ttcinseattle
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I've been dealing with pain and wounds for the past 4 months now. Before that we had no pain nursing (besides the first 3 weeks) and have enjoyed an excellent nursing relationship. At first I thought the tears were due to his teeth, but the wounds don't line up with his teeth, and we nursed for months with teeth and no pain. Now I think the tears are just due to the increased strength in his latch as he's gotten older.
Specifically what happens is I get tears around the base of the nipple and sometimes on the nipple itself. They look like little crescents since they're literally open wounds before they start healing, and sometimes get infected. They've been worse on my left nipple which is also really peely, like I can pull peeling skin off of it. This makes me think there's something else going on on that side that maybe makes the skin weaker and more susceptible to these tears. I do get the tears on the right side as well, but never as bad.
I don't *think* there's anything wrong with his latch, although it hasn't been evaluated by a lactation specialist since he was a few days old, but they were impressed with his latch then and as I said we enjoyed a pain free nursing relationship for a very long time. Also no thrush issues. I have zero idea what causes the peeling! Out of desperation I tried baking soda and salt water soaks after reading about that as a thrush treatment, and they definitely help heal the wounds. I think it's more from the healing (and disinfecting) properties of the salt than the baking soda, but I haven't tried with just the salt because I figured why mess with a good thing. It did also help the peeling to mostly clear up, so I wondered if that was the baking soda.
Unfortunately, nothing seems to stop the sores from starting in the first place, and after enjoying a few good weeks, I got a half inch tear in my left nipple this weekend, followed by another tear higher up and a small hole on my right nipple, so now I'm in agony all around. I've been encouraging more bottle use both because we're ttc #2, and especially because I can't nurse without wanting to scream right now. My left nipple needs time off to heal. I've only nursed him once a day on the left side since the big tear happened, and maybe 4 times a day on the right. I can't pump without opening the wounds.
Does anyone have any idea what could be causing the tears or peeling? Any suggestions on how to avoid it? And most importantly, is my supply going to disappear if I focus on bottle feeds for the next few days while letting my nipples heel? Will I be able to reestablish it? I was planning on extended breastfeeding, possibly even tandem if I manage to get pregnant soon. Weaning at 13 months wasn't what I wanted, and it definitely isn't what my son wants. I just don't know what to do
Specifically what happens is I get tears around the base of the nipple and sometimes on the nipple itself. They look like little crescents since they're literally open wounds before they start healing, and sometimes get infected. They've been worse on my left nipple which is also really peely, like I can pull peeling skin off of it. This makes me think there's something else going on on that side that maybe makes the skin weaker and more susceptible to these tears. I do get the tears on the right side as well, but never as bad.
I don't *think* there's anything wrong with his latch, although it hasn't been evaluated by a lactation specialist since he was a few days old, but they were impressed with his latch then and as I said we enjoyed a pain free nursing relationship for a very long time. Also no thrush issues. I have zero idea what causes the peeling! Out of desperation I tried baking soda and salt water soaks after reading about that as a thrush treatment, and they definitely help heal the wounds. I think it's more from the healing (and disinfecting) properties of the salt than the baking soda, but I haven't tried with just the salt because I figured why mess with a good thing. It did also help the peeling to mostly clear up, so I wondered if that was the baking soda.
Unfortunately, nothing seems to stop the sores from starting in the first place, and after enjoying a few good weeks, I got a half inch tear in my left nipple this weekend, followed by another tear higher up and a small hole on my right nipple, so now I'm in agony all around. I've been encouraging more bottle use both because we're ttc #2, and especially because I can't nurse without wanting to scream right now. My left nipple needs time off to heal. I've only nursed him once a day on the left side since the big tear happened, and maybe 4 times a day on the right. I can't pump without opening the wounds.
Does anyone have any idea what could be causing the tears or peeling? Any suggestions on how to avoid it? And most importantly, is my supply going to disappear if I focus on bottle feeds for the next few days while letting my nipples heel? Will I be able to reestablish it? I was planning on extended breastfeeding, possibly even tandem if I manage to get pregnant soon. Weaning at 13 months wasn't what I wanted, and it definitely isn't what my son wants. I just don't know what to do
