Really sore nipples - bf 7 month old

[bumbleweed]

Have had this on and off throughout 7 months but its really sore at the moment and making me consider giving up breast-feeding. I have no symptoms of thrush or mastitis and the pain is just in the nipple itself - like the tissue is really bruised (I am sure I have read threads on here which mention 'nipple trauma'?). I think its because dd is teething and very wriggly impatient baby and gums down hard or doesnt latch on properly and get the nipple far enough back in her mouth.

I have tried getting her to latch properly but not much success as I cant remember how I ever did it and anyway now, at 7 months, she is fairly determined to get on the nipple in her own way.

2 days ago it was only one side, so I tried to feed more off the other side, but now both sides are affected and its getting me down.

Any thoughts?

Bumble,could well be thrush.
Have a look at threads relating to thrush for details on treatment with Flucanazole(Diflucan) in B/feeding section.It was discussed at great length a few days ago.

get your Doc to take a nipple swab

not very glamourous but you should get an answer

hi moondog, thanks for replying, yes I guess it could be thrush - no physical signs on me or baby, but the pain is on the list of symtoms looking at the other recent threads.

so if you get flucanazole for self, do you also need to treat baby with some oral gel type thing?

I still think it could be a latch thing and the info suggests getting a bf counsellor to observe a feed but I cant see dd being willing to feed for more than a few gulps with anyone else around unless she is really starving as is too distracted the whole time.

hi morningpaper - does the swab settle the diagnosis of thrush once and for all? is it something which has to go off to the lab?

I was just about to post a similar message. My DS is almost 10 months and is teething like mad so I thought that might be it. It's definately not thrush in my case as we have had thrush loads and I know what it's like for me.

Nipples just seem extremely sensitive and achey much like those first few breastfeeds?

oooh me too! Ds is nearly 10 months and I'm having the same issues!

My conclusions are:

He is teething and his gums are getting harder plus he wants to clamp down more

He is getting stronger therefore he can clamp down harder

He gets distracted more easily therefore wriggles about a lot more, hence I have to keep breaking the suck and relatching him

He is bigger therefore I have to keep readjusting my hold to accommodate his size

I'm just glad I'm down to 3 feeds really! Only this morning I was thinking how it has become less pleasurable at the moment.

Btw I have had thrush before too and know that the pain is definitely not thrush. Thrush tends to make nipples hurt immediately after a feed, not during it.

BW,well I don't think the baby getting older is the issue.
Fed one of mine for 30 mths.
Do oyu have a b/feeding drop in place near you?
Sounds like you really need to be seen in action!

I've not had thrush on nipples before so I think I will go to doc asap to check this out (only problem with getting an urgent appt is that you get to see rubbish docs in the practice - you have to wait 3 weeks to see a decent one).
I do actually go sometimes to a bf support group, and could ask the HV who goes to have a look at my latch but like I say its getting dd to feed thats the problem - its all about timing, ie she will only feed with other people around if she is really really tired or really really hungry.

I know what you mean about the size thing miaou - I'm having to adjust how I hold dd because she is longer and she is stronger so moves about herself during the feed - its a bit of a PITA at times.

suzi2 - yes very much like those first few weeks of feeding - I think thats why its such a downer because I hated feeding for the first 2 months and have loved it for the last few months.

I also have dd nipping and biting my arms during feeds and am covered with bruises, my coccyx injury which I sustained falling down the stairs on my arse when 7 months pg has started hurting again for some reason so sitting down hurts - so I am just generally feeling like a physical wreck (woe is me ... okay moan over)!

bumbleweed how many feeds a day are you doing now? I'm down to three and two of those I do lying down in bed (first thing in the morning and last thing at night). Ds tends to be either sleepy or ravenous then so less open to distraction, and lying down makes it easier to get him comfortable and to take him off/relatch if he moves about too much.

Tbh I could never get the hang of feeding lying down so always feed in cradle hold. Number of feeds depends on whether we are in or out - still a really frequent feeder but still early days of solids so not taking a great deal in. If we are in she will feed every 2 hours. If we go out she might only get 5 feeds in during the day (because she fusses and asks to feed but cant really concentrate on it so breaks off, grrrr), but she still wakes twice a night - great for her catches up on all her nutrition, but blooming tiring for me eh?

Poor you BW!
I know that used feeling so well.

