I was always prepared to say "I'm ready to quit" and now it's happening :(

[jessicaR4bbit]

I may sound like a wimp but man, I am at breaking point today. Since day 1 I have been struggling to breastfeed my little man but always had a positive outlook because I know the beginning is hard, from what I'm told. Well I've had constant cracked left nipple and it's been healing slowly till now but the crack remains. There's yellow crust on it, my nipples are pink and sore, the right breast doesn't produce as much milk as the left which happens to be the sorest breast and I literally DREAD feeding him because the initial latch is always painful. And I always fear that everytime he latches he's pulling the scab away which I believe is the case anyway.

I had a lactation consultant come round today and observe his latch which is perfect, and she advised to feed baby on the right breast only for the next few feeds to give lefty time to heal. That was at 11am and he's only just now gone down for a nap and has been screaming, crying and fussing constantly because I have denied him lefty. This is driving me insane. And it only gets worse at night. I just wish my nipples weren't damaged from the first week and that I could breastfeed without hesitation and have it be pain free

He'll wake up soon and I know I'll have to feed him on the left to be satisfied since it's been 3 feeds now on the right only, and I've been hand expressing. This is just so hard. I don't know if it is thrush but he has no signs of it in/on his mouth. I'm just so ready to quit and sleep deprived and I fear breastfeeding him. Sorry this is a long post, and may seem trivial in comparison to other women's problems, I just needed to get this off my chest...

 

[MrsPear]

It doesn't seem trivial at all, it sounds like you're tired, in pain & pushing yourself to the absolute limit! I'm sorry but I'm not much of a breastfeeding expert, I don't really have any good advice to give. I know for me that it was about 5 weeks before my cracked nipple was completely healed, horrible isn't it because you can feel it getting better then worse then better then worse... My only suggestion is that you could try feeding in a different position for a while? That way you could relieve he pressure on that cracked spot a little. Apart from that, my main reason for commenting is just to let you know that I have felt that dread too and no you aren't being dramatic over something trivial, it's really really hard. I hope some other people have some better advice/support for you, sorry I can't help more xx

 

[greenpear]

Hun I just want to give big because I remember having exact same thing on both breasts so it was hell to feed and exhaustion doesn't help. If you do stick through this will pass and BF will be enjoyable. If you can't then at least you know you tried and you got 2 weeks worth of milk into your baby. Have you used Lansinoh cream? it did wonders to my nipples but it's quite sticky and messy so wear old shirts if you do. Also leaving breast milk on nipples really helps as well.

 

[jessicaR4bbit]

Thank you guys, I needed to read some encouraging words. Yeah I've been using Lansinoh for a week now, and it does seem to be helping lefty to heal. It's just like MrsPear said. One day it seems to heal and feel better, the next I feel excrutiating pain and it scabs over again I am determined to stick at it.. if I quit now it would seem like I went through all this for nothing. But I have some really low moments where it seems like feeding from a bottle would cure all my problems. I'm going to try and think more positively. Even reading that other women have gone through this and made it helps a lot in its own way, so thank you

 

[Casey3]

My left was a problem boob too! I had to feed him in the football hold for a few weeks so that the crack could heal, try to find a position where his tongue covers the crack and his top gums don't rub on it. The lanolin didn't help me too much and by week 7 I had tried everything the lactation consultants told me to do and it just wouldn't go away so I asked my doctor and she prescribed the all purpose nipple ointment (apno) and it saved us! Healed the crack in a matter of days but started feeling better after the first 2 applications! Try to get a prescription for that if its taking too long to heal we stuck out the pain for 8 weeks and I'm SO glad we did, its so worth it and eventually it gets so much easier!!

 

[babybrums]

LOL my left was my problem boob too - I'm seeing a trend here Make sure you're using the Lansinoh after every single feed. Let them hang out too - the air will do wonders! If your pads get even the slightest bit wet replace them. And I agree with another poster - try a different position. I found I was using only the cradle hold when BF LO on the left side - I used the football hold on the other. I switched it up and actually started to lie down when I fed on that side and it was much less painful. Try to keep it up for a little while longer. It took LO and I about a month but we finally got it right and now it's a piece of cake. Best of luck to you and remember - if it were easy, everyone would do it.

