Cracked/sore nipples - is there anything you can do to prevent or help this?

[Janus]

I'm a couple months off having my second baby. My first breastfed very well but I found it agony for the first 10 days or so to the point where I almost gave up. My nipples completely cracked open, bled and were generally in a rather revolting state!! I so remember my partner holding my head in his hands while I was sobbing with pain and breastfeeding my first.
Is there anything you can do to 'prepare' your nipples? If not, can anyone recommend some wonder cream that worked for them? I had a thick layer of Kamillosan which eased it all marginally but didn't know if there was some industrial strength product I haven't heard of!
Any suggestions would be very interesting, thanks.

I think my nipples have lost all sensitivity after bf ds! Perhaps putting vaseline on them between feeds or Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream which is fantastic for lips? Will have to remember to wash your nipples first though before putting them in baby's mouth as I don't think either would taste very nice. I got by with Kamillosan. Funny how the so-called experts keep telling you it shouldn't hurt bf and if it does then you're not doing it properly, if thats the case how come everyone (I know) is in agony for the first week or so?

You have to make sure "the latch is correct". Apparently then it doesn't hurt. Needless to say, it hurt like hell with DS2 but for less than a week - I think it was all down to one dodgy feed where I was so desparate to feed him I didn't worry about whether he was latched on properly. It was toe curling, especially when coupled with the after pains. However, it is brilliant once you get past that stage and both of you have got the hang of feeding.

I've heard that something called Lanisoh (?) is very good.

I guess the advice is to take your time over getting that latch right and not putting up with anything less than perfect.

Good luck!!

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Robinw I don't know if cabbage leaves help sore nipples, but I used them for engorged breasts when babies were about 5 or 6 days old and they worked a treat. I may have smelled like a school dinner hall but I didn't care. I can still remember clearly the feeling of coolness, and the relief!(its 11 years ago)
Janus, I think Soupdragon is right that if you get the position and latching on right, then there is unlikely to be a problem with cracked nipples. I remember agony for a few days with my first, but not with the other 2. I wonder if you started using kamillosan now, whether it would help? Got to be worth a try? Good luck! Hopefully it won't be a problem this time.

I didn't have problems bfing first time around thought it did hurt for the first 3 weeks or so. Second time around it really only hurt for the first few days. I think your nipples get caloused. I'd be surprised if you had the same cracking 2nd time around as you probably will know how to get your baby to latch on properly right from the start. My cousin had the same problem as SoupDragon, one dodgy latch right in the beginning with her first gave her cracked nipples for a week, but after that and with her second and third she didn't have any problem at all.

Pay good attention to how the baby is fixed on. Make sure that the baby is lying tummy to tummy with you therefore he/she does not need to twist his/her neck. Having breasfed before you might find it less of a problem.
Try looking at this site www.babyfriendly.org for more info.

A breasfeeding counsellor I know recommends having the baby so close to you that you cannot slip a piece of paper between you and your baby. Also the angle needs to be right. I have also heard that if you are afraid of the hurt as baby latches, you are likely to edge away as baby apporaches which means the baby doesn't get as much of the breast in his mouth as he requires to feed efficiently and nipple trauma can result.

Looking back I know I got this completely wrong which not only did damage to my nipples but also put a strain on my back and shoulders so it was a long time before I was comfortable breastfeeding in any position other than lying down. Some real help at the beginning would have made my life a lot more pleasant.

LANSINOH ointment - made all the difference to me. I had agonising pain/cracking and a baby who wanted to suck all the time. It's highly purified, non-allergenic, doesn't sting, you can even use it if you're allergic to lanolin. Won't harm the baby or trigger allergies in her/him. I got it by mail order, it was advertised in the back of a baby mag and recommended by a bf counsellor - best piece of advice she gave me.

Purelan was the best for me, available through the bf counsellor at the hospital. I have a collagen deficiency which among other things causes slow healing, and my nipples were dreadful. I only managed to bf my first 3 between 10 days and 3 weeks, but the purelan enabled me to do it until 16 weeks, until ds2 had enough and refused to feed from me . Also very good for chapped lips and makes a great lipgloss!

