Help! Cracked and bleeding nipple

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DD is 9 days old and breastfeeding has been going pretty well. She latched well from birth and my milk came in by day 3 with plenty of supply. The last couple days I have been suffering with a cracked and bleeding nipple. In the last 24 hours it has become unbearable. I have been leaving it uncovered and keeping it moist with Lansinoh but it does not seem to be getting better. I used my other breast for several nursing sessions in a row but got so engorged I just had her try to nurse again on my sore breast. It was still severely painful and DD spit up almost all of it minutes after finishing. The spit up was full of blood and I am so frustrated! How do I get it to heal? Can I pump on that side to keep down engorgement and maintain my supply? I don't own a pump but I can and will go get one if it will help. Suggestions please!

[TX Mama]

I can't help with the healing issue as I am going through the same thing. What I have started doing is pumping the side I am having an issue with to help with engorgement and supply. I have read to stay away from nipples (bottle) but that use of an eye dropper is ok. I had my hubby help with the next part. We used a finger to mimick the pacify of the breast and then delivered the pumped milk through the side of his mouth using the eye dropper. It's kind of a process but it worked. Hopefully we heal quickly and can get back to business. Good luck!

[kismetbaby]

It will heal!!! But it may take awhile and it will hurt like hell--sorry to say. I've been there mama, its rough. But amazingly the body will heal and your nips will adjust. I did go out and rent a breast pump myself to give that side a break. I didn't want to introduce a bottle and risk nip confusion so I just nursing on the good side for a day and started a freezer stash with the pumped milk. I didn't last more than a day like this though, b/c I found I will still sore form the pump and then of course the other side starts to get sore from the extra nursing. Agh. I found that I had to just keep nursing as normally as possible and wait for them to heal. But having the breast pump is also good just to avoid the engorgement and to keep up supply on that side! I never thought I'd need one, but turns out they are good to have around.

But some helpful things in the meantime:

1) let the cracked side rest (if not by pumping then try different positions on that side, so you don't always compress the nip in the same way)

2) keep it VERY clean and keep your eye out for mastitis or thrush (with a crack you can easily get either, I started soaking my cracked nips in salt water once a day--you can take an epsom salt bath or just make boob bowls for soaking. Also airing out as much as possible and I'd say sometimes give it time without the lansinoh--others might think different, but I found that taking a break from any extra nip creams helped)

For the pain you can try those "soothies". When it got bad I'd take Advil. It will get better. . .hang in there!

[pharmgirl13]

I had this issue with my daughter and it was because she was not latched on correctly even though I thought she was. I was to the point I thought my nipple was going to fall off. I had it on both sides so I had to nurse through the pain. I would recommend either seeing a lactation consultant to help achieve a proper latch. Once I did that, I healed very quickly!

Kristin