# PLEASE HELP...Sharp pains/thickened areola....what is going on?



## Song of Joy (Jan 19, 2004)

First, I am currently 33 weeks pg, have had colostrum come in sometime in December and DD nurses about 2 times at night and maybe 4 times during the day.....

About 4 weeks ago I noticed that I was having some sharp pains in my left breast/areola. I began to examine it and found that the nipple/front part of the areola area was very thick feeling. About 1/2 of an inch thick and fatty/spongy feeling (I could kind of squish the thick part around) . My other nipple is very thin feeling and I can feel the milk ducts ( I think that is what I am feeling there) but on the left side, I can't feel anything of the sort. The "fatty" area moves around and comes and goes depending on if DD, 2 yo, nurses that side or not. After about 3 days of no nursing it will go back to almost normal. One 5 minute nursing session will make it revert to the thick stage, though.

I stopped nursing on the left side about 3 weeks ago in the hopes that it was some irritated breast tissue that just needed a rest. But now that I have resumed once a day on that side, I have the thickness and pain again. The midwife checked it during my last visit and said it felt normal to her, but I hadn't resumed nursing as of then.

My biggest concern is that it will affect my milk production when the baby gets here. I don't know what is going on so I don't know how to proceed in helping it return to normal.

I am currently on acidophilos (about 8 billion the bottle says) a day in case it is thrush. Can thrush cause these types of symptoms without any redness and burning? I have been doing that since Monday. DD did just get over a yeast diaper rash and has a chest rash that cortizone cream has helped clear up, so I guess it could be thrush......

Any ideas or suggestions?


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## hunnybumm (Nov 1, 2003)

I would suggest seeing your midwife while your areola is swolen so she can see and feel the difference between both breasts. Showing her your breast while it's healthy won't do much good.







I would definitly have her check it, you wouldn't want any compications when the new baby arrives.

As far as it being thrush, it doesn't sound like it to me. As far as I know once thrush starts showing symptons (pain) they won't go away untill you are treated, though I could be wrong. But normally once you start to show thrush symptoms they will only get worse until you treat it.

But definitly visit your midewife while your breast is swollen. If she doesn't know then see about having someone else check it out of you don't find out for yourself what it is.


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## Threefold (Nov 27, 2001)

Definately have it checked out, but to my foggy nighttime brain it sounds a lot like my letdown this time round. I feel the stinging and then the areola looks swollen and squishy. The first few times it happened it freaked me out, but my mom said her letdown looked like that with her 2nd too.
HTH


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## Song of Joy (Jan 19, 2004)

I did some reading after posting last night and found one reference to thrush causing swollen nipples and no other symptoms. So I used some Nystatin Cream on my nipple and this morning the swelling is completely gone. I have never heard of thrush acting this way. I had it when dd was 0-6 weeks old and was in so much pain and agony that I never really thought that it could be yeast problems.

I am going to continue the nystatin cream for a while and see how things go and will talk to the midwife at my next visit on Tuesday just to make sure everything is alright.

Thanks for the speedy replies. I was really getting worried last night. BReastfeeing is an important part of raising my children and the thought of having problems with it really scares me. So thanks again!


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