Miserable milk blister with slowly weaning 3 yo - can't take the pain

[LCBMAX]

And see, the thing is, I was already limiting him to just the right side because I'd gotten this awful painful bruise on my left nipple while playing with him, and because my head is in a weaning direction, I never restarted that side once it healed, weeks later. Two sides means longer nursing sessions...

So now I just got this horrendously painful milk blister on the right, and I'm under the impression that nursing is supposed to help, but it sure doesn't seem like it. I can see how it might with a baby nursing many times a day, but with a 3 yo on a weaning track who nurses 3 times a day at most, often just twice, and sometimes just once... and me the mama wanting to quit anyway.... so the infrequent nursing is NOT helping, and I sure don't want to offer more (not likely that he'd take it anyway). Really, the nursing feels like it makes it worse - the pain is up 20 degrees after nursing. Tonight I could barely do 2 minutes.

I have some APNO on order at the pharmacy which may or may not be ready by Saturday. I sometimes have a deep pain which I think means yeast. I'm taking phytolacca, and sage tincture to reduce production. Would love to do more hot soaks, but I just lost all my childcare, so once a day is my best bet for that right now.

More advice?

A trillion dollars to the first mama who says that nursing won't help.

[PatioGardener]

I opened mine with a sterile needle, and then massaged the plug out starting from the nipple area (it went waaaaay back.)

kellymom has a good page: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipplebleb.html

[LCBMAX]

Whoa. That was hardcore.

After reading your post, and rereading the kellymom info, I found a sterile needle and gave it a try. Not so easy, as I guess you know, and I gave up after drawing a little blood, but your post inspired me to manipulate harder, and I did get something out. Shaking with pain and tears running down my face, but yeah, something. Kind of like pus but no smell so maybe more like stagnant milk. I did get the APNO today so that's on now, and there's less hardness at the blister site. Will see if it recollects or if I didn't get it all. 

Seriously, I had such hard times with nursing all along, this just seems like the final insult. I made it so far against such odds, doing well lately and happy letting my son be the one to eliminate more and more sessions, and now this?! I know so many have lovely wonderful comfortable breastfeeding experiences. For me, it's been the hardest and most physically challenging thing I've ever done. I feel like I have to keep going and get to the other side of this wretched 2 millimeter blister just to end on a good note... but there's no way to nurse on this side today at all.

Bummed.

But thanks for the inspiration...

[bdoody11]

Oh, Mama! I feel your pain. Literally. I had a milk blister this past October and it made me contemplate giving up on nursing. They are so painful. Be sure to watch the blister and make sure it stays open. Mine kept closing over and not healing. I don't want to scare you, but mind ended up in a horrible case of a mastitis. Keep up with the APNO and maybe use some Polysporin just to make sure you're killing any germs that might get in cause an infection.

Do you have a pump? If you don't have a double electric pump I would seriously think about renting one for a week or two. With a nursing 4 month old and 3 year old, I pretty much took them off the infected side and just pumped for a while. It still hurts, but not nearly as bad.

I hope you get some relief soon!

[LCBMAX]

Ok, bdoody, more good advice. I'm trying to really stay on top of the APNO. Today there was a little re-collection, which came out with a little more work. The thing is, mine is too deep (but I'm just talking millimeters here) to actually have an opening at all, really. It's all just working out thru a milk pore. Though that is flowing more now, so maybe that is the opening of this awful thing. I've taken the opportunity to push the weaning ahead a little - no milk in the morning (he is happy to have an extra chance to watch the peaceful parts of Microcosmos) and naps in the stroller instead of with milk at home. So he's now down to just a little minute or two (all I can stand) at bedtime, and so far he's accepting all this with little or no resistance, so I'm not guilting myself about it. I just do the necessary expression in the shower, and I look forward to... having breasts again, instead of a work crew on my chest. This blister though. It brings me back to my old complaint that the whole baby-making system is really messed up, definitely needs rethinking. I am stunned by how much suffering goes along with it. Ok, whiney. I'll stop now.

But thanks to you both, again.

[bdoody11]

I think the milk flowing is a good sign. Mine started with a severely plugged duct and then I noticed the blister. I opened it, about 4-6oz of milk drained, and they cycle started all over again as the blister healed over. However, this doesn't sound like what you have, thank goodness.

Congrats on the weaning. I recently weaned my 4 year old on her birthday. It has been so liberating. I'm still nursing my 8 month old, but I feel like I can totally handle that no problem. There were days nursing two that I thought I would go insane. I'm enjoying my relationship with DD#1 so much more since we weaned.