Nipple injury while breastfeeding?

ouch! check the tips at kellymom.com (http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipplehealing.html)

hope it heals quickly!

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ouch! that happened to me, too when my daughter was little. I was not brave enough to keep feeding after that. Just plain OUCH. I hope you feel better, I am sorry I have no helpful solution for you!

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If it were me, I think I might try nursing him just on the other side (without the injury) for a few days, to give the wound time to heal. You can manually express enough milk from the injured side to ward off engorgement. Once that side heals, you can start nursing your son on both sides again. You'll find your milk supply will ebb and flow (pun intended) to accomodate the different supply/demand issues on each side.

Hope you're feeling better soon, dear. That sounds really painful.

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I don't really have any advice (everyone else had good stuff), so I just wanted to say "good luck, babe!"

I hope the split heals soon. Hopefully now that you are home, things will calm down a little and your nipple will get more rest.

Don't be afraid to take a little acetaminophen for the pain. That alone might be enough to get through the next few days of feedings.

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This has happend to me so many times. It is so painful. Put on lots and lots of Lanilon on it. You can get it at any local pharmacy. Leave your breast out to air out (I kow that is hard when you aren't at home). Rub breastmilk on the cracked nipple to help it heal faster.
You can also buy a nipple shield to put over that breast so you can nurse without any pain.
Good luck and hang in there!!

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This happened to me several times with my older daughter, and it was a very very painful experience, up there with labor. When she'd first latch on I had to use my breathing techniques. I used the advice from KellyMom, especially using lanolin and using a little neosporin right after nursing (so it wore off by the time I next nursed). Nursing did break off the scabs, but I nursed through and it healed fine.

I did find I had to watch her carefully, especially when she was teething and at the end of nursing, because that was when she would tend to chomp.

Fortunately my second daughter is not a biter.

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Lansinoh!
You actually don't want it to scab over. Moist wound healing is better for this kind of injury. Keep Lansinoh on it all the time. Then you won't have to deal with the scabing over again and again. Keeping Lansinoh on it should help to heal it about 50% faster.

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Ow! I've been there and I sympathize. I've had a couple of nipple infections from blocked ducts. They're really hard to get rid of, so eventually I would just have to wean off that side. I've done it twice and was able to return to full production both times. I was scared that the milk would not return, but in our case it worked and was really the only choice. I think the few days that you would need to heal shouldn't be a problem. Good luck!

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I second (third?) the recommendation for Lansinoh. That stuff is magic. My daughter's nose was all chapped from wiping it a thousand times, and we kept Lansinoh on it and it healed in about 8 hours. No kidding. It worked wonders on me when I had cracks and bleeding when we first started nursing.

You can always take a little tylenol for the pain, but I never found that it did any good. I think the reason you can use tylenol during pregnancy and nursing is because it's a sugar pill. It does nothing for me.

They have those Lily Padz at the Motherhood store that are supposed to be really comfortable and soothing. They're gel and you can put them in the fridge. Not sure what the recommendations would be for an open wound, though. Maybe packs of frozen peas to numb it?

Don't worry about your little one getting a little blood or scab when he nurses. It won't hurt him. And you'll be able to gross him out when he asks what his first solid food was. Eeeeewww... (It was my daughter's too - I feel your pain).

I would NOT quit nursing on that side, in spite of the pain and the yuck factor. That's a recipe for a plugged duct, or worse. You want to keep things moving through there, or you'll add insult to injury.

Oh, and save your co-pay. There isn't a thing in the world that your doctor can do for you at this point (if it gets infected, that's another matter). I remember showing my GP and my OB my cracked, painful nipples right after my daughter was born, and their "solution" was to give her a bottle! *ahem*

Good luck! You're a trooper for not saying, "Guess we'll have to quit!" Hang in there!!!

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I forgot to add to not wash your breasts with any soap. I would not use Neosporin because it's not safe to nurse with it on. Washing it off will hurt the PH on your nipple. Rather use the Lansilon. And don't stop nursing from it, you will end up getting a horrible case of Mastitis (trust me it happened to me).
Please post what ended up working for you, just curious. Good Luck!!

