nipple cracking

Hi,

I have a 4 month old baby - exclusively breastfed with no troubles until the
last few weeks.

I keep getting cracks around the base of the nipple - they look like curved
papercuts. I'm trying to be really careful with latching but it keeps
reopening. Pumping and feeding expressed milk does give that side a rest but
the suction of the pump opens up the crack again too. I'm letting the air
get at it as much as possible and I'm using Lanolin cream. I leave
expressed milk on the nipple area to air dry. I'm making sure to break the
suction with my finger so she can't chomp me at the end of a feeding (no
teeth yet though).

Once she is latched on, I'm not feeling pain. I just have to count to 10 -
if I make it to 10, the sharp pain is gone. On bad days, it hurts to have a
bra or shirt rub against it.

I've had no troubles for months and months (and I breastfed my older child
for a year with no troubles). So why now? I can't nurse in different
positions very easily, as my baby wears a pavlik harness for hip dysplasia.
But she's been wearing the harness for 3 months, so our creative nursing
position isn't a new thing. I do a modified cradle hold -- I know that
latching this way isn't probably perfect, but up until now, it's been fine.

So I need some more suggestions. How do I get this crack to heal, while
still nursing regularly?

Thanks,

Katie

"Katie" wrote in message
.. .
Hi,

I have a 4 month old baby - exclusively breastfed with no troubles until
the
last few weeks.
I know just how you feel. I have a 3 month old with no trouble until 6
weeks ago. Then thrush kicked in big time :-(

I keep getting cracks around the base of the nipple - they look like
curved
papercuts. I'm trying to be really careful with latching but it keeps
reopening. Pumping and feeding expressed milk does give that side a rest
but
the suction of the pump opens up the crack again too. I'm letting the
air
get at it as much as possible and I'm using Lanolin cream. I leave
expressed milk on the nipple area to air dry. I'm making sure to break
the
suction with my finger so she can't chomp me at the end of a feeding (no
teeth yet though).
You're definitely doing all the right things.

Once she is latched on, I'm not feeling pain. I just have to count to
10 -
if I make it to 10, the sharp pain is gone. On bad days, it hurts to have
a
bra or shirt rub against it.
And in that count to 10 do your toes curl up. The thrush got me like that
too. The medication seemed to dry my nipples out and now I have a tiny
little crack that is still painful. I have found that the old cabbage leaf
trick helps massively with the bra/clothes agony. The leaves are a million
times better than breast pads which still hurt IMO cos it kinda moulds onto
your breast and forms a lovely second skin over your nipples - plus there's
no great big disc of breast pad looming through your clothes :-) The leaves
also keep the lanolin where it's supposed to be rather than smeared all over
your bra.

I've had no troubles for months and months (and I breastfed my older child
for a year with no troubles). So why now?
Yes I wondered the same but I figured in my case it was the medication.

I can't nurse in different
positions very easily, as my baby wears a pavlik harness for hip
dysplasia.
But she's been wearing the harness for 3 months, so our creative nursing
position isn't a new thing. I do a modified cradle hold -- I know that
latching this way isn't probably perfect, but up until now, it's been
fine.
Poor wee lamb but your both obviously doing a great job.

So I need some more suggestions. How do I get this crack to heal, while
still nursing regularly?
It's a labour of love isn't it! I'm afraid that's all the help I can give -
support and a cabbage leaf.

--Alison

"Katie" wrote in message
.. .
Hi,

I have a 4 month old baby - exclusively breastfed with no troubles until
the
last few weeks.

I keep getting cracks around the base of the nipple - they look like
curved
papercuts. I'm trying to be really careful with latching but it keeps
reopening. Pumping and feeding expressed milk does give that side a rest
but
the suction of the pump opens up the crack again too. I'm letting the
air
get at it as much as possible and I'm using Lanolin cream. I leave
expressed milk on the nipple area to air dry. I'm making sure to break
the
suction with my finger so she can't chomp me at the end of a feeding (no
teeth yet though).

I'm healing from just such a crack right now. I suggest you ask your OB for
a prescription for 'all purpose nipple cream' - antibiotic and antifungal
medications in a base of lanolin - or if you can't get that, mix up
something similar of over-the-counter strengths from an antibiotic ointment,
lotrimin or miconazole cream, and lanolin in equal amounts. If you have
yeast in your nipples, it can contribute to cracks. And even if you don't
have yeast (I don't think I did), you'll want to keep this stuff slathered
on anyway. Or at least it's worked for me. Slowly.

--angela

Once she is latched on, I'm not feeling pain. I just have to count to
10 -
if I make it to 10, the sharp pain is gone. On bad days, it hurts to
have
a
bra or shirt rub against it.


