Cracked Nipples

[little_O]

Feel like I have one million and one questions for breast feeding at the moment!

DD was a very aggressive sucker when born, so even with good attachment she damaged the inside of the nipple with over sucking. Now they are both sore, one more cracked than the other, so when she first latches on its painful as all else and then dies down as the milk comes through.

I've been using the lanisoh but they don't seem to be improving. Is there anything else I can try? I just dread every 3 hours when she wants to feed because of that initial pain!

And I was worried about my labour...breast feeding is the bigger challenge for me lol!!!

[feeb]

Hugs sore nipple make life difficult.

Ensure positioning and attachment are correct at all feeds.

You can put a warm compress on sooth the discomfort and squeeze some milk out and rub into nipple and allow to air dry. Sun light can also help heal cracked nipples but may be a bit cold to walk in back yard with boobs out!

Mothers mates hydrogel breast pads are amazing at healing sore and cracked nipples you can buy these at chemists.

Good luck hope they heal soon for you, keep up the good work xoox

[buffy1]

Ouch, you poor thing. I had a similar issue.

The hydrogel pads are great - I got some Rite Aid ones at Coles and kept them in the fridge.

Also second expressing some BM and putting it on your nipples, air dry and then pop on some Lansinoh cream.

Hope they're better soon.

[boomba]

Big hugs I remember those first few weeks and the toe curling when my boys would attach. It gets better. But breast milk rubbed on it is great and making sure baby is attached well is a must.
This will pass don't let it discourage you as everyone goes through it xxxx

[Sagres]

The best thing I ever did for cracked nipples was put some breast milk on them and let them air dry. I found Lansinoh just kept everything too damp, stopping the cracks from healing and making it worse!

[onthefly]

ouch! I remember that pain well.

You can get some tips on caring for sore nipples HERE

The thing is, if you've got cracks, then the latch is not right. It may be a postioinal thing, so trying different holds and techniques may help - you can also try baby-led attachment.
It may even be a physiological problem with your baby - like tongue tie for eg - that means she can't latch on effectively.

It's really important to get help to figure out what is causing the cracks so you can feed comfortably! You can call the ABA for more info and suggestions - 1800-686-268. Or perhaps you have access to a lactation consultant through the hospital you birthed at? Or your child health nurse may know one.

How are things going otherwise?

[Ladylove]

Weleda nipple care cream was a saviour for mine which had delayed healing issues even after I'd sorted attachment. Really helped speed up the healing process.

[little_O]

ouch! I remember that pain well.

You can get some tips on caring for sore nipples HERE

The thing is, if you've got cracks, then the latch is not right. It may be a postioinal thing, so trying different holds and techniques may help - you can also try baby-led attachment.
It may even be a physiological problem with your baby - like tongue tie for eg - that means she can't latch on effectively.

It's really important to get help to figure out what is causing the cracks so you can feed comfortably! You can call the ABA for more info and suggestions - 1800-686-268. Or perhaps you have access to a lactation consultant through the hospital you birthed at? Or your child health nurse may know one.

How are things going otherwise?

I am seeing the consultant from the hospital and she has been great, see her again on Wednesday so hopefully she can check how I'm going again.

The mastitis seems to be getting better, still getting lumps that I try and massage out though.

It's just such a horrible feeling dreading having to feed her I just keep thinking suck it up you have to feed your baby, but it doesn't really make it easier.

I can't work out what I'm doing wrong attachment wise because according to the link you sent its right, and whenever I had a midwife check it all "looks" good. Have you tried the baby led attachment? I'm scared of letting her just get on herself. I thought it would hurt more?

Thanks so much everyone for your advice. It's does feel good to know you all got through it!

