"Injured" nipple = PAIN. What to do?

[musikat]

I have never posted on this forum before because I have never had issues before. My third baby is 11 months and I breastfed all three for at least two years. In the past several days my right nipple has been KILLING me every time he latches on. It sort of reminds me of the pain when I was BF and pregnant (THAT is not even a remote possibility here, though).


I initially thought it might be hormonal, but it's only the one side. Then I though maybe he bit down too hard and injured me. And in fact, I can see a very tiny lesion on the base of the nipple. It doesn't appear to be a milk duct and there is no sign of mastitis or anything else. Any ideas of how to help it? I have been putting a little breastmilk on it, using Eucerin (I don't have any lansinoh or anything similar since I have never needed it), and am trying antibiotic ointment in between feedings.

Any thoughts on how to clear this up? It doesn't seem to be getting any better at all. Do I need to call my doctor? Anyone have similar experiences? Help!

[chelko]

I had some sort of laceration on one nipple when dd was a nb. No idea how I got it, I mean she had no teeth! It hurt so much I would cry the whole time she was nursing on that side.

Lanolin did nothing for it. I ended up using a breast pump on that one side for 48 hours and just nursed her on the other. The pump hardly hurt at all and didn't pull on it in a way that kept reopening the injury. After the two days I was able to go back to nursing normally.

I don't know if what you have IS a cut or if it is in a place that a pump might help, but it is what worked for me.

Good luck.

[MaryJaneLouise]

I'm wondering if you might have thrush?

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/...resources.html

[mum21andtwins]

one of the twins scratched my nipple a month or so ago it was amazingly painfull considering it was a tiny scratch took a week or so to start getting better and then suddenly it was gone.

[AnalogWife]

I suffered excruciating pain on my right nipple when DS grew top teeth--after a while I realized I was allowing him a lazy latch---once I shoved my nipple into his mouth further (kind of like "sandwiching" that they teach you in the beginning) it was within a week that everything got better. GL!