[Guest_Zombiekitten_*]

I am coming towards my breastfeeding 'journey'. As the weather cools it's just getting too painful and I'm not sure I can take the pain anymore. I was on medication but have stopped taking it so we can TTC#2.
I was just wondering how long people have managed to breastfeed for while suffering from Vasospasm?

[nikki44]

Hi zombiekitten

I hear you on the pain factor. For me my vasospasm didn't start until I started breast feeding my 3rd child (she is 4.5 months and I am still feeding). I hadn't even heard of nipple vasospasm until my lactation consultant told me what my pain was.

I'm not sure what you are taking for yours, you mentioned medication but what about vitamins? I am taking fish oil, magnesium and calcium tablets as recommended by the lactation consultant to relieve the vasospasm. I found that mine got significantly better after about 5 days on the tablets. Recently I have been forgetting to take them every day and I have noticed the pain come back when feeding.

I also found at the beginning that a heat pack on my breasts after feeding helped with the post feed pain in the early days from the vasospasm. The lactation consultant also recommended Breast Warmers which I never found I needed - the ABA shops sell them or you can get them online from their mothers direct shop or nursing angel I am told. You can wear them inside your bra all the time and apparently they're great. I didn't need them as the supplements have been doing the trick for me when I remember to take them!

If you have been taking medication for it then Im assuming yours is a lot worse than mine poor thing. I am loving breast feeding 3rd time round (the others were a bit troublesome!) and have set myself the 6 month goal at the very least, hopefully longer. Hopefully these things could help you too if you haven't already tried them. Let me know if you would like the amounts of each supplement I have to take every day.

Nikki