how long to cracked nipples take to heal?

[ems147]

Ever since my dd was born (3weeks ago) iv had sore nipples which after a couple of days became cracked and bled. ive been using lansinoh and have occasionally tried to give my breast some air, they havent got any worse, not bled again since the first time but still really sore. how long does it normally take for nipples to heal and be pain free?

IME, and this is only with DD they healed very quickly once her latch was right

for the first 36 hours, DD was nipple feeding and my nipples cracked and bled

within a day or so of her latch being corrected they were better (and lansinoh)

are you sure your latch is 100% ok?

agree with ruby, if your latch is ok they ought to heal fairly quickly

ive been told that it is right, thats the problem. when i asked in hospital and when midwife saw me feed at home she also said the latch was right. just want it to be pain free now.

If Ig got sore nipples I would try and get plenty of 'fresh air' by going back to bed with my DS for the afternoon or morning.
Can a midwife/healthvisitor visit or could you find a breast feeding cafe to double check?
Good luck!

everyone said DS's latch was fine but one of my nipples cracked. i expressed for about four days off one side and then it never cracked again. i was really strict with the latch afer that - for me it was about getting as much into his mouth as possible which tbh got MUCH more comfortable as his mouth got bigger iyswim. i also had to wait for him to open his mouth really really wide. he is also mildly tongue tied which may have been an issue. i am too and my mum got cracked nipples with me, not my older sister or brother.

my midwife recomended glycerine and whiskey (mixed together not for drinking) rub on and leave to air dry it took 1/2 days to heal, I thought it was brill, and then I used plenty of lansinoh

Did you have a section and if so did they give you antibiotics (or did you have anti-bs for any other reason)?
Sometimes after antibiotics you can get thrush in your breasts which makes nipples heal far more slowly. I had this and couldn't figure out why feeding DD2 was such agony for weeks.
Perhaps speak to a breastfeeding adviser to rule out thrush?

i had anti-bs for my stitches as my tear became an open wound sorry if tmi!

how do you know if you have thrush in your breast? is it visible?

i was tempted to just express from the cracked side but wasnt sure if i should confuse her with mixing breast and bottle so young and maybe make her latch worse if that was the problem.

i may ask my health visitor about my latch, when she turns up... only had 1 visit since her birth!

I am having a bit of similar prob with 5 day old DS.

Got it a bit wrong in the 1st day or so and got cracked skin quickly

I heard advice from a doctor to put a dab of olive oil onto a breast pad then wear the pads as normal. The oil then soaks into the nipple and calms it.

May be worth a try.

I had very pink nipples, and feeding hurt when I was sure my latch was ok and I should have healed. Eventually what gave the game away was DD developing thrush in the inside of her mouth (I could see white patches and she would make clicking noises as she kept coming off the breast).

There was also a really sharp pain when she latched which made me yelp and which then eased off as she fed. I actually had to use my labour breathing to deal with it! The pain did not coincide with letdown, it was literally as soon as she started sucking. Apparently bad latch hurts throughout a feed.

Ask your HV for the phone number for whoever runs the breastfeeding support for your area and give them a call.