Help - nipples are so painful

[millwall]

I've got a little boy 8.5wks old and I'm about to give up breastfeeding him. I think I've got thrush which has got really bad and I'm in agony at every feed.

I've had three babies (he has two big sisters) and three hard experiences of breastfeeding but I've persevered through them to reach 6mths, 8mths and so far 2mths but this is the limit for me.

Anyway to cut out all the long painful descriptions I'm in a bad way with cracked, sore nipples covered in tiny bleeding blisters (pin prick small) ane my boy Ethan has it in his mouth too (he clicks throughout every feed). I know I'm latching him well because I've had it checked by every midwife and HV since he was born (it dind't feel right since the start and I think undiagnosed thrush is the reason) and they all say I'm latching him perfectly.

Anyway my question is that now I know I've got thrush I can treat it but everything I read says it could take days to even start getting better and could get worse first. I can't take it any more the pain is like glass shredding my nipples and the splits mean it's too painful to pump instead. Does anyone know any pain relief, tricks creams etc I can take to get me through this because I can't take any more pain.

Thanks in advance for anything you can say.

Tasha and Ethan

Cold cabbage leaves helped me.

Sorry that was very short ds pressed a button. I can only sympathise, although I don't think that I ever had anything so painful. Good luck and I hope that you find something.

Poor Millwall! I know what you are going through. I had terrible cracked and bleeding nipples for about 2 weeks in the beginning. I don't know if it was thrush, but I used a combination of 2 things. I constantly applied the Lansinoh or Medela nipple cream after every feed. It is safe for your baby to ingest, so you can apply it generously. I also used Medela hard cups which kept anything from touching my nipples whilst I was not feeding. I don't remember what the cups were called, but they are not the nipple shields. They are these round cups which are supposed to be used only when not feeding. I hope this helps. Someone also advised ice packs, but I couldn't bear to have the packs touch my skin. Good luck!!

Hi Millwall, my sympathies too. I had painful nipples for weeks too. I also used the lanolin creme and these Medela Breast Shells. They keep your nipples in the air without walking around with no bra or shirt on. Before my Midwife gave me these a nurse at the hospital had me wearing those cheap plastic tea strainers with the handles cut off - which didn't look so great under a T-Shirt but did the job till I could get something more comfy. The medela site is excellent medela . You can buy online but I would hope that you can get them closer to home as well. Good Luck!

Are you treating your nipples with thrush cream? It should help.

Thanks for your replies, I've not heard of those cups before but they sound perfect as my nipples keep sticking to everything they come in contact with (ouch! TMI sorry!).

I've just spoken to my HV and have to see the doctor tomorrow to get something to clear up the thrush on me and Ethan. The thought of ice though - ooohh nooo!!!

hi - i had thrush for ages and I can really sympathise with the 'shredded' feeling. I eventually got canestan cream and it did work. It takes a few days to kick in fully but you'll start seeing some benefit more quickly than that. You can get the canestan over the counter if you want it today (I would!)

The other things I tried are the NCT breastfeeding line for support, acidophilous tablets and cutting all sugars & yeast out to try to prevent a recurrance, washing my bras in milton (better than boiling them but it does make them a funny colour) and being far more careful about drying properly after a feed. Oh, and ditch the breast pads if you've been using them.

If you've been freezing your milk remember to throw it away if you do have thrush or you'll reinfect you both.

I hope you feel better soon - horrid isn't it!

lots of sympathies!! Remember it does get better and you'll start to see a definite improvement in a day or two of starting the cream. I'd definitely go out and get some today - it's really cheap and works wonders. Oh yes, and if your doc is unsympathetic, keep pushing until he prescribes you the cream you want.
I never found anything particularly useful to help while bf (a piece of wood to bite down on when he latched on was what I really wanted) but I did use disp breast pads between feeds and changed them after every feed too. Some of them are not plastic backed and they are better as less sweaty. Those made me feel a lot more comfortable.
Apart from that, I'd just echo other people's advice - wash bras on a hot wash (I boiled mine!), make sure you treat both nipples and also your baby's mouth until you are both completely free of thrush and even for a week or so after all symptoms have gone, cut down on sugar.
Lots and lots of sympathy - I remember it well. But it will soon pass with proper treatment. I got it at 2 months, had it for a month undiagnosed, got rid of it in a week, kept bf for another 6 months - so it can be done! Lots of luck

That's it AussieSim - the Medela breast shells. They were great. - on the tea strainers!

I didn't realise that my nipple thrush had cleared up with the cream (dd never caught it from me) because my nipples were still constantly sore and inflamed (glass shredding - oh yes)after at least 6wks. Then my HV advised stopping the clotrimazole (?) and using a nipple cream instead, and also changing my bra at every feed. There was an improvement within days. I didn't like Chamilosan, but Lansinoh was excellent (you can buy it from Born via the Mumsnet homepaage). I was also too stingey to buy so many more bras and changed breastpads at each feed instead and found that the extra padding and insulation helped too. HTH.

You poor thing its horrible isn't it. My Dr diagnosed thrush when my little boy was 6wks old. He prescibed hydrocortisone cream for both of us and we both went really really sore. Like you I was about to give up when someone recommened calendula ointment. You can get it from boots in the herbal, oils etc section or from any health food shop.

Its fine to put on your nipples and it is so soothing. Within 24 hours we were both fine again. Even my MWs recommend it now for cracked nipples. I've just got through the initial sore period with DD2 (she's now 1 week old) and I had forgotten just how painful it is at first when they crack. I can only sympathise with you for suffering for so long but honestly try the calendula ointment it really does work. Read somewhere yesterday that it has anti-fungal properties so thats why! Its also great for nappy rash etc.

Breast shells are fab - avent do them too - just don't leave the house wearing them - v odd!

Especially not while wearing the Avent ones - they have three nipples!

Hi millwall

Ooh how I sympathise! When my ds was born, I had a dreadful cracked nipple and was in agony. I nearly gave up but thanks to my wonderful bf counsellor who recommended a solution I'm still bf'ding 20 months on! She recommended some impregnated gauze called Jelonet, which you can get over the counter in Boots. Click here for info: jelonet
Basically, you cut a piece of gauze and tape it in place after a feed. It's a bit fiddly but worked over a relatively short period of time. I still managed to feed on that side thru gritted teeth, but the gauze really helped heal the crack. I also used Lansinoh as well (and Kamillosan initially).
Good luck and hope this helps.

Clicking noise???? That does NOT sound right (sorry but that sounds like a bad latch or baby having a tongue tie???).... did you speak to a breasfeeding counsellor about that noise and thrush.... they are often better informed and often more experienced than MW and HV on the BF topic!

Thrush can be treated quickly and efficiently too.

My bf counsellor was from the
Breastfeeding Network . They offer telephone support - I was very lucky as the local bf counsellor lived in the next road and was able to come and see me when I was about to feed ds to offer onsite support and guidance. The Breastfeeding Network Supporterline - 0870 900 8787.