Very sore nipple ~ Scar tissue? Nerve damage?

[dianna11]

When DD was a newborn and had her second day feeding frenzy, she had a bad latch and quite literally nearly tore off half of my nipple! There was a huge, gaping cut that lasted for weeks and slowly went away from putting milk on it and letting it air dry, and cried each time she nursed on that breast. THe intense pain went away after a few months. In retrospect, I should have had it stitched.

ANyhoo, fast forward three years and change and I have a new baby! Unfortunately, there is still awful pain in that nipple when he first latches. It's not so bad after a minute, but woah, it hurts initially! His latch has always been excellent, and it hurt terribly the first time he nursed from that side. THe other side has been just fine.

There isn't any broken skin this time, it just seems to be something left over from last time. Any suggestions what could help this to feel better?

[Vanishing Word]

That sounds incredibly painful!
Can you tell us more about nursing your first child on the breast? Was that continuously painful as well?
How do you feel about your latch? Does it feel like he has the nipple deep enough? Here is a good video to review: http://www.ameda.com/breastpumping/v...LatchOnEnglish

[dianna11]

Originally Posted by Vanishing Word

That sounds incredibly painful!
Can you tell us more about nursing your first child on the breast? Was that continuously painful as well?
How do you feel about your latch? Does it feel like he has the nipple deep enough? Here is a good video to review: http://www.ameda.com/breastpumping/v...LatchOnEnglish

After the torn nipple incident, my midwife helped me out quite a bit with DD's latch, so there weren't any further problems, although the problem nipple did continue to hurt for quite a while. According to the link you sent, her problem at the beginning was a "shallow latch". That was corrected, but the damage that was done lingered.

DS's (current nursling) latch is great and he's getting enough nipple in his mouth and all that. As I said, the intense pain on that side happened right from the first feed, and he started out with a great latch! The other breast hasn't been a problem.