Nipple damage not healing

[TheWizardJenkins]

Hoping for some positive experiences of nipples wounds healing. My dd is nearly 7 weeks old and most of the damage happened in the first few days. One side has a crack that thankfully is healing but the other has an open wound, nearly covering the whole top of nipple and doesn't appear to be healing, needless to say very painful. I've seen bf counsellor lots to sort out latch, had thrush and possible infection treated, using jellonet, lanisnoh and breast shells, but still no evidence of healing. I've been advised to rest it and express for a few days but initially did this supply dropped and it didn't appear to help. Bf counsellor advised to continue to feed and this is what I prefer to do and it's just about manageable. Also using flipple technique which helps

Any positive stories of severe nipple damage healing would be wonderful

Thank you

Both my nipples cracked from Day 1 of feeding but one side sounded like yours- open wound covering the top of the nipple. Mine turned out to be infected and that's why it wasn't healing. The infection was picked up on a swab after about 2 weeks but one week of antibiotics wasn't enough. I had a second course and it seemed that once I'd finished that it was much less painful and starting healing. It took another two weeks or so to fully heal doing all the things you mentioned like jelonet, lansinoh, being vigilant with latch etc. Can you ask your GP to do a swab to just check if there's any infection still there? Mine had healed by 7 weeks but the damage was enough to leave a scar.

I'm not sure that my damage was as severe but yes, it definitely got better. I had two nasty splits due to a tongue tie, like yourself the damage was done in the first few days. My left one was particularly bad.
I can't remember when they healed exactly but I believe it was by 3 months and now at 6 months on they look good as new

Thank you

Just finished second course of antibiotics so maybe healing will now start, just can't image it ever healing!

Did you both continue to feed off damaged breast during healing

Similar experience here. One side healed within a few weeks but the other remained for 6 weeks, and despite several courses of antibiotics. Swabs can give false negatives (especially for thrush) so I recommend asking for another swab. Finally a swab revealed a staph infection, so more antibiotics as well as anti thrush for me and baby did the trick. It healed then within a week and it's bliss!

Also... it was a pain in the proverbial but pumping saved my ability to breastfeed. It gets easier as you go on and keeps supply up. It helps avoid mastitis too, which you will be extra susceptible to if you have thrush. Also bottles aren't evil - my 1 week old took to them and went back to the breast no bother. Plus its lovely to let daddy feed.

I have vivid memories of looking down and seeking bloody leaking through my pj top! Aghhhh that was a difficult time. Best advice I can give is apply Lansinoh then leave them to "air-dry"! In my case this involved closing the shutters and basically sitting on the sofa with my boobs out for a couple of weeks, but it did the trick :)

I dis feed, on and off, on the bleeding nipple, but pumped a fair bit too. I really do sympathise - you'll get through it, I promise!

Just to add I took a strong probiotic (optibac) when on antibiotics to help avoid thrush.

Thanks for the positive stories, really hope healing starts soon as 7 weeks of pain getting me down seeing bf counsellor again tomorrow to recheck latch and will ask for another swab to check if still infected. I think once I see evidence of wound healing will feel stronger

X

Yes taking probiotics too x

initially went on antibotics due to swollen painful nipple and green discharge. Had swab midway through antibotic course which was clear, likely antibotic working and nipple no longer swollen but still green discharge, does this mean still infected ? Waiting to hear back from gp

Hmm green discharge sounds like an infection to me. It's totally possible to have more than one infection at the same time - keep talking with the dr and hopefully you'll get to the bottom of it soon. I remember the feeling of it being so acute and painful, with no end in sight, but take it one day at a time and remember that it will of course be cured soon. And when you get into breastfeeding properly it really is worth it xx

Have you heard of APNO? All Purpose Nipple Ointment... its some special concoction i was recommended but never got round to (everything healed up before then) but it might be worth googling or asking your Dr about.

7 weeks in pain - well done you for continuing.

For me it was tongue tie that caused the damage, with one side worse than the other. After the TT was sorted, healing was amazingly quick - about a week. Def get the latch checked. Good luck

Spoke with gp and be given another course of antibiotics so fingers crossed it works. Yes I've read about that ointment but wasn't sure if gp would prescribe the ingredients to make it.

Been checked for tongue tie but told no, think dd has lip tie but not sure if that makes a difference