DD is 1 month old now and in the last week or 2 I've developed really sore nipples and sometimes shooty pains in my boobs. At first the LC thought thrush, since DD also had a red bum and white tongue. Bum has cleared up with cream and tongue is a work in progress. But my nipples were swabbed last week and no thrush on them but a rare bacteria called pseudomonas luteloi.
Apparently it's very difficult to treat with antibiotics, so most of the time they don't bother, or you're on 2 at a time. Neither the GP, LC or CHN knew how to treat it. I'm getting a cream from the hospy tomorrow that MIGHT help but not sure.
In the meantime I am expressing and using EBM to feed to give my nipples a rest, but DD keeps catching up with me and I keep needing to use my boobs every now and then.
We've tried formula a few times as a one-off attempt to get ahead of DD so my nipples can get a proper rest, but she has thrown up every time. We now know she doesn't agree with S-26 or NAN.
I really want to keep BFing but if this cream doesn't work I'm not sure what to do!
I have been battling some awful thrush, but one of the ointments I was given is kenacomb, which is antibacterial and anti fungal.
Despite my terrible pain at times I have managed to keep breastfeeding for twelve months now. For me I have to use cream like daktarin regularly and periodic anti fungal treatments.
Tbh I'm just shocked a white tongue in bub, red bum and shooting pains in breast is NOT thrush. Maybe I should go get swabbed???
Oh Phe you poor thing. How frustrating! Have you done lots of online research into that bacteria? If they know it exists there must be other people who have treated it successfully somewhere in the world. Try the ABA perhaps too? When I had very painful latch issues the ABA were incredibly supportive - whether via phone or email.
I had a mystery infection in my nipples when DD1 was a nb, Kenacomb was my lifesaver, i still remember with that little yellow tube with fondness I used to hold DHs hand and squeeeeze with the pain when i had to feed DD, but we took it one feed at a time, and i made him swear to support and encourage me rather than 'fixing it' by switching to formula. I used to squeeze in an extra expressing to try and keep ahead, and we finger and line fed her as i was scared of nipple confusion. The pain faded over the next 10 days or so.. and she fed till over 3. You can do it Mama xxx (I know it bloody hurts though)
Oh yes definitely put in an extra express to stay one step ahead so you are not sitting there expressing the milk while bub is screaming and impatiently waiting for it. I did this in the first five days after birth.
I haven't had a chance to express at all today! I think it's affected my supply too. Until yesterday my boobs felt all full and bursting if I went more than 3 hours, but today I'm getting to feeding time again feeling floppy still. DD isnt going as long between feeds either. Is my supply dropping? This is NOT good cause she has reacted to the 2 formulas we've tried so far
They're really hurting me even more since direct feeding and there are more shooting pains
Problem is, when do I express? If she is eating every 3 hours, I'm only getting 20-30ml after a feed. If I expressed before a feed there would be nothing for her and the feed would take forever. In between and a mix of both problems?
Your boobs will sort it out, it might take a few days that's all! I'd express between feeds. It takes about twenty minutes for your boobs to refill, so wait twenty minutes after a feed and express.
Kenacomb definitely helped, but I definitely have thrush, so I have also needed oral antifungals.
Bub hasn't had a white mouth since a newborn, so he doesn't have it necessarily, but we used daktarin gel. Remember babies get a milk coating on their tongue anyway...you LC will be able to tell you the difference anyway.
Are your nipples cracked at all? Or looking peel-ly? Does the pain go through to your back? I'm just intrigued because it all sounds like thrush.
What's your diet like? I would be cutting out sugar and alcohol in case thrush is the too.
Haven't had alcohol since before ovulating the egg she was sugar... Oh boy, so hard to do! Yeast? Nearly impossible. Breakfast is always sugar or yeast or one of the 2. If I don't have honey or jam on toast, I have Vegemite. If I don't have toast, I have corn flakes with honey. I already have so many dietary restrictions, so those are basically my only breakfast options happy to cut one of them but since both are so staple in my diet I need at least one
I'm also so exhausted from a little Miss who is an inefficient feeder and takes 1 - 1.5 hours to feed that I forget to give her her Nilstat drops at the end and I have zero energy left to express at night but if I 'sleep when baby sleeps' too much, I get insomnia.
Oh no! That sounds terribly painful and frustrating.
Where are you in Perth? Rebecca Glover is in Perth and she's a bit of a guru at sorting out tricky problems. Sometimes you need to see a few LCs to get it right.
It is entirely possible that there are several problems here. So there was no nipple damage or pain prior to 2 weeks ago? In the first month, was she gaining weight and growing fine? How many wet & dirty nappies is she getting?
So right now you're trying to express between feeds so that you can skip the occasional feed to rest your nipples, is that right? Does she take both sides at a feed? If not, you could express the other side while she feeds. Or, try expressing 30 minutes or so after the feed. You mightn't get much at first, but the more milk you remove from the breast, the more you'll make. It's quite normal for supply to settle down at this stage and for breasts to not 'fill up' - it's not a reliable indicator of supply. Likewise, babies are sometimes fussy and want to be at the breast a lot. output can be the easiest way to track input - wees and poos I mean.
Sometimes difficulty expressing is due to some pretty simple things - check the seals on the pump, and that the size of the flange is the correct size for your nipple - too small and you get significant damage; too large and expressing is very inefficient. And because of the thrush, sterilize the pump bits each use (not required once you've squashed the bugs).
If you are going to be expressing seriously then hire a double pump from the ABA or from a chemist - they get more out in less time and give you more time for other things (like nilstat and sleep!).
Registered User
Rare bacteria - not fun!
I used to hold DHs hand and squeeeeze with the pain when i had to feed DD, but we took it one feed at a time, and i made him swear to support and encourage me rather than 'fixing it' by switching to formula. I used to squeeze in an extra expressing to try and keep ahead, and we finger and line fed her as i was scared of nipple confusion. The pain faded over the next 10 days or so.. and she fed till over 3. You can do it Mama xxx (I know it bloody hurts though)
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