Bleb / Milk Blister really painful

[Loiswh1987]

Hello!

I have had a really sore nipple on my right breast which has been going on for at least 8 weeks.

I've been to the GP 4 times & a BF group where 3 people looked at it!!!

Last visit to the GP was to ask if they could try & lance it with a needle. The GP thought they would struggle to do it. With no other options they have referred me to the breast clinic. They reassured me that they don't think this is cancer related but given that I've had this for a while & it's not improving it meets the criteria for a referral. I'm still worrying about this but trying to put it to the back of my thoughts!!!

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of it??? It's making me so miserable.

I've used warm compresses & feeding.

Tried "picking it off" (fingernail & sterilised needle method) but nothing came out or changed particularly. Infact it hurt more.

I've just tried pumping in the shower, no change.

I've been taking Soya Lecithin for about 2 weeks.

I'm taking ibuprofen & it's helping slightly.

I have noticed some white/blanched patches that appear after feeding or warm compresses. But would a blanched nipple create the same pain as a bleb? I also get shooting pains across my boob to my nipple throughout the day.

So miserable with this! Any suggestions appreciated.

Have you spoken to a lactation consultant about it? How old is your baby? Are you pumping exclusively or pumping and feeding at the breast? How’s your baby’s latch? Non-optimal latch positioning can often be a reason for a bleb and nipple blanching and pain, they’re very common for breastfeeding mothers.

You need someone to check the latch like an IBCLC, in the meantime you could try moist wound healing, rather than letting the skin dry out between feeds. Multi-mam compresses are great for this, or lanolin cream. Don’t use Vaseline as this is a total barrier cream, that’s not what you want. If you are latching your baby and feel that the latch is painful or shallow unlatch your baby and start again, don’t continue a feed or pumping in pain. If pumping a lot make sure your flanges are the right size.

You poor thing. I remember these, fucking agony it was. HV just shrugged at me, not even any sympathy. I did manage mine with fingernail and once a needle. So I scratched/scraped it & fed immediately.
Also I think I did the mastitis thing of feeding hanging down (lie baby on bed & point their chin at the bleb (? Maybe? I think? ) and brushing towards the block,
I remember the immediate rush of relief when it went. And baby spat out the lump. God the relief.
have some sympathy. And tea. And cake of your choice.

I had awful recurrent milk blebs. Try these (in this order):

• Make a saline solution from sea salt and boiled water (hot, but not boiling, don’t hurt yourself) in a shot glass and plonk your nipple in it. Hold until suction forms and then hold it on there for about 15 minutes.
• Put vinegar (preferably ACV) on some cotton wool, place over nipple, put on your bra, and leave for an hour.
• Rinse and apply nipple cream.
• Before breastfeeding, apply a hot compress.

You should notice a difference in a few hours and it’ll hopefully be gone in a couple of days.

The blanched patches make me wonder about Raynauds of the nipple - might be worth a google to see if any of the symptoms resonate with you. And the stabbing pains could potentially be a thrush issue deep within the breast?

@Garman My baby is 7 months old now. Other side is absolutely fine which makes me think the latch is OK? At the breastfeeding group I went to with breastfeeding peer supporters they checked the latch, but the position they suggested was still painful.
She's EBF but I've just been pumping as a way to try release it.
I have some Lanolin so I will start using that.

Thank you for your reply & your advice!!

@Glovesandscarf thank you ❤️
I'm desperate for that feeling of relief!!! I had a really good go at it earlier & I thought it might get it to budge but now my ppoor boob is so sore.
I tried the gravity feeding thing last week (although not aided by my 3 year old who thought it was hilarious & tried to get in on the action 😂) but might give it another bash tomorrow.
Thank you for the sympathy & cake - very much needed!!!

The latch can differ on both sides because of your own anatomy, your baby’s, any tightness or preference your baby might have and how you hold your baby with slight differences on either side. I always got blebs on one side with my babies and it was because of how I hold them and that that boob is a slightly different shape to the other one, sisters not twins! Is there any position to feed on on that side that doesn’t hurt?

A blockage would need to be removed but a bleb can form due to the latch causing a bit of damage to the nipple, it doesn’t always mean a blockage. I’d definitely contact an IBCLC, if changing to positions that don’t hurt or cause a bad latch don’t help alongside the moist wound healing.

@LusaBatoosa Thank you! Will give this a go 💕

@Loiswh1987 can you actually see the bleb?

All positions might hurt until it’s cleared tbh. Pat your boob very gently with your fingertips only if you’ve a blockage, massaging it any more deeply or roughly will cause inflammation making things worse.

You can also try a nipple bath with Epsom salts in a haakka if you have one, that can help clear blebs too.

@Garman I've tried a few different positions (rugby ball, sitting, all fours) but it's all painful. I'm not sure what else to try, so will look into IBCLC, thank you so much!

Apple cider vinegar on a cotton pad is what finally worked for me after several painful weeks.

Laid back feeding position work any better? Koala hold (basically sitting on your lap upright). Dangle feeding might aggravate a bleb if the baby was hanging off the nipple and there wasn’t a blockage just a bleb. Just try and keep it moist, drying out makes it so much more painful.

@amidsummernightsdream
There is definitely a white spot there (now a bit red & angry looking after I picked at it tonight) It was at the breastfeeding group where one of the peer supporters said very definitely it was a bleb. But previously a GP thought it was nipple trauma.

GPs know bugger all about breastfeeding, the bare minimum so I wouldn’t go by what they’d say at all. A bleb is nipple damage/trauma but GP won’t usually be good for advice on how to treat it unless they have furthered their own Breastfeeding training out of personal interest, or have experience breastfeeding/having a breastfed child etc

@Puddlelane123

Yeah I wondered about that too. I don't think it's been worse in cold weather though. I had it during the heatwave in September!
GP wondered about Thrush but thought it would be on both nipples & baby's mouth if so...?

I had a couple of these, lanolin and soya lecithin helped, as did a hot compress before feeding. But I genuinely think just feeding as much as possible was what cleared them. Horrible things!

@Garman yeah I agree! They were the ones who suggested the breastfeeding group & now referring to breast clinic as they don't know what else to do.

Oh and using exfoliating gloves gently in the shower! Bit weird but it loosened it all. I tried a lot of stuff

I really suffered with these, so feel for you massively.
I flicked mine out with a needle but I know you’ve said you already tried this. For what its worth, it took multiple tries, they didnt come out straight away. However, there was a big of a knack to it and it got easier and oh my goodness the relief when it came out.

I was going to urge you to try again but its difficult if you think it may not be a bleb and are worried about additional trauma

Maybe take a warm bath/ shower and then take the area of the nipple where the suspected bleb is between your thumb and finger and if you manipulate the area around it, it may become more apparent to you if it is or not. I found my blebs were tiny and difficult to spot

im sorry I wish I could be more help

@amidsummernightsdream
Thank you ❤️
Feels so ridiculous how miserable it's making me but so painful!!

Thank you everyone - it's made me feel better to get it off my chest (so to speak) & getting some support from you lovely lot.
Just had a cry to my partner about it too which helped!! Haha.
I'm going to give your suggestions a whirl this week & if no resolution I'm looking at IBCLCs as @Garman has suggested! Thanks again all!!!

For what its worth I had horrible internal thrush in one boob (the stabbing pains were horrendous) but oddly enough there were never any signs on baby or nipple itself. So if you get no joy / all else fails worth bearing in mind it could be thrush.