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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

HELP NEEDED.......PLEASE!!! Advice for cracked bleeding nipples on day 6.........it hurts so much i feel like crying

27 replies

sparklesandwine · 01/11/2008 07:24

I'm not sure what to do to ease the pain so any advice would be welcome

DD2 is now 6 days old, the milk is coming through but the pain is getting unbareable

I don't want to give up feeding her but i just don't know how to ease the pain, which is mainly in my left nipple - right side is 'ok' it hurts but i can get through it iykwim

the left side is just hell the pain is excruciating and she is now picking up on this as i'm so tense when i try to feed her that she is now geeting fussy and won't feed on that side

I never had this with any of my others and was wondering what wonderful advice you ladies could give me to make it easier

OP posts:
MamaG · 01/11/2008 07:28

So sorry to hear that you're in such pain sparkles

Have you tried anything at all - I had lanisoh recommended to me (am pg) but haven't tried it. Itried a camomile type cream when I had DD 9 years ago but can't for the life of me remember what its called.

Are you sure you've got hte latch right? If I were you, given the early hour and my ham-fisted attempts at advice, I'd ring one of hte breastfeeding helplines for advice and then you can despatch DH for something (or maybe a counsellor could even visit you at home to check the latch?)

NCT BF line 0845 444 8708
LLL 0845 120 2918

Good luck xx

BBBeeast · 01/11/2008 07:34

I agree with MamaG's excellent advice - try the helplines as it could be the latch.

Also (it is hard not to sound patronising) but well done for doing so well and to keep going. Breastfeeding can be a struggle. I hope you get some advice and help.

Best wishes and congratulations on your baby.

Do keep posting.

Original poster
sparklesandwine · 01/11/2008 07:35

Thanks MamaG

the cream i'm using is Kamillosan - which doesn't seem to being doing much tbh

I'm pretty sure that she is latching on right, and the midwife checked yesterday when she was over too and said latch was fine

she is DC5 and our last, i really don't want to give up feeding but just don't what to do to carry on

OP posts:
BBBeeast · 01/11/2008 07:37

it could also be thrush on the nipple (I had this) is your doctor helpful? could you see him /her?

Original poster
sparklesandwine · 01/11/2008 07:39

i suppose as she is no5 i just expected it all be a breeze as i've never had any problems feeding my others

OP posts:
Original poster
sparklesandwine · 01/11/2008 07:41

BBB what are the thrush symptoms? never thought of that

so far i have very cracked nipples which keep bleeding

OP posts:
constancereader · 01/11/2008 07:54

I had this - bloody agony. I would break out in a cold sweat when I latched him on.

The only thing that worked for me was keeping the wound moist by covering with jelonet. If it dries out then it will crack from underneath every time you latch on. This was advice from my excellent bf counsellor btw. You should probably get some help with the latch too to stop it happening again.

Paracetamol can help with the pain.

Hope you feel better soon

lilymolly · 01/11/2008 08:08

Lasinoh is brilliant

Get either hv or mw to come out and sit with you for a few feeds to ascertain if you are latching on correctly.
It may be you have thrush or mastitis.

TBH I had neither and it was still agony for the first few weeks whilst my nipples hardended up.
I am now pregnant with no 2 and am determined not to have the same problem again, i think the key is to get the latch correct?

Sorry cant be more help, stick with it if you can and congratulations x

Original poster
sparklesandwine · 01/11/2008 08:14

can you just get lasinoh and jelonet from the chemist?

do you think expressing the more painful side whilst the nipple toughens up would work or not?

i have tried the advice lines - no one is answering

OP posts:
constancereader · 01/11/2008 08:18

Yes you can get both.
I expressed from the painful side for a week or so iirc. Unless you have experienced it you have no idea how much it hurts.

But it will heal!

Aubergenie · 01/11/2008 10:26

I was told by midwife that rubbing some of my milk onto my nipples would ease the pain. I didn't try it as as I got some lansinoh and it's brilliant. Good luck!

numptysmummy · 01/11/2008 10:31

Milk helps and i know all the experts say no but have you tried a nipple shield? I used one when dd4 was tiny as i had nipple thrush and it was a godsend.

pamplemousse · 01/11/2008 10:33

Ooh poor you, I remember the pain.
Lanisoh is sooooo much better than Kamillosan ime, slap it on at every oppurtunity and express till its a bit better as I found dd made it sting more.
Good luck

numptysmummy · 01/11/2008 10:33

Thrush symptoms are cracked bleeding nipps, stabbing pains on latching and it may be that dc has white spots or curd type stuff in the mouth. Have either of you had antibiotics? Is very common if you have.

flimflammum · 01/11/2008 10:34

You can get Lansinoh from Mothercare. It forms a barrier so is much better than creams. Let your nipple dry in the air if possible after each feed then put it on. My DS didn't seem to mind the taste.

