the handheld machine was less painful than my son??????? I'm at a loss. Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated please?

Hi. Given they're turning white, it could be nipple vasospasm... something to do with the circulation not getting enough blood to them. I didn't have it with DS1, but he was a summer bub. DS2 is just 4 weeks old and it's been freezing here... the community midwife thinks vasospasm may be the reason I can't stand anything on them when I get out of the shower and tht they absolutely kill when I go outside or into n unheated room. She suggested i get breast warmers to put in my bra - they have them at our local chemist. Don't know whether that's what it is, but it might be worth a shot? Good luck, hope you figure it out soon.

Maybe you should both get checked out for thrush if it's a recent change.

No it sounds like Nipple Vasospasm....I too thought I had thrush however there is no visable thrush on me or in babies mouth nor am i itchy...actually going to see another Lactation consultant about it tomorrow again.....Vasospasm is to do with the blood supply not getting through and its common after feeding or when cold to have white nipples, then for me personally they turn purple in the shower and othewise they are constantly really pink. I too have an 8 week old baby and in the first couple days i had significant nipple damage from him...which is also a common cause (nipple trauma)....the LC i have already seen told me that if you commonly get cold hands and feet its the same kind of thing and is usually nipple vasospasm and more often than not thrush is diagnosed instead.
I get pain when bub attaches (although he is attached perfectly); the heat from the shower is nice however the touch of the water hurts as does a towel when drying off. I also get a stabbing pain randomly at the base of my breasts and it's enough to make me wake up in the middle of the night and cry. It's not as bad now as it was in the first few weeks of bf.
Heat is apparently the solution to it and there is also a medication you can take...if you google nipple vasospasam you will come across the name - i can't remember it atm.
Definately go see your doctor or even better a Lactation Consultant!

I think I had vasospasm (though noone actually said that to me) with all 3 of my kids & I found with DS that if I put a warm facewasher over my nipple before I attatched him, there would be no pain.
So, maybe its worth a shot :)
Goodluck.

It does sound like vasospasm, however with no history of vasospasm with your previous babies, it well could be associated with thrush also. Thrush can temporarily cause vasospasm. It would be a good idea to see a good doctor to have it checked and have some treatment recommended for thrush if that seems like a possibility. Unfortunately vasospasm can't be cured - unless it is caused by thrush - but there are some minerals you can take to ease the pain, and warmth on the nipples can help also.

Good luck hun. I hope you get the answers.