sore/weeping areolas

[beforesunrise]

hi, i hope someone can help me as this is driving me crazy.

have had really sore itchy nipples and areolas for months now (i am 35 weeks) and went to the gp twice who said infected eczema and prescribed steroid and antibiotic cream.

it gets better for a few days and then comes back. now my areolas (NOT my nipples) are constantly sore and weeping a clear fluid. i am having to wear breastpads and it's very uncomfortable. i am starting to get really worried about this/

am seeing consultant on monday and dermatologist on wednesday but am wondering whether either is the right specialist to bring up? gp clearly clueless about it.

i really want to breastfeed next baby and am getting worried that if discomfort persists i won't be able to.

thanks.

Are you taking antihistamines? when I have a flareup the dr reccommends I take 3 a day.

You probably should attack this on all sides. Antihistamines, wash your boobs only in water or eczema bath oil (such as aveeno/oilatum) apply your steroid cream thinly then some emmollient cream, and let them get some air as much as you can, perhaps going braless for the evening. Might also be an idea to boilwash your bras to get rid of any irritants lurking. And wash in non bio.

Scrub your hands before bed too if you have a tendency to scratch in your sleep. And don't scratch, obviously!

tbh if it's not respondin to the creams you may need ab's- it's important to get this resolved asap given that you're far along. Yeah why not ask your consultant? worst he can say is "I have no idea"

Are there any other gp's at your surgery?

I don't have a medical answer but when I was pregnant with DS1, my nipples/areolas were constantly itchy/cracked/bleeding. (excema also broke out on rest of my body) Was awful. I tried every cream I could think of, tried breastshells and breastpads - nothing really helped. Seemed to clear up about a week before I had him and I successfully breastfed for 13months (when he decided to self-wean.)

As I say, not medical answer but gives you hope that it shouldn't effect breastfeeding. Good luck

Have you changed your diet? For instance started drinking more milk? I had bad eczema on my nipples ten years ago, and it disappeared when I switched to a non-dairy diet for a while. As far as treating them, let them get the air - bras are bacteria breeidng grounds.
I'm not an eczema expert, but Fucibet cream helped with my eczema nips.
Also - zinc is a recommended supplement for eczema and I seem to recall hearing that zinc levels sometimes dip in pregnancy (heard this as a possible cause for morning sickness), so perhaps checking if a supplement, or lots of zinc-rich food might help?

xx

thanks guys. hopefully between consultant and dermatologist someone will give me some answers this week and i will manage to get this sorted before baby's arrival. it's really bad today and extremely uncomfortable...