Nipples After Breastfeeding

Bag Balm works wonders. It is used for cow utters and it works! You can usually find it at Walmart or CVS. It is in a green square tin can.
Hope it works.

Jolie

I'm not trying to be crass, honestly. But what about Bag Balm (it comes in a green tin and you can get it at Wal-Mart). It was originally made for softening cow udders, but people also use it on very chapped and irritated skin. I've never tried it, but it was made for a similar purpose.

J.,

Check with a lactation consultant or call La Leche League. They should be listed in the phone book or on the web. I agree that it could be thrush, but it could also be the baby not latching on correctly.

The lanolin preparation that Medela makes worked really well for me. Make sure what you are using is denatured lanolin because many people are allergic to pure lanolin. You could try Vaseline, too.

I agree with the other poster and yeast MAY be involved. It could just be you have dry skin and we don't really think to put lotion(which commercial lotions arent that great with their alcohol contents anyway) with my 5yo my nipples were very dry made even dryer by breastfeeding and forced air heat and just in general dryness he wouldn't come near me if i used lanolin on them though so I though hmmm what can i use that would still be safe for breastfeeding when it hit me OLIVE OIL its safe to eat its already in my kitchen lets try it. It worked! it helped to really penetrate the skin rather than just protect it and heal it and he would still nurse. other things you may want to think of that you could still do while pregnant are a probiotic eating lots of yogurt and try to healthfully get the balance fo bacteria well balanced in your gut.

That's too long for your nipples to be hurting. You may have a fungal infection. Put some antifungal medication on them for a few weeks. My daughter had thrush and it made my nipples sore. The doctor told me to do rub the over the counter antifungal cream them and it worked. Suprisingly her said she could still nurse with the cream on. But since you have time before your new one arrives, treat them now.

Have you talked to the doctor about this? I don't know if you could have thrush that long and have it stay only local but, that's kind of what it sounds like. Please mention it to your doctor. This may be a very easily fixed situation.

This may have been mentioned but, in addition to topicals and contact discretion, remember too that proper hydration to the skin requires propery hydration on a cellular level. Assist your nipples and the rest of your body with LOTS of good contaminant free water. Step it up to at least 32 ounces and then build to 64oz while using the balm. I think you will have a winning combination. Avoid beverages that increase dehydration until you are healed. Good luck. Keep us posted.

Hi J.! I'm so sorry you are hurting right now. The only suggestion I have for you is to go to your ob/gyn. I had a really tough time while breastfeeding my boy. They cracked and bled from his roughness. When I went to doctor he said I can always use lanolin (great help) but that I also had a yeast infection on the nipple. My breasts would constantly leak even though I fed him a lot. I had to wear those breast pads from the maternity store. Doctor said I probably got the infection because when they leak the milk was staying there and not being wiped away - in turn causing the infection. I'm not good with all of the medical jargon but he did tell me it was easy to handle and that many women go through this. He gave me a prescription for a cream that I had to rub on and within a few days I felt huge relief and they were back to normal. Since I am not a doctor I do not know with any certainty that this will work for you. But I definitely suggest going to the doctor to let them take a look. I'm sure they can help you find a way to get relief. Plus I know that you are pregnant again so hopefully they can give you something that won't affect the future little one. Again - so sorry you have been hurting. Hope they are able to help you!!

You might consider getting a referal to a dermatologist. A few months back I thought I had the worlds most resistant case of thrush because my nipples hurt SO bad and were really pink. After over a month of trying to treat them to no avail I was sent to the dermatologist who told me I had nipple eczema. I had never heard of such a thing and found it strange because I had never had eczema anywhere else on my body. He said it was super common among BFing moms. Anyway, that may not be what you have, but a good derm might be able to help you figure out what the problem is.

Best wishes,
H.

Hi,
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I suggest a trip to the dermatologist. You could have exzema or another condition making the cracking, etc. I was diagnosed with exzema on my breasts after my first child. There may be a cream that you could use now since you are still pregnant. Also, yeast conditions can make breast horribly sore, red, etc. Again, a good dermatologist could tell. Good luck!

I would try good old olive oil...and once the baby is born, rub a few drops of your own breast milk on your nipples whenever you think about it, especially before/after feedings.

Also, think about several things:
~what kind of material is your bra made out of? maybe it's something like a reaction that's making them crack
~it's too late to go back now, but the latch makes a big diff; if baby is not on correctly, it can make nipples extremely sore (it usually goes away, but sometimes can hang around) so be sure to check latch often with your new baby
~how much air do your nipples get? too much can cause drying out but not enough can be harmful too
~do you wash your nipples? only warm water and gentle rinsing is necessary for your nipples, no scrubbing, and especially no soap (could be drying them out)
~lastly (may be TMI or silly) but during sex, does hubby bite/suck too hard? (sorry, had to put it out there)...just some things to think about when trying to narrow down just what is happening. It may not even be related to BF at all. Hope all goes well with the new one and BF. Just remember, don't give up even when it hurts/or is hard!!! :)

All the best, mama!!
R.

Have you spoken to your OB-GYN about it? That should NOT happen as a result of breastfeeding. Do you have itching, also? You might want to get checked out for thrush, because if you have that it's easy to fix and you won't have any pain nursing your new baby. Lanolin is normally effective unless there's something else going on, like a fungal infection (thrush is yeast) or something like that.

You need an assessment by a lactation consultant and most likely some triple nipple cream. Has the nursing baby been checked for thrush? Has the babies tongue been check for tongue tie? No reason to continue suffering

I would speak with a lactation consultant soon so you can get this taken care of and be able to breastfeed your new baby.

You should contact a lactation consultant. Breastfeeding isn't supposed to be described as "extremely painful" past maybe the first few times or hours. They are wonderful and VERY helpful even if you have had success breastfeeding, they can always give little tips about how to make things a little easier. IF you live in the Charleston, SC area Tillie Phillips is at Summerville Medical Center. She helped me out a lot and also runs a breastfeeding support group. If you're not in my area then you should be able to contact your local hospital or ask your OB about it.

For my dry skin I use a intensive skin therapy that outperformed the Original Eucerin for skin softness, smoothness, and hydration.
P. S

Sore nipples are usually caused by the baby not being latched on properly. Have you talked with a lactation expert?

Hi J.,
Have you tried vitamin E. get some liquid vitamin E capsules and use the liquid to massage you nipples gently. also a little olive oil will keep them from getting cracked. this absorbs better and pentrates the surface