SUPER Sore Nipples!

what helped for me was to wet a small washcloth with water, fold it into a small square, then put it in a zip-bag into the freezer. after a while take it out and put it on the sore spot. In my early months of nursing I just kept a few of those washcloths in the freezer all the time so I'd have one whenever I needed it. They "thaw" pretty quickly on your breast. I hope the advice you've gotten has helped.

Sunshine, believe it or not, was what helped me in that situation the most. I would just take ten minutes for a breif sit, bare breasted in the sun, maybe 10 minutes, and it provided great relief!

Don't put on Desitin!!!! That is not safe for the baby!!!! The only thing you should put on your nipples is Lanolin, that is the only thing that is safe.

It isn't normal for you to be sore again, you may be having an infection or something. Also...you are going to be totally freaked out by this - but could you be pregnant? That was the first sign I had of pregnancy with my second baby, super sore nipples with breastfeeding...

It is possible that you and your baby have thrush. Look in you baby's mouth and see if you see any white spots or areas. Baby's tongues are often white just because of the milk, so look at the inside of her cheeks and lips. Beware, though, because you may have thrush even if your baby doesn't have the white spots. Unless your baby is not latching on properly all of a sudden, which would be unusual once nursing is successfully established, there is no reason that you should be sore.

I had thrush with my second daughter, and I didn't identify it for a long time, and it was MISERABLE to clear up. It escaped diagnosis because she didn't have any white spots in her mouth, so when I asked her pediatrician and he didn't see anything, I just dealt with the pain until it was impossible to ignore. I thought I was latching her on wrong, and by the time my sister-in-law (a doctor) looked at my nipples, they were cracked and bleeding.

If it is thrush, you need to see her pediatrician or your doctor. In my case, the first step was to prescribe Nystatin to paint on the insides of her mouth and on my nipples. I also used anti-fungal creams on my nipples, let my breasts air-dry in the sun (the sun kills yeast), and sterilized all bottles and breast pump parts. I had to do all of this for a month, and when it still didn't work, they finally prescribed me an oral anti-fungal medicine that I can't remember. It cleared it up in 3 days!!!!

If you've caught it early, you shouldn't have to go through all this. Learn from my mistake, though. Unless you think you might be sore from your daughter latching on wrong or if you've been bitten, it might very well be thrush. DO NOT tough it out. The sooner you treat it, the better!

Good luck!!!!!!!

Coconut oil - Google this, you can use it to clear up any topical yeast infections - which it sounds like you may have. Do you have shooting pains in your breasts? Or cracks on your nipples? Is your nipple skin red and shiny? Those are signs that your milk ducts are infected with yeast which will, when the baby nurses, transfer to the baby's mouth and the skin of your nipple causing cracking and soreness. There are natural remedies for this, I found lots on the web (I mean the kind you can get at the health food store, not those concoctions for sale, I stayed away from those) which is why I mentioned coconut oil. Acidopholus (sp?) and GRAPEFRUIT SEED (NOT "grapeseed") extract are also wonderful natural remidies for this, take both daily and you should be good in a couple of days - read the labels (or google instructions) first.