Nipple Creases

[Acorn]

My baby is now 4 weeks old. We started using a nipple shield when she was 2 days old after some cracking and bleeding. As of 2 days ago we are shield free. I still have the cracks on my nipples and when she is done nursing I have white creases on my nipples that line right up with the cracks. I have been seeing a lactation consultant every week and she said it wasn't an issue. I however am not sure of that. Everywhere I read says if you have creases like that you need to correct your latch. My question is how?! What is wrong with her latch that does this and what should I do to correct it? I really don't want to bleed again or for the cracking to get worse and be back at square one! Help!

 

[Acorn]

Has anyone else ever had this??

 

[cutie4evr01]

I think it just means you have a shallow latch. The suggestions I've heard are to try different positions, and gently pull her chin down once she latches on, but neither of those helped me.

I had the creases also until DD was about 6-8 weeks old. Everyone (including the lactation consultants) told me her latch looked fine (and it did look great from the outside), but it still hurt when she latched on, and sometimes in between feeds, and had the white ridges when she came off, so I knew something was wrong. Fortunately she just grew out of it - I think her mouth was too small to get a better latch before then. By about 8-9 weeks we were pain free and no longer had the compression ridges. How is your pain? If it's bearable and only on first latching, all I can suggest is to wait it out and hope it gets better as her mouth gets bigger.

 

[ashley2pink]

You might get soreness now that you got rid of the shield. Her latch might change a little at first so it can cause cracks. But dont use the shield again is my advice. I had blisters where my nipples were getting pinched from her small latch. Then a few days later her latch seemed great, yet I still had blisters. Not sure why or if the latch truly was good, but at 2 weeks pp they just started healing dramatically. Same thing happened with my last dd too. Just give your nipples some time to adjust and her latch some time to adjust nursing without the shield. The white creasing sounds like nipple blanching. That can happen due to compression or vasospasms. Yours sounds like compression blanching. The most common reason is shallow latch. Just try your best to get baby to latch on wide. Aim your nipple up high. Rub your nipple across baby's upper lip, when she opens his mouth keep nipple up high in the mouth, that way more areola is in lower part of her mouth. Just give the cracks some time and work on the latch. I did and still got blisters but trudged through it and 2 weeks later things were much better and now I cant even remember pain!

Heres some info on blanching
https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipple-blanching.html

 

[Acorn]

Thanks guys! The latch isn't painful at all so that is encouraging. They are sore afterward, but I think that's just from new areas being rubbed without the shield. We are on day 4 without the shield and while they are cracked, they haven't bled like they did right after I had her. I have been giving her the "nipple sandwich" (the only way I have gotten her to latch) and it looks like a wide latch. Maybe her mouth really is just too small. I will keep at it and hope it gets better!

 

[ashley2pink]

Thanks guys! The latch isn't painful at all so that is encouraging. They are sore afterward, but I think that's just from new areas being rubbed without the shield. We are on day 4 without the shield and while they are cracked, they haven't bled like they did right after I had her. I have been giving her the "nipple sandwich" (the only way I have gotten her to latch) and it looks like a wide latch. Maybe her mouth really is just too small. I will keep at it and hope it gets better!

I get blanching sometimes. Her latch is good too. It can be normal to get blanching. If it doesnt hurt then thats good.

 

[Acorn]

Yeah, I wasn't going to worry about it, but the cracks I have on top of my nipple match up exactly with the blanching. The cracking and bleeding in the beginning was traumatic for me and I just don't want it to happen all over again!

 

[ashley2pink]

Early bf'ing for me has always been bad! I get bloody, blistered nipples. I tried pumping but instead the scab got sucked off and blood was pumping into the bottle. I was in so much pain. It was depressing. So glad that parts over!!
My sister had painful nipples for about 2 months with her dd. Her dd had a small latch. She just trudged through and is still bf'ing at 13 months

 

[Acorn]

Thanks for the encouragement! I have wanted to give up so many times and am pretty proud I have made it this far. I had one really bad experience of her making me bleed, but she kept drinking and when she unlatched there was blood all over her. It was very traumatic for me, but she didn't mind in the least and was actually licking her lips. My nipples are sore, but I know I can do this!