Why is the tip of my nipple burning and going white?

[stickybean]

I am breastfeeding my 3 week old. To be honest it's been a nightmare from day one which is a bit of a shock having nursed my other kids with no major problems.

He had a tongue tie, cut in the hospital but has still not really been able to latch properly due to this and has been mainly on expressed bottles.

I have had a breastfeeding counsellor in this week who has been helping me work on teaching him to latch. We are getting there and in the last day or two he is latching on for 10 mins or so. He still needs topping up with expressed bottles after.

Since he has been feeding more from me and less from the bottle my left nipple feels like its burning and the tip keeps turning white, as if the blood has drained from it. It then goes back to normal colour.

Any ideas what this is? I am so miserable at the thought of yet another problem. I'm not sure how much more I can take.

Usually this is a simple latch problem, info here:

kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/nipple-blanching/

Thrush? It sounds like you have really been through the mill. You are doing an amazing job considering all that you have been dealing with.

Google thrush and see what you think.

I had this - it's Raynaud's syndrome. Hot water bottles are your friend here!

more info

Has he got an upper lip tie too? The bottles might be confusing his latch as well.

I don't think it's thrush as I've been on the oral thrush pill every other day as a preventative measure due to being on antibiotics. I had thrush with my first child and if it is I think this will be the nail in the coffin.

Bad latch makes sense, his latch is dire. At least if its that it would be rectifiable.

I agree with Altogether

I also agree with Altogether. Heat does help. I found showers helped nicely - not that you have a lot of time for that with a newborn! But you could always take him in with you :)

Cross posted. The raynauds syndrome looks interesting. My nipples are killing me if exposed to cold. Being outside is very difficult and I keep shouting at my husband for daring to open windows

I do think his tongue is still a problem. He has never bought it out further than his gums.

Was going to say raunauds too - funnily I had it with my first but not with my second, who's attached right now...

I had this pain especially when cold. I thought it was reynards but once checked turned out it was thrush. Couple of years ago now but I recall that it was so sore when exposed to air or when cold. Hope you get some relief soon. All the best.

Get the tongue checked again it latch has not improved within about 2 weeks of being cut. Scar tissues can form which causes the tie to reattach or it may have not been cut enough. We had ours cut 4 times till it was painfree.

If the lath is poor the compression of the nipple can cause it to go white and burn - which is what my LO was doing to my nipple. Poor lath can also cause thrush but I was advised that only the cream will kill thrush on the surface not fluconozole.

Had this too, it is also called 'blanched nipple' if you google it. Heat works wonders - hot water bottle, hot wheat cushion, or blast of the hot hair dryer on your covered and protected breast after feeding.
It was caused for me by a shallow latch, and, bf counsellor thought the nipple was pointing in the wrong bit of dd's mouth causing a compression issue too.
It does improve i found with a very subtle adjustment to positon - but so subtle it took a while to work it out! - the instant covering of the nipple after feeding to keep it warm with additonal heat applied, and working on a deeper latch, got some tips as usual from kelly mom website on this...

I had this with DD. It really hurts! I too found a hot water bottle really helped solve the problem, I never got to the bottom of what went wrong with the latch. I do have reynauds.

Also, wear a breast pad on the affected side, even if you don't leak, it acts like a little thermal blanket for the nipple ...