I am nursing my darling 11-week-old son. But, I am in SO much pain! My nipples are completely cracked and bleeding from nursing. They are so sore and tender - it even hurts to wear my bra! I nursed my older son exclusively for a year, and never had this happen. So, I am at a loss as to what to do. Please help! Any and all suggestions or ideas are welcome. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your help ladies!!! I really appreciate your suggestions! I took my baby to the Dr. and sure enough, he has Thrush (on top of RSV and an ear infection!) poor baby! But, our Ped. gave us some medication for the Thrush to put on my nipples and the inside of my baby's mouth. My baby has had trouble latching on correctly because of the RSV and ear infection. I'm also using lanolin and nipple shields. Fun times! LOL! Hopefully there will be some relief soon!
If only you posted earlier, I could have recommended a great class/resource in town. There were two breastfeeding classes here on Monday:
http://www.bodymindandspiritabq.com
I would call a lactation consultant or LLL leader asap. You want to fix this asap! It could be a few things, but a pro will be able to help more than I can guess. Please keep up the nursing. But get help before you feel like giving up!
This same thing happened to me with my daughter...it was quite tramatic for me since she was my first child. I ended up getting a nipple shield and even used it recently with my newborn son. It is a life saver!!! Talk to your lactation consultant about getting one...or two!
Hi, I couln'd help but notice that you recently relocated to Alnuquerque from Texas...so did I. I am originally from Texas, though. Although we've been here for almost a year, I am still trying to make friends. It's not that easy being that I am a SAHM. Let me know if you have any questions about this town. I'll try to help as best I can. What part of Texas did you live in? About your nursing woes, you can try natural aloe, also, when I was nursing my son, a friend of mine gave me a balm that helped (it was a Godsend!). Unfortunaltly, this was three years ago and I don't remember what it's called. I do remember though, you can find it at Target, in the area where nipples and stuff are sold. Both of which are ok for the baby to ingest if necessary.
Creams and shields might just help the symptoms. But since your son is 11 weeks, you should be pain free. It could be a couple things. The cracked and bleeding points to a bad latch. Make sure his mouth is open wide, pull him too you, make sure his chin touches the breast, but not his nose. Watch his chin for a open-pause-close type suck, that usually indiciates a good latch. I would also watch for white spots, which could be thrush, although in my experience this is more often a burning type pain. Hope this helps, remember La Leche Leauge in Abq can help also.
T.
First make sure you are drying your nipples after EVERY feeding. Also change your nursing pads often. Maybe you should get some nipple shields so they can heal while you still nurse. Also some Lanolin cream to help them heal. You might also try changing positions every time you nurse. Hope that helps some!
J.
One of the most important things to remember is most of Texas is HUMID! lol and well Albuquerque isn't. It's so dry I had continually bloody noses the first 3 years I lived here.
Something that worked for me when I was nursing eons ago is Udderly Smooth. I used to find it at Wal-Mart. Amazing stuff. Good luck.
Hi M., I'm also in Albuquerque. I'm a massage thereapist and have been involved in 'natural living' for over 30 years. Bless you for nursing your lucky sons! You might want to try virgin coconut oil on your nipples, it is very healing. Whole Foods or Wild Oats will have it. Also, Young Living Essential Oils has terrific ointments with therapeutic-grade essential oils in them to provide quick, deep healing. Hang in there, nursing is so worth the effort.