 

[AC1987]

Awww its so painful in the beginning I know I didn't feel painless til about 3rd or 4th week. To give your nipples a chance to heal you could always pump(as I found it never hurt my nipples to pump) and bottle feed til they're healed up. But it is up to you and I wish you luck

 

[MrsDrB]

My baby was in the NICU for the first week so I was sent home with an electric pump and told to pump every 2 hours for 20 minutes... Well that resulted in blocked milk pores in both breasts. My nipples had yellow crusts on them and when I was finally able to breastfeed my baby in the NICU I was in so much pain I thought it wasn't worth! Since I knew nothing about breastfeeding or pumping, I just continued to pump in agony until I read that peeling off the crust frees up the pore and helps it to heal! They were still sore for 2-3 days after but not nearly as bad. I also read that using a warm compress on the nipple helps to free up the block, but that didn't quite work for me since my nipples were so bad.

I hope it all works out for you! I did exclusively pump for about a week until I felt the energy to try breastfeeding again. Now I exclusively breastfeed and it's so much easier than those first few weeks. Good luck!

 

[monkers1984]

Sending you a big hug I can remember the feeds that were soooo painful that I wud dread the Feed so much n wud cry all the way through!!! It does get better tho -- unfortunately u just have to grin n bear it! My best advice would be to keep ur boobs out in the fresh air as much as you can And keep squeezing a small amount of milk onto your nipple and letting it dry in the air!!! Also warm wet flannels helped me too!! Hope u get some comfort soon x

 

[beautifulpack]

I would pump for awhile to let them heal a bit..you will feel big relief and your baby will still be receiving breast milk

 

[Kato2]

I had same issue with cracked nipples and they hurt so bad so I totally understand! Please try nipple shields- they saved me!

 

[jessicaR4bbit]

Thank you all who've replied

I'm sending OH to pick up a breast pump after he finishes work today. I asked for a Medela electric pump because I've heard good things about it. Going to give that a try and rest lefty for a day if I can because after skipping a few feeds on that breast it does seem to have helped a little and the yellow crust is gone now. Lefty leaks like mad so I'll need to get some breast shells or something as well to catch all the milk.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I've tried different holds and find the one with least pain is the cross cradle. Football hold works as well but I have to keep him upright or else he spits and chokes because of my overactive letdown. Here's hoping today is an improvement over yesterday.

 

[vintagecat]

I'm so sorry you're having a hard time. I never had any issues with cracked nipples, but I can relate to the exhaustion certainly. It does get much easier after the first few weeks though as your baby becomes more efficient at nursing. I think using a pump to help relieve the pain is a good idea.

 

[patch2006uk]

It's so horrible to have a crack that won't heal. Lansinoh is supposed to stop it scabbing over (google wet wound healing), but I found salt water rinses and air drying helped the most. I also wore breast shells under my bra so that my nipples didn't stick, which also helped.

This won't last forever

 

[ellebob]

Just wanted to add that I had thrush for 7 weeks and Kaia never had any sign of it in her mouth so it is worth speaking to a doctor to check.

 

[MissDimity]

I went through the same thing with cracked nipples, always feeding LO and sore latch.
By mid week 3 it's been way better. I find feeding lying LO one side and lying down beside me way less sore ( I guess coz LO doesn't pull down on my nipple).

Have you tried putting some breast milk on your nipples after feeding? And also there is a lanolin based nipple cream that helped heal and prevent cracked nipples.

I have a Medela Swing and sometimes it can be a bit sore when the suction is up high, so make sure if it is, reduce the suction ( there is a + and a - button to increase and decrease ). Also I was a bit surprised at the small amount that initially came out with the pump , but this does increase with time, but also bear in mind LO is far more efficient in drawing out milk than the pump.

 

[disneyfan]

Hi I'm having the same problems. And I feel like quitting too. I'm on week 3 of this excruciating pain. I'm told it gets better, but I also dread when my daughter is hungry. My right nipple is scabbed and yellow and every time I have to feed her on it I feel like crying. You are not alone. Let's just hope it does get better.

 

[patch2006uk]

Hi I'm having the same problems. And I feel like quitting too. I'm on week 3 of this excruciating pain. I'm told it gets better, but I also dread when my daughter is hungry. My right nipple is scabbed and yellow and every time I have to feed her on it I feel like crying. You are not alone. Let's just hope it does get better.

This thread is from October 2012, and the OP now has a 13 month breastfeeding milestone blinkie in her signature.

You're certainly not alone in struggling, and hopefully you can take some reassurance and some hope that it looks in this case like the OP did keep going after a sore start!

Have you had your LO checked for tongue tie? Are you concentrating on nose to nipple and a wide open mouth?