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I had a big bite injury with my son, and it was quite painful. I also say use Lansinoh or even Aquaphor right after nursing. What I actually did was to only nurse on the other side for about 48 hours. After nursing from the noninjured breast, I would stick the injured breast in a sink of very warm water and the excess milk would drain out. This way, I didn't get engorged. I also spread some cotton rounds with Aquaphor and packed them around my nipple inside my bra so that it didn't rub on my clothes, which was excruciating. This also kept the wound moist. You do not want to get engorged or get a plugged duct. If your entire breast gets red or if you start to see red lines on your breast, get an antiiotic before you get hit with full blown mastitis. Hang in there!

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Sorry about the injury. I would use Lansinoh with a nipple shield over it while nursing. I got one from the hospital to prevent such problems. Medela makes it and it's very thin and pliable, but protective. It has holes for the milk to come through. Good luck.

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This is just a note to my earlier post: I should have noted that I was under the care of a very experienced lactation consultant/Physician when I weaned off one breast to clear up two infections that antibiotics couldn't get rid of. It's probably not something you want to start without some good advice. I've had Mastitis too. Totally un-fun.

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I've been there. At the time I had this happen soothies either didn't exist or I just didn't know about them. A lactation consultant told me to use the sheets of burn gel pads which are available at a pharmacy. They can be cut down to the size you need and you can get lots of small bits out of a 3X4" sheet. I used this in combination with mostly pumping instead of nursing (on the injured side), but my injury was further out on the aureola, not right on the nipple. I was told that blood in the expressed milk would not cause a problem (I had to pump at work anyway). All that and time were what worked for me. Best of luck!

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Surprisingly I haven't been there but when my son was 6 weeks old I went to meet with LC's for other trouble. I brought a good friend who was still nursing her toddler and had a nursing gash that wouldn't heal. She showed me and I almost passed out and when she showed the LC's they gasped in horror. They ended up taking pictures and using her as a case study. The tip of her nipple practically flipped downward, a flip top nipple.

A normal person couldn't imagine how it could get that bad but she got used to the pain - it would heal a little, split, heal, split...She ended up having to get her nipple stitched shut and was told to wean but also told she could BF w/the stitches. Being the die hard BF she is, she kept nursing in a 69 sort of position until fully healed.

My point is, she tried all the normal tips mentioned above and kept going. But it ended up getting pretty bad so maybe try another position until it's healed and just keep an eye on it. She didn't think it was that bad b/c she got used to the pain.

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I have had this time and time again (my DD was an early teether). My doctor and pediatrician said neosporin was okay. We used it, and my daughter is fine. I just wiped it off with my hand before she nursed. The midwives always suggests bactoban which is spelled incorrectly and available by prescription.

To deal with your pain try ambusol, the teething medicine, on your nipple. It will numb your nipple and you can nurse pain free. My doctor called me in a prescription for lidocain in a gel form, but he said it was the same stuff as the teething medicine.
You can call your doctor's nurse and explain your problems, and I bet she will call in a prescription for you.
Believe me, I feel your pain. I pump during the day and have pumped blood twice because I was so wounded. It sucks ass, but as soon as you start healing, it doesn't take much time. I found that pumping hurt worse than nursing. I don't think a nipple shield is a good idea.

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I have to agree about the Lansinoh- it's a lifesaver. It's still going to hurt like hell, but far better to keep it coated - and I mean COATED - with Lansinoh. You don't have to wipe it off before nursing. I've tried the shields, but I have to say, both those and pumping are likely more painful than nursing. Hang in there...it won't be fun, but it'll be over soon!

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I had cracks at one point and my lactation consultant had me use Neosporin and Lansinoh. I did have wash before feeding my DD again, but the Neosporin seemed to help. I would go to the doctor or pedi or even a lacation consultant before long if it doesn't get better - perhaps they could help with medication or assist with different ways of latching on that would help you heal.

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Nipple shield, totally. They're cheap and they're perfect for that sort of injury. (As well as Lansinoh in between feedings!)

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Ouch! It happened to me too.

I mentioned in another post that I prefer Motherlove to Lansinoh so try that if the Lansinoh is not helping.

Also, my doc said that I could use polysporin right after feeding a couple times a day. I also vaguely remember rinsing with salt water.

My lactation consultant suggested taking a "pump vacation" on one side (for me it was one side only) for about a week.

Good luck!

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