And in that count to 10 do your toes curl up. The thrush got me like that
too. The medication seemed to dry my nipples out and now I have a tiny
little crack that is still painful. I have found that the old cabbage leaf
trick helps massively with the bra/clothes agony. The leaves are a
million
times better than breast pads which still hurt IMO cos it kinda moulds
onto
your breast and forms a lovely second skin over your nipples - plus
there's
no great big disc of breast pad looming through your clothes :-) The
leaves
also keep the lanolin where it's supposed to be rather than smeared all
over
your bra.


--Thanks for the suggestion Alison. I thought that cabbage leaves were used
to reduce milk supply/engorgement. Have you had
any trouble with your supply dropping as a result? I agree with the problem
with breast pads - today when I went out, I wore my bathing suit top under
my clothes instead of a bra. That way I didn't have to worry about wearing
pads - and the bathing suit seems to let more air in, and be less abrasive.
My older daughter got quite excited as she thought we were going swimming

-Could I have thrush without any other symptoms? Yes, my toes are curling
during the initial latch on - and I have to count to 10 so I don't pull my
baby off and run screaming from the room Once she is nursing, I don't
have much pain unless I am careless and let her slip down.

-My sweet little babe has learned a new trick in the last few days too. She
has discovered that if she pulls off and on a couple of times, the milk lets
down quicker. It doesn't help that she laughs while trying to do this! So
I'm having to be very careful or she is going to make the "good side" sore
too!

Katie

"Katie" wrote in message
.. .

--Thanks for the suggestion Alison. I thought that cabbage leaves were
used
to reduce milk supply/engorgement. Have you had
any trouble with your supply dropping as a result?
No, quite the opposite - and I can pump loads too now! The thought of
having cabbage leaves in my bra was *so* unappealing for weeks but
desperation drove me to it - and I'm glad it did. Currently I'm using white
cabbage cos Tesco had run out of green (such a popular vegetable!!!!)

snip
-Could I have thrush without any other symptoms? Yes, my toes are curling
during the initial latch on - and I have to count to 10 so I don't pull my
baby off and run screaming from the room Once she is nursing, I don't
have much pain unless I am careless and let her slip down.
Sounds very familiar - the screamie feeling, the desperation not to have a
second latching process. It took ages for me to be diagnosed with thrush in
my nipples and that's why it got such a horrible hold. If it wasn't for my
lovely HV I'd still be screaming and probably would have given up b/f.
Apparently lots of Drs and peds will only diagnose thrush if baby has signs.
Ro did show signs after 3 weeks of agony for me. Use the advice given here
for treating yeasts and mention it in no uncertain terms to your HV.

-My sweet little babe has learned a new trick in the last few days too.
She
has discovered that if she pulls off and on a couple of times, the milk
lets
down quicker. It doesn't help that she laughs while trying to do this!
So
I'm having to be very careful or she is going to make the "good side" sore
too!
Hmmm, a baby bobbing on and off can also be a sign of thrush. Definitely
mention it those involved in your healthcare. It may be nothing but best to
check.

--Alison

So I need some more suggestions. How do I get this crack to heal, while
still nursing regularly?

Ameda ComfortGel discs (available from most places that sell Ameda breast pumps
etc.) or Soothies (available at drugstores, IME inferior to the ComfortGel
version).

They're a hydrogel disc that you wear over your nipple like a pad, and they act
to promote "moist healing" rather like those new liquid bandaids -- the
ComfortGel ones, formerly sold by a medical supply company under the name
Maternimates -- were based on a product originally used for burn wounds.
They'll keep your bra from irritating the crack, if nothing else; for me they
were the only thing that relieved the pain and started me actually healing
after having tried every other kind of ointment imaginable. You can chill them
in the fridge before wearing if that feels good to you, too.

Other moms in this group have had better luck with antibiotic ointments or
other nipple creams, so go ahead and try anything and everything. :-)

I don't know what a pavlik harness looks like so I can't offer specific
suggestions, but it's probably worth getting a little more creative about
alternate nursing positions, because you want to try to get the baby's mouth
positioned "sideways" from the crack (chin to one side or the other of it, not
lined up with it), so that there's less pressure on the wound.

Holly
Mom to Camden, 2.5 yrs

Thrush?

Larry

Katie writes:
: Hi,

: I have a 4 month old baby - exclusively breastfed with no troubles until the
: last few weeks.

: I keep getting cracks around the base of the nipple - they look like curved
: papercuts. I'm trying to be really careful with latching but it keeps
: reopening. Pumping and feeding expressed milk does give that side a rest but
: the suction of the pump opens up the crack again too. I'm letting the air
: get at it as much as possible and I'm using Lanolin cream. I leave
: expressed milk on the nipple area to air dry. I'm making sure to break the
: suction with my finger so she can't chomp me at the end of a feeding (no
: teeth yet though).

: Once she is latched on, I'm not feeling pain. I just have to count to 10 -
: if I make it to 10, the sharp pain is gone. On bad days, it hurts to have a
: bra or shirt rub against it.