If she is biting and causing nipple trauma,how are you dealing with it?
I've had it once or twice with both of mine and taking them off the boob abruptly and snapping 'No!!' was enough to get it to stop.

moondog, 'used' is exactly right - you have obviously been there too

when she actually bites I do similar (cos I read it on mumsnet ; take her off and say no and hold her away from me for 30 secs so she knows ... butI think the main trauma is from gumming and tugging and not latching deeply enough

She sounds very distracted BW.
You also say she won't feed with other people there which is curious.
Where and how are you normally feeding her then?

she's a bit hyper md
she will feed with others there but only if she is really ready for a nap - so its all about timing in terms of getting a bf counsellor to see her feed iykwim

My GP said she couldnt do a swab because there was nothing to do a swab from - eg a sore. Therefore I am none the wiser regarding the thrush. She didnt want to prescribe fluconazole - just gave some fungicidal cream, and said why not wait a few days see if its any better before using it if you are not sure its thrush.

Now really confused

Bumbleweed

Hi - sounds a lot like ds. At 7 months I was completely unable to feed ds in public anymore as he was so distracted. In fact at about 8 months I thought he would give up as he fed so badly. This did pass and now at 18 months he is still feeding though only about 3-4 times a day maximum. Some days he has only 1-2 feeds.

As for pain - I really wish I had some advice for you but bfeeding has always hurt me. Since Ds got teeth it REALLY hurts. He did the biting thing for a while but firm no's stopped that. The problem now is that I can feel his teeth when he feeds but I honestly don't think he is doing it on purpose. He has a small mouth and a tongue tie and my nipples are very large - I am sure this is the problem. I have had his latch checked repeatedly but everyone says it is fine.

I can honestly say that about 90% of feed are painful for me sometimes unbearably so. Ds is very wriggly and pulls a lot which makes things worse.

I have kept bfeeding as ds seems to love it so much now but it has been very difficult at times and only this morning I was thinking I really have to stop this as I gritted my teeth through yet another feed. It is the rare occasions that it doesn't hurt that keep me going and the look on ds's face when I offer him a bfeed.

Sorry I have no advice but a lot of sympathy

lazycow - I cant believe you have carried on for so long if it hurts you that much, I am amazed. I think if this goes on much longer I will stop and just express until she is a year old.

Good for you to keep going through all that fussing and agony.

Full time expressing wasn't really an option for me as it took so long for me to get any milk out. I did do it for the odd bottle but I often had to do 2-3 stints of 20-30 minutes to get 4-6 oz.

I have had periods where it doesn't hurt and most of the time it is more very uncomfortable than very painful. It is obviously nowhere near as bad as the razor sharp agony of the first couple of weeks otherwise ds would definitely have been formula fed .

I suppose you just get used to it. I did actively encourage ds to reduce his feeding quite early on though and stopped feeding on demand at about 10-11 months. Mind you he had taken well to solids and didn't seem to like bfeeding at that point much so it was pretty easy.

The problem I had was that he didn't like formula either and still won't drink cows milk so I kept on as he needed the milk until a year old.

Then I was too lazy to get him off the breast at 12 months and kept thinking I'd do it soon as he was down to 1-2 feeds a day max. I thought it would sort of peter out on it's own but then he started to be more of a boob monster at 14 months so refusing became more difficult - sigh parenthood!!

It would have been easier to wean him at 12 months as at that point he seemed to be able to take it ot leave it but now it would really upset him so I am girding my loins so to speak to start the weaning but I don't have the heart at the moment.

wow its fascinating for me to read how he has gone through different phases regarding the degree to which he is into his breast feeding. I had imagined that their interest just gradually peters out until they are only on 1-2 feeds a day and had not really contemplated that they could actually increase - all food for thought (pardon the unintended pun).

I've tried really hard with the latch and position over the last few days and pain seems to be easing a little anyway.

Well I've been using the thrush cream for a few days and am having no improvement - I didn't expect to have any as I'm sure it's not a thrush flareup. I got DSs feeding checked out at local bf cafe and apparently all is well. Although he was so distracted that he was on and off all the time!

So I'm none the wiser about the discomfort. I'm sure his suck has got stronger - well it certainly feels that way! I've had to go back to wearning a bra at night as my nipples are sore and boobs feel bruised!

I hope this is a phase that just passes!

hi suzi2 - hope things get better for you soon

bumping for bramblina