I recently started having problems with my ear again starting in the end of March while I was in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy and now that I am 10 weeks post partum I am still having trouble. I just met with my neurotologist this morning and he told me that breastfeeding can make symptoms worse sometimes the same way the 3rd trimester can. Have any of you ladies nursed a baby and had your symptoms get worse? Did you start to feel better when you stopped nursing? He also said he can't treat me until I stop. Sigh. I am debating with myself now on the length of time I want to continue. I had planned on stopping in October when my son turned 6 months because that is the recommended length of time. I am really wanting to breastfeed as long as possible because of the benefits for my son and I don't want to be selfish and stop for my own comfort. But if it gets too miserable I might consider stopping early. I hate that I even have to make this decision because nursing is going so well for me. On another note he agreed that allergies can make symptoms worse and thinks seeing an allergist is a good idea when I asked him. He said a lot of his inner ear patients have been having a rough time the past month or two. I am probably going to call the allergist I saw in the past and ask if allergy shots are safe to give to a woman who is breastfeeding before I make an appointment.
With my pregnancies, my symptoms and vertigo attacks were at their worst during the first trimester, soon after birth and the whole time I nursed. I didn't quit nursing though because I wanted my babies to build a strong immune system but I was very miserable and sick a lot during that time. I stopped nursing (for much longer than 6 months) when they naturally weaned off. They are much older now and I am so glad I stuck with it even if I was in bad shape back then. Things change RedBird. Do the best you can. I tend to have a personality that perseveres no matter what if I know it's what I want but don't hesitate to stop if you just can't do it.
Thank you so much, Intrepid. I mean it when I say that your response was really encouraging. I am extremely fortunate to not have the vertigo aspect. I think the fact that you pushed through and continued to nurse even with vertigo gives me the drive to continue on considering my problems are only the fullness, roaring/ringing and hearing loss. Another thing that is good to know is that the doctor said my low frequency hearing loss has not gotten worse since my last visit in August. I think I will push on for now. It is nice to hear from someone who understands.
Great! I'm glad I could help. Just push through it. Drink plenty of water, eat well, take long naps and feed that baby all the good stuff! Just when you think it can't get any worse, it starts to get better. Good Luck with everything
Hi Redbird, I started with Meniere's a few months before getting pregnant with our third child. It sounds like my body reacted a little differently than yours... my symptoms actually got better (not feeling perfect, but improved) during pregnancy and were still pretty stable through 14 months of nursing. I still had bad days but the vertigo stayed at bay throughout that whole time period. After I weaned (which I did because I wanted to try different meds for the Meniere's, also we were both ready to be done) things actually went kind of downhill, Meniere's-wise. I don't say this to scare you -- hopefully just the opposite will happen for you, and things will improve since you had it worse during the pg. I am convinced my hormonal cycles do affect my symptoms. Once I got my period back, my symptoms were through the roof during that time of the month. Ugh. I agree with Intrepid -- take it easy, rest as much as you can, stay hydrated. It is SO easy to get dehydrated, especially when nursing in the summertime. I've also learned the hard way that dehydration (which I found I was chronically, for other reasons) really makes the MM symptoms flare. Even if you aren't thirsty, drink drink drink!
Thanks for your response, PleaseNoDizzy. No you didn't scare me, I appreciate all feedback on this topic! I hope you are right about my body reacting opposite from yours as far as symptoms during and after nursing. My experience sounds close to Intrepid's as far as my symptoms were worse during the 1st trimester and during nursing (as well as the 3rd trimester for me though). However, I did feel better during the middle part of my pregnancy... I am trying to stay hydrated but you are right, it is difficult. I am always so thirsty right now!
Interesting. I was doing some searching around on the internet on this topic and it seems like half of the women said they got worse while nursing and half said they felt better while nursing. It just never ceases to amaze me how different it is for all of us! What helps one makes another worse.
I had.a miscarriage last month and my ear was awful when I was pregnant and for a couple weeks after. I seem to be very sensitive to bloating. I imagine post partum would be bad because I was bloated for a long time with my last baby...whether I was breastfeeding or not.
Valsc, I am so sorry to hear of your miscarriage. As far as allergies go the last 2-3 months have been very hard on my MM. I am still on a extra dose of AV's and it seems to be helping a lot. But when the pollen count is very high my ear goes deaf and high loud pitch tinnitus, but no vertigo or dizziness with the extra dose.
Intrepid, I know you said that your vertigo was bad the whole time you were nursing but what about ear fullness? Was that a big issue for you during that time or do you not get much fullness? My ear fullness/pressure has been constant since giving birth, worse at some times more than others but constant. I am just having a rough day today.
I feel for you I know how tough it can get some days. I didn't have much ear fullness. I did have much louder tinnitus and vertigo attacks. I don't have fond memories of that time. Did you have a C-section or a natural birth? I wonder if your ear pressure/fullness was exacerbated due to childbirth.
Thanks, Intepid. I actually ended up with a C-section after 21 hours of labor and a failed induction. That was rough.
I am bumping this thread to add another thought now that its almost 2 months later. My ear is still bad. It is pretty much constant since my son was born. However... I have reduced the number of times I am nursing/ pumping. I still nurse my son about 3-4 times a day, but have introduced formula as well and he gets that while I am at work and a couple times when I am home. I used to pump every time he received a bottle to keep my supply up but I have stopped doing that. I don't pump anymore. I started this about 2 weeks ago. In the past week and a half I have had three instances where my ear would finally start to clear and I could hear better, ear felt a lot less pressure and not full anymore but those times only lasted a few hours. But still it is something that hadn't happened in months. I know nothing is ever black and white with MM/CH but what do you all think? Most likely a coincidence or does nursing really have an impact on my symptoms? I am miserable and still in a constant debate on whether or not I think I would feel a lot better if I stopped nursing. Again, I realize nobody can tell me one way or the other if nursing has anything to do with me feeling so bad. Just looking for opinions. Thanks everyone in advance for any input as always. Its so nice to have a place to go to ask for advice from people who understand how it feels.
I just graduated from PT school and do not have kids. I often wonder if I will ever be able to even get married and have kids with memieres.