Ouch!

[@llli*ssotka]

I have been pumping for quite some time now and recently came into some issue or pain while pumping. I originally posted about possible flange sizes. I took some advice and purchased a 30mm for my left and a 27mm for my right (i have two different sized nipples). I have been pumping with these sizes for 6 days now, before that it was the original 24mm. This morning I began pumping and was in a lot of pain! I thought it might have been because i was off from pumping because of the weekend. Nope, I took off the flange on my left side (my bigger nipple) and man did I have a nasty owie going on! Some blood and a bad little hickey just under my nipple. Is it possible to have a flange too big? or not big enough? What can cause this? I turned the pump down it's on the bare minimum already, i can't turn it down any more.
Please help!

[@llli*ssotka]

Okay now I'm noticing after my second pump session for today. It's worse! and my milk has a slight pink color to it. Can I still give it to my LO if it's got some blood in it?
I'm freaking out. What do I do? I have to nurse....

[@llli*still.here]

My guess (that's all it is) is that you're using a flange that's too big. If it wasn't doing that before and you know it was too small before. It's perfectly fine to give milk that has a little blood in it, so don't worry about that. But if it's making it worse, I wouldn't use that flange again to pump. Can you use the old one? Or pump one side with the 27mm and then pump the larger side with the same one?

Is there an open wound on your breast? Or is the blood coming out of your breast and there is a hickey underneath?

[@llli*mommal]

Bloody milk is fine to feed to the baby. If it freaks you out, simply leave it in the fridge for a bit. The blood will sink to he bottom of the bottle, allowing you to pour off the clean fraction on top.

I wonder if perhaps your nipple was mispositioned in the larger flange?