[onthefly]

little_o somtimes it's looks right... but it certainly doesn't sound like it feels right! It may be that there's something else going on.
My son had tongue tie and that was why it didn't work for us.
Baby led attachment can work very well when you're having attachment issues - so long as there's no physical issue with your baby that's stopping them from latching right.
Have you used dummies or bottles at all? Some babies get a bit confused between the different teats when they're little.
I would certainly ask - and double check even - to check for tongue tie (including posterior tongue tie) and also for any issues with the palate, just in case. Best to rule all that out if you can.
Try to take it one feed at a time. Relax and take a deep breath before you start - remember those breathing exercises from labour Sometimes it helps a little. And make sure you've lost of help with everything else so you can rest and concentrate on just this one thing for now.
I hope your consultant can help you through this very quickly! If not, please don't be shy about finding another. Sometimes we need to find the right one to help us. But it's all worth it once things 'click'.

[little_O]

I asked last time about the tongue tie and she was given the all clear.
She seems to feed well, as in quick and plenty, she's already put on more weight than averagely expected. Also it stops hurting after that initial latch on. Just can't get them to heal! Does that mean she redamages each time or does it take time to heal?

Is it just trial and error?

[buffy1]

It might just take a bit of time to heal up little_o. The initial damage/discomfort I had from the first attachment lasted a couple of weeks (but I was also still learning, adjusting to the whole 'feeling' etc). I found it felt better overall within the first three weeks - as MadB said, it 'clicked'.

Sometimes I still have to check W if I hear clicking sounds or it's a bit hurty, and occasionally use Lansinoh if she's had a really hungry day!

Keep talking to your LC and the ABA as well though if you're still concerned.

Good luck, am sure you're doing a fabulous job.

[HotI]

If you count to 30, do you still feel the pain at 30? Someone told me (can't remember who now) to count to 30, and if it still hurts then take baby off and reattach. After awhile (days not weeks or longer) i realised that i wasn't feeling the pain anymore. looking back im not sure what the cause was but i remember curling my toes at the pain at the time.

hope it settles for you sooon

[Kmn]

What shape are they when they come out after a feed? are they house shaped (not good) or pretty much nipply shaped (what you are aiming for)? If they are house shaped then you need to try and get more nipple into bub's mouth - and the bit that isn't going in may very well be on the underside where you can't see.

This problem should resolve as her mouth grows, but it's no fun in the meantime.

It might help to hand express a little bit before you feed her, so that the milk comes out immediately and she doesn't have to do the really hard sucks at the start of the feed to get it flowing. Tiny babies also sometimes attach better to not-totally-full breasts, so give that a try too.

[onthefly]

hm. It might be that you just need some time to heal, particularly if the pain disappears after the initial latch.
is it getting any worse at all?
It may also be worth getting checked for infection - staph or thrush - which would add to the pain, certainly. Your GP can do a swab - there's a special wet swab (or something?!) for staph.
try to keep the nipples dry as much as possible. And talk to your LC and/or the ABA for more ideas, too.

[Ladylove]

Mine needed time to heal too- my left side was fine after a couple of weeks but my right took 4 and a bit weeks. If your attachment is right, what might help is to lubricate your nipple with lanolin or really anything emollient and greasy right before bub attaches. Just enough so that the friction is lessened on attachment, not so much that it's hard to attach. This really helped me.

[little_O]

I got myself into a state this morning, that initial pain was getting so bad, and I had a bad night of getting her attached. She wouldn't open up wide enough and kept moving once she was attached so it wasn't working well.

I'm trying the shields for a little bit and then hopefully in a day or so they will be healed enough. With the exception of last night, my nipples normally come out round. Last night they were pointy.

I feel like a failure not being able to feed her hopefully the shields help.

[LuluHB]

so sorry you're feeling that way. Please try not to though - this mummy gig isn't always as easy as it looks. I'm having enormous attachment issues too and its so hard finding the solution. This is bub no 3 for me, so its not just first time mums that have issues. FWIW, I'm finding the only way I can maintain any kind of attchment is to hold A's head quite securely with one hand, and hold my breast to her with the other. As soon as I relax anything it all goes pear shaped.

Hang in there. It will get better.

[onthefly]

Little o, be kind to yourself. You're just learning - in fact you're both still learning. Not just the feeding but everything else as well.
It can take time to get things right. Keep reaching out for help till it works right