But do try the NCT bf counsellors, I had some good advice from them.

Littlefish · 01/11/2008 13:24

Oh poor, poor you sparklesand wine.

I had this with my dd. Painless, lovely feeding on one side, but horrendous, excrutiating pain when feeding on the other.

My midwife (and a few other midwives) all told me that the latch was fine so I just kept going.

After about a month of mastitis, infected nipple etc. etc. etc. I gave up breastfeeding. It was the worst possible decision for me.

Looking back, the latch can't have been right. My sore nipple was sort of a squashed shape when it came out, with a crease along it. It was this crease that kept cracking and becoming infecting. It took nearly a year for it to return to the same shape as the other one.

Have you got a breastfeeding group near you? It sounds like you need to see, or at least speak to a breastfeeding specialist. There are some excellent midwives out there, but many of them have only had very basic training in breastfeeding (I've been told by a friend who is a midwife).

Have you tried different holds? I found that the rugby ball hold was less painful on the sore side, whereas a "normal" hold was fine on the other side.

Original poster
sparklesandwine · 01/11/2008 18:19

Thank you for all your advice

I've been out today and i have bought some Lanisoh and also i bought a breast pump and have started to express from this afternoon, which is easier on my nipple, so i'm hoping it may ease the pain and help heal the nipple too

OP posts:
Jacksmama · 01/11/2008 19:16

I had that too, my milk didn't come in until day 5 because of horrible birth and haemorrhage so DS was chewing nipples raw because he was so hungry, poor little mite. His latch was fine - had been checked by MW and nurses. Was told my nipples just hadn't toughened up sufficiently (and I can believe that, they'd never been treated that way before DS was born, LOL - perhaps that's a shame but there you are... ) --- anyway, I didn't find Lansinoh especially helpful, but what did it for me was using a homeopathic remedy called Phytolacca, in 30C strength. You can take 2 pilules every 15 mins until the pain gets better, and then 3 pilules three times a day until your nipples are healed. Oh, and it really helped me to have him nurse on the better side and pump on the painful cracked side.
Good luck!!! I hope you make it through. I had no idea how badly my nipples could hurt, no one tells you about that, do they? But they're fine now. Congratulations on the new babe!!
xxxxx

mellyfriedonionsonahotdog · 01/11/2008 19:26

sparkles...glad you got the lasinoh...its bloody magic! it waterproofs you, so stick it on before you go in the shower too!

try and let your nipples get some air...

i found that breast pads made a difference too...cheaper ones absorb leaks, but keep your nipples soggy and damp...the best ones were tommy tippee or similar...they have like a silicone type gel stuff in them...they keep you really dry.

these are the same type

good luck....

NellyTheElephant · 01/11/2008 19:56

I had this particularly badly with DD1 and to a lesser extent with DD1. I used Lanisoh and Kamilosan, but neither seemed to do a great deal to help really. The one thing that sorted it was stopping feeding from the really bad side for a day or two (2 days for DD1 and just a couple of feeds with DD2 as it wasn't so bad) and expressing that side and giving in a bottle instead. The nipple really healed up when I was doing this and after 2 days I went back to feeding from that side as normal and it was MUCH better. Hopefully this will work for you too. Both times I found it all settled down by 10 days / 2 weeks, so hopefully you won't have to grit your teeth for too much longer.

Stefka · 01/11/2008 21:39

I had this and it was just awful. I used lansinoh and jelonet which helped them to heal. I also expressed from the worst side and just fed on it once a day as DS could drain it better than I could. I did this for a week to give it time to heal. I hand expressed as the pump irritated it too much.

You are doing so well - hang in there. It took me three months to get it sorted but I had infections as well. Hopefully it will be easier for you.

whatgoeson · 02/11/2008 16:12

It may be the way baby attaches - I also had this - agony!!

This is something my mum's friend suggested - and you never know - it's worth a try and worked like MAGIC! for me - the pain just went!

basically, hold your breast between your thumb and first finger, just either side of the nipple area and then squeeze the two together very gently, (almost like you're holding a hot dog!) then "post" the nipple into the baby's mouth - this made my daughter attach perfectly and it was like a wand has been waved! The bleeding stopped and within two days all the cracking had cleared up - GOOD LUCK!!! Really hope it works for you

xxxxxx

whatgoeson · 02/11/2008 16:13

ps - my midwife / breast adviser also told me the latch was fine - but obviously something was going on in her mouth!

xxx

CalE · 02/11/2008 18:41

Well done sparklesandwine, you are doing so well. It's a great idea to start expressing, you can easily freeze your milk in the special lansinoh freezer bags. xx

MarchNowFebMum · 03/11/2008 08:36

All good advice for fixing problem long term but if you need short term relief, try nipple sheilds.

This is unpopular advice in some circles but they were a life saver for me. They kept me bf during mastitis and cracked nipples - and that's most important - until my nipples healed.

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