a crack right on the end of the nipple do any of you women have a remedy that will help because everything I have tryed hasnt worked and I dont wont it to effect my breast feeding because with him I am doing great he eats good and I am producing enoogh milk and with my other kids i wasnt as lucky it is just very painful when he latches on and sucks but I bear with it because I know it is best. Any suggestions would be helpful.
2006-09-08 06:25:01 · 20 answers · asked by Angela M 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
OUCH, I went through that for the first few weeks also. I found Lanolin Ointment works wonders... a tiny dab on the tips of two fingers, rubbed around between them to warm it up (thins it too) and apply after feeding... You have to make sure you wash well before next feeding as it's not very tasty (but won't hurt babe).
Don't buy it in a tube marketed for breast feeding (they triple the price).. ask the pharmacist to put some bulk pure lanolin ointment in a container for you (very cheap, and no prescription needed in Canada so not likely in USA either).
HTH
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2006-09-08 06:31:39 · answer #1 · answered by mama_bears_den 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get some Lansinoh cream. Walmart carries it. You don't have to clean it off to nurse. Keep putting it on there until the crack heals. This will help it heal quicker.
Start him nursing on the uninjured side first since that's when he'll be the most hungry and suck the hardest. Then switch him to the injured side when he is ready to change breasts.
Then....you may need to look for the source of the problem. WHY is your nipple cracked and WHY are you having pain when you put him on the breast? The cracked nipple could be due to an improper latch, thrush, milk blister or many other things. I'd suggest you go see a Lactation Consultant at the hospital you delivered at or call a La Leche League Leader to check your latch.
The link below may also be helpful in healing your nipple and figuring out the source of your problem.
(I would suggest NOT adding a nipple shield as some have said to do. These are for moms with flat or inverted nipples. There's no reason to make it more complicated by adding "stuff" to the situation. Instead, work on correcting the latch.)
2006-09-08 06:35:53 · answer #2 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Hang in there! I had that problem for a few days, maybe a week, but now I am still breastfeeding at 5 months with no problem. There are a few things you can do
1. get a nipple shield - the lactation consultant at the hospital may have them, or you can order a medela one from babiesrus.com. I liked the "contact sheild" because it had a cuttout where the baby's nose would be next to you r skin. It looks like the baby would reject it, but they latch on just fine.
2. The lac consultant may have this gel paper that they use for burn patients. You keep it in the frigde and then cut off little squares to put on your nipples between fedings. It feels good and I guess helps them heal.
3. the lansinoh lanolin cream works well - reapply after every feeding
I think sometimes that you just need to let the crack take its course, and when it heals you have a stronger nipple! Keep pluggin away - it won't last forever. Good luck!
2006-09-08 07:03:24 · answer #3 · answered by In Luv w/ 2 B, 1 G + 1 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I had the same problem with my son. Make sure you are getting your entire nipple in his mouth. It may seem like too much to you, but it will make a world of difference in whether or not it hurts. For thr dry nipples and cracks, I used Nipple cream for breast feeding mothers. You can buy it in WalMart. Or try Olive oil to make sure that you don't accidently feed your child the nipple cream. Olive Oil works great for healing rashes too.
2006-09-08 07:47:33 · answer #4 · answered by Meesh 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Lansonoh makes a medical-grade lanolin cream (available at Target in the baby section). It's the only thing that worked for me when I was nursing. Until the cracked side heals, I would not let the baby nurse from it and use a pump to keep up its supply. With the lanolin, it should heal up in a few days.
2006-09-08 06:31:49 · answer #5 · answered by neanah_e 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your doctor or the pediatrician can give you a cream (or maybe its a gel) that will sooth the area. Call them today. And the longer you breast feed the more your nipples learn to put up with it. Just hang in there and lay a cool rag on it after feeding to sooth the pain until you pick that cream up.
2006-09-08 07:11:29 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ouch, I'm sorry to hear of your pain, and so happy you are doing well with the feeding! More power to you!
I nursed both my babes for years and whenever I would get sore nipples (typically just when they were very little) I would express a little milk and rub it into the nipple. Then, as said above, let it air-dry. If you can avoid wearing bras as much as possible that would be helpful. If you can wear a loose shirt over bare breasts, that's good.
I believe that *the* biggest issue with painful latch-on is that the baby isn't opening wide enough. The biggest trick to have pain free and happy nursing is to wait til the baby has his mouth open wide wide wide. I would be very adamant about this early, like now, when your baby is very young. A lactation consultant would be useful if you can see one...I got help from one on that and it made nursing painfree. Unless your nipple is already cracked or irritated, nursing should *never* hurt! That's the single most useful thing I learned from consultants! If it hurts, the baby's not latched on properly! The difference in feel between a baby who is latching on without opening his mouth wide enough and a baby who is open wide enough is *enormous* in terms of comfort. They can't get enough of the breast in their mouths with a tight small latch either, so it's better for *everyone* to get that babe to open wide. When he is open wide, so that as much areola as possible is in his mouth, he compresses the breasts much better as well, stimulating milk flow. We tend to think of nursing as the baby taking the nipple only, like a bottle, but they actually need to compress the breast way beyond that. Watch the process as he opens his mouth. "Tease" him a little with the nipple around his mouth, touching to his lips. You should see him open wider and wider, hopefully, as he roots around trying to find the breast. When he has his mouth so open that it seems he'll be able to get almost the whole areola in his mouth, get him latched on as quickly as possible! When the consultant I saw did this with me, it was sorta funny how quick she was...okay, okay, there! and she'd shove him on my breast! It took me a couple tries to get that down, but once the baby learns how wide he's gotta open to get latched on, it starts becoming natural to him and to you. Break off any latch that's too tight, that feels wrong, that doesn't have enough breast on it. (you break off a latch by sticking a finger a little into the corner of the mouth and they just stop sucking). I think and hope it will make a world of difference for your comfort!
I never need to try any product other than expressed milk rubbed right in gently and lots of airdry time. Incredibly soothing and very natural..
Good luck and congratulations on your baby!
2006-09-08 07:00:34 · answer #7 · answered by Michelle H 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sister, I'm suffering with you. The same thing happened to me. For me the best thing was to let them airdry with some breastmilk. And, if it gets really bad, visit a lactation consultant. The baby may be just too small to latch on correctly. A lactation consultant can go over with you how the baby's latching on/position, all that.
My baby just had a really tight jaw for the first few weeks that tore me up pretty bad. She outgrew it and I breastfed her until she turned 1.
2006-09-08 06:36:30 · answer #8 · answered by LAS 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most baby stores like Baby R US. or even the local s=drug store will ahve a cream that deals with this issue. It's fairly common. The Body Shop have a whole line of products for mothers.
2006-09-08 06:29:20 · answer #9 · answered by limgrn_maria 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had that problem so bad with my son 1 time after nursing and may i say the last time he ever nursed...left my breast with a mouthful of blood. It was so horrible. I cried and cired...could have never imagined my son with a mouthful of my blood. In the hospital they gave me a tube of Lanolin. And it was like miracle cream! Healed those babies over night! Anyhow, now i use it for butt cream. Works like a charm! You can get Lasinoh at wal-mart that says it like Lanolin But, it is FAR from it.
2006-09-08 06:30:08 · answer #10 · answered by baby_gurl_3778 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