Cracked sore nipples, should I express? Desperate for advice!

[emeraldgirl1]

DD is 7 days old.
I have not yet got her to feed at my breast successfully as she gnawed at me very badly on day 1 and 2 and left me bleeding. I started with the pump in hospital on day 3 and have been managing to get about a third of her feeds pumped out. But it has been getting increasingly sore and cracked. Today is dreadful. My breasts are dripping milk and getting hard but I dare not pump any more (I did so this morning) because the cracking is getting worse.

Any advice? Am scared my milk will dry up if I don't carry on or that I will be in agony with engorgement. But if I go on pumping a cracked nipple won't I get infected?

Nipple cream is helping but not much

Any advice please, I am driving myself nuts here :(

I'm sure someone knowledgeable, like tiktok, will be along soon.

I had a crack on both nipples. I found hydrogel pads excellent. I kept them in the freezer -very soothing. I used breast shells so my nipples didn't rub on my bra. I resorted to nipple shields to get through some feeds. I didn't practise good enough hygiene, though. I got an infection through the crack on my right and ended up with blood poisoning.

But, you need help with the latch. Have you phoned any if the bf helplines? Is there a bf cafe near you? Have you been in touch with the infant feeding specialist at your local hospital? Are there any lactation consultants in your area? Do you have any bf books in the house? I would highly recommend The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and Food of Love.

Maybe a PM to tiktok?

Hi, you're doing so well! It's so hard - I've been there! Has your baby been checked for a tongue tie? My baby's tongue tie wasnt spotted until he was a week old! had it snipped and he started to feed better but it took me 9 weeks to have a pain-free feed after the damage that had been caused to my nipples. My HV gave me these medicated moisturising strips, which need to be prescribed - I'll have a look and see if I can find the name for you - they were great at relieving the pain. Has her latch been checked? If she's not latched on well, your nipples will get damaged. I fed my baby for a year and a half, and all the struggle in the beginning was well worth it! I bled, had mastitis, had thrush in my milk ducts, expressed like a dairy cow, curled my toes, cried (a lot), got my husband to give the odd formula top up, but once the pain went, it was amazing and so worth it. If you have your heart set on bf then you can overcome all this, but don't beat yourself up if you dont want to continue. I was told that I had such a big blood loss after birth that i wouldnt be able to bf, but stuck with it, and continued well beyond i had planned. good luck!

I really suffered with cracked nipples and the only thing that worked was nipple cream and nipple shields even when pumping. I did have to throw a lot of milk away as it was full if blood though. I'd also get someone to check the latch is right, wish someone had spent time with us on ours. Good luck.

hello emeraldgirl,
that doesn't sound so good at all - i am so sorry to read about your ordeal -with such cracked nipples it's difficult to get a proper latch, nipple shields can help temporarily so do breast shells, hand expressing if it still works , massage and warm shower, hot and cold compress, but you need express your milk as your engorgement can lead to mastitis.
You need an expressing pump with a double pumping system and express 2 hourly until the breasts get's softer.
I am a Lactation Consultant and Maternity Nurse please have a look at my website www.annetzki.com / mobile 07919435597
Best wishes and kind regards
wildflower02

strips are called Jelonet

Thank you so much everyone this has really helped. At least I know I am not alone!
Will investigate shields and try to get some support ASAP

I am just so frustrated as I don't know what to do for the best and though I am coping well with other aspects of new motherhood this one is really upsetting me.

It is so upsetting, especially if you haven't been warned that it can be hard! It can come as a bit of a shock that one of the most natural things in the world can be so painful! at least we knew that labour and birth would be! I agree, get baby to feed directly from you - they are like little hoovers and will prevent blockages etc - the pump can be bit damaging. Hand expressing is a bit tricky at first so don't worry if you are just getting a dribble. As your baby's mouth gets bigger, the feeds will become quicker and allow healing. Dont put lansinoh on your areola as baby can lose her latch and just slide about. good luck!

Oh bless you, I had similar issues with bruised, bleeding, cracked nipples in the first week or two, to the extent that I was dreading each feed and started expressing to try to let my poor nipples heal. In actual fact though, once I got some decent advice to improve positioning, BFing - as long as the positioning and latch were good - was less traumatic for my nipples than expressing was.

Get some 1:1 help if you possibly can, but have a look at this for a start, it has good advice on how to hold and support your baby to get him/her positioned correctly.

How are you today emerald?

Have you tried hand expressing? I didn't find it particularly easy, but it's a hell of a lot gentler on sore nipples than a pump. See if you can find a video or diagrams to show you how to do it because the technique isn't exactly intuitive.

Thanks so much for asking welovegrapes!

Well I am better in myself in that I have calmed down and can discuss it without crying!!

Got a lactation specialist who couldn't help with the latch as I was too engorged but she was v helpful putting me in contact with a breast pump agent. She thinks the home pump is aggravating my nipples as it is too small and chafing so I am going to try renting one with a wider funnel. I just hope it works.

Right now getting pumping to reduce swelling is my priority. Then I hope to try her on thd breast again.

However I am a but worried that my supply is starting to dry up as today the engorgement has reduced and I am struggling to hand express whereas yesterday it was running out of me. Am I just being paranoid?? How fast does supply dry up and can I get it back once it has started to go? I am getting the new pump tonight and want it to be soon enough! Bit scared I will never get milk again once it goes... Am I crazy or right??!

Your supply should be pretty responsive after only 7 days. People are different in how quickly they find their milk increases/decreases with demand, but I wouldn't worry about that just now.

I think one of the main things that makes it difficult to get supply back up after not feeding for a while is losing trust in your body, and that's partially psychological. People can find themselves second guessing how full they feel, how the baby's reacting, how much formula's being taken and keep coming back to "well my supply must be at fault", and it becomes self perpetuating.

Once you're less sore and are either feeding directly from the breast regularly, pumping regularly then it should come back and settle down. I think the recommendation is at least 8 times a 24hr period, one way or the other, and that night feeds are crucial for stimulating supply, so if you're feeding by bottle at night make sure you're pumping as well.

Good to hear that you got the right support emeraldgirl1
Yes it need to be the right pump and the right size of the breast shield - my recommendation is the Medela Symphony pump - many years of experience - which you can rent for reasonable prize. Expressing your breast milk should never be hurtful and damaging your nipple - neither breastfeeding.
If it does something is not right and need to be corrected.
Too many mothers suffer for too long in the early days post birth because of wrong or conflicting information - and it's heartbreaking to see these mothers in my daily home visits.
Best wishes and keep going...