Lansinoh it is!! I had found it on first-born website (thankfully not more expensive than green baby!) so have ordered my tube in preparation!
Maybe she was incorrectly latched at some point in the early days which caused all this so I'm going to pay attention to the 'across your belly' position and 'up close' and smother myself in Lansinoh and keep fingers crossed!
Thanks all, I'm already relaxing!

Good luck Janus! I had my 3rd at the end of November...this is the first time I've had time to post since then!!....and suffered agonies with cracked nipples for about 2 weeks. I had to resort to nipple shields in the end for a couple of days so some healing could start - but feeding still really hurt with them. It doesn't help the bonding process at all - and having had a home birth only using a Tens machine - I was then on Neurofen and Paracetamol every 4 hours to help the pain! Dh said I was in more distress than during the birth. Best tip from a breast feeding councillor - too late for me - when the baby first latches on if it feels painful or even uncomfortable in any way - stop - take the baby off and try again to get the latch exactly right.
The mistake I made was to feed lying down through the first night - I was too tired to sit up and position myself properly - she sucked away all night and the damage was done.
It didn't feel quite right and was a bit painful -but when you've just given birth you're registering pain on a completely different scale and I was on such a high that I just thought it was insignificant! What a mistake! Don't fall into that trap!!
I also had the problem that dd's latch was so strong that it was as painfull to prize her off and try again as it was to leave her latched on with me breaking out in a cold sweat!
But - it'd all history now and she's feeding well - it was so joyful to get over that pain - I remember longing for nights when I'd be up all time feeding - but just without the agony....now of course I just want a few hours/minutes extra sleep!!

My midwife told me that the best thing to soothe sore and cracked nipples is some of the breastmilk itself. Apparently it has some antiseptic qualities. She advised me to squeeze a bit out and rub it round the nipple.
I found that I was in so much pain that couldn't wear bras so what I did was wear an old t-shirt with no bra and, although this sounds so unpleasant, I just leaked onto the t-shirt and therefore my nipples were soaked in breastmilk. This worked for me. I looked a right sight but only had to do this for about 5 days and if a visitor came I just put on a dressing gown.
When I felt comfortable enough to wear bras again (didn't want to go too long without support on my increasing boobs!), as others have advised, I wore nipple sheilds.
I hope this helps and good luck.

Hello Maras, I'm sure I sat opposite you in the Mumsnet meet-up last year, you were about 3 months pregnant so it all fits, must be you! I have thought since that you sort of disappeared. What did your Mother say in the end when you broke the news of the third? How are you all coping too, has the third changed your life?! Thanks for the advice on cracked nipples, it seems I really must pay attention to positioning as I never knew that one 'bad' feed could set it all off, good to know so thanks again.
Hope you're all well.
Meid, with my first I gushed so much (sorry!) that I completely soaked breastpads and bra each feed that I just can't face going 'au naturel'!! I do remember being told to 'air' them though so will do this with a towel to catch the gush for half an hour or something, IF I GET THEM!!
Feeling much more positive about avoiding it though, thanks everyone.

Yes Janus it's me! Since I stopped working in November 2 weeks before I gave birth - I've had no time to post here at all and only seconds to read occasionally! Life is busy!! My mother was predictably shocked when she heard the news, but soon accepted the situation. The baby is absolutely gorgeous - but not an easy model like ds1 was - feeding has been hard work - she's a fast snacker - rarely has a long satisfying feed and feeds often and suffers agony from trapped wind - it takes ages to get her bring it up - by which time she's hungry again. So there's lots of carrying and jogging up and down! My other 2 love her and it's great to see them making a fuss of her although it's also hard trying to split myself 3 ways - I always feel someone's been left out. Maybe because I had so many doubts about the pregnancy - but she seems so very precious - while half in despair about the crying - I love having to hold her so much!!