: I've had no troubles for months and months (and I breastfed my older child
: for a year with no troubles). So why now? I can't nurse in different
: positions very easily, as my baby wears a pavlik harness for hip dysplasia.
: But she's been wearing the harness for 3 months, so our creative nursing
: position isn't a new thing. I do a modified cradle hold -- I know that
: latching this way isn't probably perfect, but up until now, it's been fine.

: So I need some more suggestions. How do I get this crack to heal, while
: still nursing regularly?

: Thanks,

: Katie

Okay, I'm off to the walk-in clinic. Now that a few people have suggested
thrush as a possibility, I've read more about it.

My baby is quite gassy, getting up often in the night but not feeding very
long(unusual), popping off and on while feeding. I've been craving breads
and sugars and have cracked sore nipples. I should have done the math and
added it up before now! I guess I thought it would be really obvious (like
the baby holding up a sign saying "we have thrush"

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone!

Katie


"Larry McMahan" wrote in message
...
Thrush?

Larry

Katie writes:
: Hi,

: I have a 4 month old baby - exclusively breastfed with no troubles until
the
: last few weeks.

: I keep getting cracks around the base of the nipple - they look like
curved
: papercuts. I'm trying to be really careful with latching but it keeps
: reopening. Pumping and feeding expressed milk does give that side a rest
but
: the suction of the pump opens up the crack again too. I'm letting the
air
: get at it as much as possible and I'm using Lanolin cream. I leave
: expressed milk on the nipple area to air dry. I'm making sure to break
the
: suction with my finger so she can't chomp me at the end of a feeding (no
: teeth yet though).

: Once she is latched on, I'm not feeling pain. I just have to count to
10 -
: if I make it to 10, the sharp pain is gone. On bad days, it hurts to
have a
: bra or shirt rub against it.

: I've had no troubles for months and months (and I breastfed my older
child
: for a year with no troubles). So why now? I can't nurse in different
: positions very easily, as my baby wears a pavlik harness for hip
dysplasia.
: But she's been wearing the harness for 3 months, so our creative nursing
: position isn't a new thing. I do a modified cradle hold -- I know that
: latching this way isn't probably perfect, but up until now, it's been
fine.

: So I need some more suggestions. How do I get this crack to heal, while
: still nursing regularly?

: Thanks,

: Katie

So it must be thrush -- the Nystatin is working. I'm feeling better and my
baby is sleeping longer at night, not spitting up nearly as much, and she is
generally much happier. So hopefully this crack will heal up quickly now!

Question: Should I boil the pump, bottle nipple and soothers? Or is the
hot setting on the dishwasher enough to kill any yeast? I did a google
search and some sites say I should throw it out and buy new stuff. Do I
need to be that drastic?

Thanks again for everyone's helpful hints and support.

Katie





"Larry McMahan" wrote in message
...
Thrush?

Larry

Katie writes:
: Hi,

: I have a 4 month old baby - exclusively breastfed with no troubles
until
the
: last few weeks.

: I keep getting cracks around the base of the nipple - they look like
curved
: papercuts. I'm trying to be really careful with latching but it keeps
: reopening. Pumping and feeding expressed milk does give that side a
rest
but
: the suction of the pump opens up the crack again too. I'm letting
the
air
: get at it as much as possible and I'm using Lanolin cream. I leave
: expressed milk on the nipple area to air dry. I'm making sure to
break
the
: suction with my finger so she can't chomp me at the end of a feeding
(no
: teeth yet though).

: Once she is latched on, I'm not feeling pain. I just have to count to
10 -
: if I make it to 10, the sharp pain is gone. On bad days, it hurts to
have a
: bra or shirt rub against it.

: I've had no troubles for months and months (and I breastfed my older
child
: for a year with no troubles). So why now? I can't nurse in different
: positions very easily, as my baby wears a pavlik harness for hip
dysplasia.
: But she's been wearing the harness for 3 months, so our creative
nursing
: position isn't a new thing. I do a modified cradle hold -- I know
that
: latching this way isn't probably perfect, but up until now, it's been
fine.

: So I need some more suggestions. How do I get this crack to heal,
while
: still nursing regularly?

: Thanks,

: Katie

"Katie" wrote in message
.. .
So it must be thrush -- the Nystatin is working. I'm feeling better and
my
baby is sleeping longer at night, not spitting up nearly as much, and she
is
generally much happier. So hopefully this crack will heal up quickly now!

Question: Should I boil the pump, bottle nipple and soothers? Or is the
hot setting on the dishwasher enough to kill any yeast? I did a google
search and some sites say I should throw it out and buy new stuff. Do I
need to be that drastic?

Thanks again for everyone's helpful hints and support.

In general, if it CAN be boiled, boil it. Even your bras, if you've leaked
milk onto them. Yes, I know what it will do to the elastic, I'm sorry. If
it's latex (which many pacifiers and bottle-nipples are), however, boiling
will ruin it. Silicone does well with boiling. And boil at a good hard
rolling boil for at least 20 minutes. Yeast is stubborn.

--angela