Nipple scabbing over? NEW baby.. wrong latch..

[Crazybean]

Help! I did the search function and didn't find what I needed.

I had my baby on Sat and from Sat to Mon- we had an incorrect latch but I didn't let that from stopping the breastfeeding. The lactation consultant finally came into work on Mon and we spent a long time together correcting things. Well, the damage is done and she recommended soothies gel pads and pumping.

Today, after feeding, I rubbed left over breastmilk on the nipple and took a nap with baby. After waking up, I noticed a long red scabbed over area on the nipple which obviously hurst like crazy to nurse- it bleeds and scabs over in other words. My other nipple is not far behind in damage.

What can I do? Should I pump the worse side and let it heal a few days? Should I pump for a few days on both breasts and hope for no nipple confusion or milk supply issues? My other nipple is about 1 feeding away from a scab but my milk is plentiful at the moment.

[welsh]

Had the same issue over here and couldn't not respond to your post.

If I was a first time Mother, I'm not sure I'd have made it through last week without giving up nursing.
Both my nipples were scabbed over and then coming off, bleeding when DD nursed. It was excrutiatingly painful.

Here's what I did:
wore shells in my bra instead of pads
used jelonet dressings between feeds which is basically gauze covered in vaseline and you cut into strips
advil/tylenol 30 mins before a feed
cried slot and felt very gloomy

Now we're 11 days pp and healing. DDs latch is still a bit shallow but it's improving.
I don't have a pump so didn't try that....

Good Luck!!!

[Crazybean]

Thanks for responding.. I'm willing to try anything..
Something I forgot to mention is that baby has a high palate so I can't make that part any better.. I wonder if I'm doomed?

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by Crazybean

Something I forgot to mention is that baby has a high palate

is baby tongue tied? they often go together,

nak

[Crazybean]

She didn't mention anything about being tongue tied.. I have a pedi appt on Mon and I'll be sure to ask.

[PatioGardener]

Hang in there!!!

Some tricks that may help:

Nurse in another position (foot ball hold, sidelying or sitting upright with baby facing you, etc)

Painkillers

"bulls eye" latch - nipple straight back into mouth rather than the usual asymetrical latch

all purpose nipple ointment (http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=...tion&Itemid=17)

if you have to pump, consider cup or finger feeding baby rather than a bottle http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=...tion&Itemid=17

and finally check out Jack Newman's sore nipples handout: http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=...tion&Itemid=17

It will get better, Mama. Hang in there! You can do this!

[bella99]

I had similar nipple problems. My daughter had a very shallow latch, no reason to believe she had a tongue tie or high palate.

Day 2, I already had blisters on my nipples, no matter how many times the LC corrected the latch. Every time, my daughter would pull back and latch ONLY onto my nipple.

By day 5, I had bleeding, cracked nipples.

I was in so much pain, I decided to try a nipple shield (yes, I know unpopular around here). It allowed me to continue nursing AND let my nipples heal. It didn't affect my supply at all.

When my daughter was 4 weeks, we went back to see the LC and by that time, I also had a forceful letdown. We would get my daughter latched on wonderfully, my milk would let down and she would immediately pull back and pinch down on my nipple to slow the flow of milk. The LC felt it was a combination of my letdown and a tiny little mouth, which was causing the poor latch.

Anyway, long story short, we ended up using the nipple shield for just over two months. But we weaned ourselves off it by combining feedings with it and without it, allowing my daughter to get used to just my breast.

So I would suggest trying a nipple shield for a couple of days to allow your nipples to heal but you can still nurse. And then, while you work on the latch, maybe use the shield for occasional feedings to give your nipples a much deserved break?

(I found pumping with cracked bloody nipples excruciating!)

[sparkysgirl]

I had this. what helped was changing postitions with each feed, soothies inbetween feeds, favoring the better nipple sometimes, a warm rag on the nipple before the feed to soften it up for baby, and digging my toenails into the carpet during the latch! I didn't do any pumping though. It will get better soon, I promise.

[patronus]

i also had the scabbed nipples. OUCH!
after nursing, i rubbed breast milk on them and let them air dry. i also used the gel pads. i was surprised how quickly they were able to heal.
i didn't pump, i just tried to nurse a little less on the side that was the worst.
hang in there, mama!

[broodymama]

I'm sorry, I know how much that hurts! With each of my 4 I ended up with blistered nipples when they were newborns. No tongue tie, normal palates, good deep latches (trust me, after DS1 I was very thorough about checking this!), it was just the combination of the shape of their palates combined with the shape of my nipples. The first couple weeks while the blisters healed were excruciating, as they grew a little bigger (and these were good-sized babes at birth, 9.5-10 lbs) the latch improved.

Originally Posted by bella99

ecided to try a nipple shield (yes, I know unpopular around here). It allowed me to continue nursing AND let my nipples heal. It didn't affect my supply at all.

I finally tried this after #4 and so wish someone had suggested it to me earlier. It gave my nipples a little protection while they healed, which was what I needed. I know that nipple shields can be overused and misused but, like C-sections and epidurals, I believe that they do have their place.

Lansinoh didn't give me much relief, but I used Motherlove Nipple Cream this time around and it helped me out.

[Jaliciaf]

I feel ya...

Crazybean,
I am new to this website and just saw your thread.
I can relate. At day 5 I had one scabbed nipple and one bleeding nipple.
New mommy and baby are learning at the same time, this can lead to bad latches and damaged nipples. I heard squeezing a little milk out after a feeding and putting it all over your nipple and allowing to air dry will help heal your nipples. This helped me. I also used the hard nipple shields when company was over and I should just openly air dry.
I didn't like the Lansinoh ointment either, plus it stains and is so thick. The Medela brand is thinner, but I like the "Earth Mama Angel Baby" Natural Nipple Butter. I found it at whole foods, I also recommend the Peri-care spray from the same brand.
Best of luck to you. It gets worse before it gets better, hang in there!!
They do heal quickly, I was pleased. I went from dreading the next feeding one day to it not being so bad the next.

JaF