My wife has been pumping milk, nipples are sore and cracked help!?

Question

Her nipples are actually bleeding now she is in pain. Our baby is about 3 months old now, she has been pumping for that long. She kinda wants to stop pumping because of the pain, but if she stops for to long she gets engorged with milk and they hurt from being swollen. What should she do?

Answer 1

First thing....don't quit breast feeding. I understand that it hurts VERY badly...sometimes to the point of crying, but, it will get better. If her nipples are cracked and sore, she more than likely, was not drying the nipple area, before covering. (after the feeding). Lansinoh makes a good product, but, a lot of the times you can just use Vasoline on the area. Just make sure that she cleans it off before feeding.
It may help if she does quit pumping milk for a while and only feeds from the breast to the baby.....the baby won't be as harsh on her as that pump.
She really does have my sympathy, I've been there twice. It will get better.

Answer 2

Get some pure lanolin cream---you can find it pretty much anywhere. Have her rub them on her nipples to soothe them. SHe doesn't have to wipe it off, it is safe for the baby.

Second, if she has been having cracked nipples for so long, she may not be using the pump properly, thus creating cracked, sore nipples. Have her contact a lactation specialist at the hospital she delivered at. Maybe she is doing something wrong and that can alleviate the hurt. Pumping and breastfeeding can be uncomfortalbe, but she shouldn't be in that kind of pain EVERY time. Good luck!

Answer 3

What pump is she using? If she's using a hospital double electric pump (best choice) then she may possibly have nipples of a different dimension than the breast pump's flanges. This is agonizing.

If she's using a store bought pump, you may have no recourse, as most store pumps only have one size flange and some women have larger nipples (or smaller ones that can be chafed horribly.)

Her best bet for relief RIGHT NOW is to attempt to latch the baby on and nurse. She can keep herself slathered in Lansinoh while nursing, and she will have excellent drainage with very little pain. A local La Leche League leader (check your phone book and hospital discharge paperwork) can help her latch the baby on if she can't figure it out herself.

Have her lay down in bed, so she can rotate the baby as he/she nurses: this way she can find the least painful spot to let the baby nurse. Remind her that the baby has to open w i d e. Set up a tv or something that she can watch: she won't be doing much for the next few days. Keep her out of underwire bras. Also monitor her for fever, chills, and spots of intense pain in the breast itself: chafed nipples can sometimes lead to breast infection.

Answer 4

First of all, she should not stop breastfeeding. This is a very common problem.
What you can do for her is go to walmart, they sell a cream in the baby deparment, right by all of the bottles and stuff. It is a small purple box, named Lansinoh.
This will help immensly. She should put it on before and after feeding. It is perfectly safe for baby, and will keep your wifes nipples healthy.
The pain should be gone within a week.

However, if your wife has a high fever, red spots that are sore to touch on her breast (not nipple) or large lumps that do not go away within a day, she needs to go to the doctor. These are symptoms of mastitis, and require antibiotics to cure. Without medical attention, mastitis is very dangerous.

She most likely does not have mastitis, but I had to put that in there, just because this is also something that could cause great pain.

I hope this helps, Best of luck, I know the feeling.

Answer 5

she can express by hand, thats easier on the niples. Try putting lanolin (or a commercial nipple cream) on after each nursing or pumping session and let the nipples dry out before getting re-dressed. If she can take the time to just sit aroud topelss after nursing then the air circualtion will help with healing too.

Answer 6

I found rubbing bepanthen on them helped. You can also buy what's called "nipple shields" from the pharmacy or chemist. Basically it's like a plasticy barrier that you place over your nipple (a bit like a baby bottle teet) that the baby can feed from. It aids in helping the baby to attach as well as protecting your nipples for a while. It is designed as a short term solution but will give your wife a bit of repreive (trust me). I thought they were the best things ever invented!! Good luck.

Answer 7

This is one of the websites of people who know a lot about breastfeeding www.lalecheleague.org . But I pump and I get sore and cracky and I use lansinoh cream. It helps with the cracky nipples and also try the soothies gel pads. I know it is tough because I have been there but tell her to hang in there if she can. It was worth it for my daughter and now I am doing it all over for my son. But make sure she is comfortable with it.

Answer 8

she should just nurse as often as possible until she heals the doc can get her a safe cream to speed that up! When I was nursing my son he caused me to blister from sucking so hard and needing to be fed so often and my OB/GYN game me a silicone cover to help shield me until I healed. A hot shower when she is engorged will help express some of her milk

Answer 9

She desires nipple shields. you may get those at a new child shop generally. i think of even objective has them. it particularly is something which will conceal the nipple and he or she will nevertheless breastfeed off of that nipple till it particularly is feeling greater effective. they say that breastmilk will actually make it experience greater effective. tell her to enable the breastmilk survive her nipple. do no longer dry it off and enable the crack breathe. this is candy you're requesting her.

Answer 10

Tell her to get some lanonin and put it on everytime she feeds or pumps. This will help alot also take a nice warm shower and load up on the lanonin lotion.
It does get better i promise.
Good luck