baby bit nipple.. now it's infected and HURTS SUPER BAD?

Question

I am nursing an 8 month old who has two tiny sharp teeth on the bottom and she bit me a few days ago and it bled, now there's a little hole that HURTS and seems to have some clear pus coming from it and it hurts way bad to the touch. Should a doc see it or is there something I can do to help it? And, I am still breastfeeding, and won't quit, and believe me, it hurts like MAD!!

Answer 1

Mix 1/2 teaspoon of salt in one cup (8 oz) of warm water. After you nurse, soak the injured nipple in a small bowl of warm saline solution for about a minute. Or, if you'd rather, you can put the saline solution into a squeeze bottle and squirt it on gently. Afterwards, keep Lansinoh cream on it. Moist wound healing works best with an injury like this. If you think it is getting infected, call your caregiver to get some antibiotics. If you do go on oral antibiotics, make sure you take acidopholis capsules at the same time to avoid getting thrush.

(BTW.....You DO NOT need to worry about passing an infection from your nipple on to baby!)

EDITED TO ADD:
I can't believe all this advice to wean! Just because a baby has teeth DOES NOT mean it is time to wean. And the recommended time to nurse is *AT LEAST* 12 mos per the AAP, not the extremely early ages quoted by others. (And WHO and UNICEF recommend even longer - 2 years - as the minimum age of weaning!) There are things you can do to work on biting problems if it continues (see link below).

Answer 2

** The people the respond in these forums are so dumb. Like the one above that says to stop breastfeeding!! What a bunch of morons! Yahoo Answers is really not the place to come for Breastfeeding help/support. There are very few Mammas here that give respectable advice. You should go to MotherCotCommuneForums, same idea, you post questions and TONS of experienced mammas help you find an answer.

Anyways, back to your question...

1) DON'T STOP NURSING! doing so will increase your risk of a plugged duct/mastitis on the affected breast.
2) try changing your nursing position to decrease the pressure on the nipped area, like the football hold etc...
3) you *may* have an infection, the pussyness sounds a bit like one. Go to your doctor and ask for a breastfeeding friendly antibiotic like Keflex. You can also apply an antibacterial cream right after nursing, but it may need to be wiped away before the next nursing, check with your doctor. Better yet, put some expressed breastmilk on your nipple and allow it to air dry.
When babies nip, it opens our flesh and is an invitation for bacteria. Yeast thrives in conditions like this so be careful (and so does Staph bateria, which we all have in our mouths so its also very likely that you have a Staph infection on your nipple)....still, no biggie, but taking antibiotics increases the Thrush likelihood as well. Normal breast abrasions usually heal really quickly, unless there is some bacteria present.

I know from experience how much it hurts to be bitten by our nurslings. You need to make sure this doesn't happen to you again. Whatever you think might have triggered it before, watch out for.

Answer 3

Two things. 1) It's time to start weaning the child or be prepared to be bitten several more times. Maybe use a pump and fill a bottle or two for her if you want to keep her on breast milk.
2) Yes, you should go see a doctor. It should have healed by now, within a few days of the injury, and it should not, by any means, be infected. I'd stop breast feeding, until I talked to the doc. Infections can be passed from mother to child through breast milk and you should let the doc, or his nurse, okay the breast feeding while you heal again. If they say it's all right to go ahead, then I'd use a pump on the injured one so that I could control the pain level. At least if you stop pumping for a moment, you won't get mad and cry like the baby would if she was eating. lol.

Answer 4

What I can't understand is how can a baby bit you hard enough to hurt you to the point of an infection? Does this baby have teeth? And if the baby does have teeth he/she is too old to be nursing. But go see a Dr either way. He can give you some antibiotics for the infection.

Answer 5

If you're still breastfeeding (even if you weren't, but especially if you are) then you should see your doctor ASAP! Any infection can pass on to your baby and be fatal. Don't breastfeed him until your doctor gives you the okay. (An infection affects your whole body, not just one nipple, and any milk your baby consumes can pass the infection on to him no matter what nipple he drinks from). Try formula until your doctor gives you the okay; if there's puss coming out, I don't see how you still breastfeed him, I'm sorry, but that's just crazy.

Answer 6

there is high probability it already be infected. the baby's mouth also has bacteria, and it can easily innoculated into an open wound. plus, breast is a good space for bacteria to grow, full of milky nutritious nutrition, and warm. :D better see doctor before it spread. the doc will give antibiotic for that. take some paracetamol. for the time being, nurse the baby using the other breast.
er.. maybe it is time to quit breastfeeding. the suggested period is only 4-6 months. i guess the baby has had more than enough.

Answer 7

My daughter is a piercer at a tattoo shop. Nipple piercings go through quite a bit of flesh and it will hurt. But, like with any other piercings it passes fairly quickly once it's done. Your industrial probably was far worse than what a nipple piercing would be.

Answer 8

I can't even believe you have to ask that question, and your a mother. Yes go th the Doctor and stop Breastfeeding. When a child gets teeth I feel it's time to stop breastfeeding, It's only natural for a child to want to bite on something while they are teething. That's what teething toys are for, not breasts.

Answer 9

I hope you switched nipples.....usually it would getter on its own but since you have a baby GO sEE a doctor, and you'll know what to do from there

Answer 10

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