Pins and Needles

I'm not sure how many others have experienced this, though I read online, I think on a Babycenter.com forum, that a pins and needles sensation is fairly commonplace. To me, it was kind of painful. And after every feeding this pain would shoot through the breast I had most recently fed with. I almost wanted to give up then.

I asked my midwife what was wrong and to examine me. She said I was fine and sent me on my way. Perhaps, I hadn't properly explained the pain I was feeling. Or maybe she was just very dismissive of me. She dismissed my complaints of pain during my pregnancy that had me puking. Turned out to be gall bladder stones. Had to go to the ER to find that and they had no trouble figuring out what was wrong with me. So, I doubt my explanations were insufficient. Needless to say, she won't be my practitioner next baby!

Fortunately, I didn't have to go to the ER to figure this one out. I was worried that I might develop Mastitis, so my fears were alleviated thanks to BabyCenter. As near as I can figure, after a full nursing in which the hind milk is eaten as well I would experience this. Sometimes, when he fell to sleep still vigorously nursing, I would feel it before he'd finished and know I'd need to detach and switch sides. If he only had a quick snack, then I'd not have any problems. So I figure it's the stimulation of having been emptied.

To ease this, I found a deep tissue massage seemed to do the trick, or warm compress. I wish I had known about this beforehand so I wouldn't have been so worried that something was wrong. Well, I hope this information can benefit other mothers experiencing the same.

To me it was very excruciating in the beginning. I'm very well endowed and that might be a factor as to why it hurt so much. Others described pins and needles, but it is unlike your foot falling asleep type of pins and needles. That'd be weird... I think it was more like REAL pins and needles!

Knowing that my son was getting the benefit of my hind milk definitely helped me tolerate this. I still get it every now and then, when he eats more thoroughly. Some days he feeds more and others he eats more snacks and such. No real signs of weaning yet! It's still about every 2 hours for a feeding or snacking. Or snack n' napping!