Injured nipple

[Gendenwitha]

I scratched my nipple on a nail : and got two little pools of blood on the nipple itself and a cut on the side right next to it. I avoided nursing for several hours, and it hurts like hell to nurse on that side. (Even though I nurse the other side first so he attacks it a little less ferociously.) It's been 2 days now and it looks a little swollen and still hurts. If I nurse only on the one side will I totally lose my milk supply on the other side by the time it heals? Suggestions for salves or anything else?

[misseks]

Do you have Lanolin? That it'll help the healing, and it's okay for th ebaby. Sorry it hurts so much.

[Live~Laugh~Love]

I would try lanolin, but first, i really wonder HOW IT HAPPEND... pLZ tell

[RootSnort]

If it's that painful, I would try to get some Lidocaine gel 2% from your doctor, and apply it just before pumping on that side, leave it in place while you pump. You'd have to pump and dump, as the baby can absorb the lidocaine and that's not good, but it would help you control pain while you keep up the supply. If there's no way to get in touch with a prescriber (and I think if you have a nail wound you may also need a tetanus shot) then Neosporin + pain relief may help a little, but I would still dump the milk on that side while having to have medicine on it.

[belatina]

Wound Healing

You definitely don't want to get an infection. I agree that depending on where that nail was from you might need a tetanus shot. I would suggest a couple of things. First you will want to put some of the leftover milk after nursing on your nipple as breastmilk is a great healer. I would not stop nursing on that side unless it is just too unbearable. If that is the case then you will need to pump that breast as often as your baby would nurse it to keep up the supply. Not pumping will cause you to get a breast infection will make you even more miserable and your supply on that side can drop.

Now, you can not use Neosporin and nurse a baby but you can use Bactroban or Polysporin. I am going to quote the Breastfeeding Answer Book for you, "Because the ointment is only minimally absorbed into the skin, almost none passes into the milk. And although the baby may ingest a small amount when breastfeeding, the drug is metabolized so quickly that it cannot accumulate in the baby's system and is therefore considered safe (Hale, p.504)."

The Soothies Gel Pads are also often recommended for healing nipple trauma.

Also, sorry RootSnort but I would recommend not using any type of anesthetic as these can inhibit let-down or milk-ejection reflex if they numb up the breast too much.

I hope this helps. Take care of that wound and keep your nipples away from nails in the future.

[RootSnort]

Originally Posted by belatina

Also, sorry RootSnort but I would recommend not using any type of anesthetic as these can inhibit let-down or milk-ejection reflex if they numb up the breast too much.

I agree, but if there's no other way...