hi janus
with my first one i too suffered sore and cracked nipples.i was apprehensive about applying anything coz ds was constantly on it.it lead to a point where i had to apply some kamillosan and then i only expressed and did not feed ds for a while.which helped.
this time around i used to apply some e45 cream on my nipples before dd was born.and bingo no sore nipples this time.it worked for me.all the best

I never had any pain (apart from that shooting pain when they first latch on) at all while breastfeeding. And I always thought I had quite sensitive, soft, flower-like nipples . I also never used any cream on then whatsover, so I don't think that 'toughening them up' would help. I am sure it is all about positioning. If b/f hurt at all, I'd always detach ds (finger in the corner of the mouth to break suction) and keep doing it until it didn't hurt (even if he was howling with frustration - cruel mummy!). The big mouthful seems to be key - don't let them sip on the end at any cost. Also, don't let them twist the nipple - for me, it had to go straight into the gaping mouth otherwise it hurt. Janus, if breastfeeding had hurt me like it hurt you ds would have been on the bottle no question! And like Maras I could never feed lying down. I did sometimes cry when feeding but that was at 4am during my third night feed when ds was far too old for constant feeding but I was too tired to do anything else!

I'm reviving this thread, even though my question is really slightly off topic. I'm about to have my second baby. I was looking at my old breastfeeding records and realized that I breastfed DD1 every hour during the first 5 days for approximately 15 minutes on each side - which of course meant no sleep whatsoever for me. I also had a problem with extremely painful cracked sore nipples, but this lasted just 1 week. I realize that the painful cracked sore nipples are likely due to the positioning of the baby (thanks for the advice, Mears), but I'm also wondering if I was feeding DD too frequently? I realize also that I never burped DD1 during the first week or so. So my easy question is: do you need to try to burp collostrum? My harder question is - can someone give me a brief lesson on how often to breastfeed during just the 1st week? Should I do 15-30 minutes on one side, burp, and then 15-30 minutes on the other side - rest for about an hour or two and then repeat? Sorry such daft questions - especially given that I've done this all before, but I don't think i did it right the first time. TIA.

Mears? Aloha? Please don't let this thread die a quick death. I'm in a panic state - what if I have this baby early and need to start breastfeeding because I can't log on again?

Mears? Aloha? Someone? Please don't let this thread die a quick death. I'm in a panic state - what if I have this baby early and need to start breastfeeding before I can log on again?

I will reply in a moment

OK Tinyfeet..... cracked nipples are not because you fed often.... they can be a bit sore from all that initial sucking but crack = badly positioned (nipple feeding).... If that happens again = get Lansinogh or purelan - the BEST creams and of course get the positioning and attachment checked.

Burping - not all BF babies need to be burped.... and probably not at the colostrum stage. Again one of the reason (but by no means) the only reason you might need to burp is poor attachment (=taking in too much air)

At birth breastfeed on demand! (Baby is awake and rooting or crying though cry is not just hunger) If baby is very sleepy it is worth waking him/her after 3 hours max (OK if you get one 5 hour gap it's OK) but please don't let baby to sleep all day as it can lead to problems.

ANd of course once your baby is born... post your questions

Find out where you can find a BF counsellor where you live, we do home visits you know and it's all voluntary !

Tinyfeet - shoudl have added...... I can't tell you one side or two.... not at birth.... varies from baby to baby.... if he/she looks hungry after 1 side offer the other.
Baby should come off the breast on his own.... don't time feeds if baby is latched on fine (you will usually find it painless if latch is good).

Thanks, Pupuce! Very helpful. DD1 used to fall asleep after 1 side - and then cry an hour later, so I would give her the other side. Everyone said I was nursing too frequently, but I was feeding on demand initially. I'll try to post after DD2 is born, as the first 2 weeks were really miserable with DD1, and I fear the same with DD2. Thanks again.

Tinyfeet - many women have very different BF experiences from one baby to the next.... usually easier but I have seen more difficult too. Depends on babe (and his birth too actually).
Don't assume crying is necessarily hunger would be my only helpful suggestion at this stage but it is better to feed often when they are tiny than every 3 or so hours!
Are you still in the US?