Who would you contact... doctor or lactation consultant?? TMI pic included

[caitlyn2009]

My LO will be 1 month old tomorrow. I have been exclusively breastfeeding him. He has had 1 bottle of pumped milk so far and other than that he is always put to the breast to eat. My left breast is very damaged. I have a huge crack in my nipple that will not heal. It is damaged to the point that milk flow seems to be obstructed. After nursing on that side my breast still feels fairly full and LO gets hungry quicker after nursing off that side. I also hear less swallowing then when he nurses on the right. I have had 2 blocked ducts that were extremely painful and although they went away with lots of nursing and pumping, the left breast is always tender and bruised feeling. I find myself hesitant to nurse on that side which I am sure does not help with the blocked ducts. Who do you think I should contact? I find myself regretting breastfeeding at times because of the pain (I literally have to bite my tongue or clench my teeth to keep from crying out in pain), but everything seems fine on the right breast so I really want to resolve the issue and power on. I have included a picture... sorry if it is TMI but I wanted to show just how bad the damage is. Breastfeeding failed with my daughter and sent me deep into depression so I am desperate to keep going which I think is why I have suffered through so far.

https://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j336/caw2009/20141113_184443-2.jpg

Thanks in advance for your replies

 

[Mrs HM]

I'd see the doctor to help heal that crack. You poor thing, that looks very sore. I had a similar issue with my first and I cried every time I fed him for days and days. It will get better once you address the issue. I found changing position to feed of the sore side allowed the nipple to heal as his tongue was then lashing a new part of the nipple. Try lying on your side, then the next feed on the sore side do the cradle hold, and then the next feed try the rugby position. I was advised to use nipple shields but they were such a faff, he hated them and they didn't reduce the pain so I just kept changing position and it helped so much.

Also with blocked ducts don't be afraid to feed repeatedly off the same side to remove the blockage. This is the last thing you want to do while your nipple is so sore, but for the future it can help. I'm fairly relaxed with bf so I'm not sure if a lactation consultant would tell you the same things...I've bf one for a year and I'm 5 months into the second so can only give you advice from my own experience.

Keep going if you want to but please don't beat yourself up if it's too painful. Noone can understand how painful it can be unless they've experienced these issues themselves.

Please let me know if I can be of any help at all. remember too that your Lo is still very young and will only be getting the hang of bf so issues are to be expected. You both can do it!

 

[irish_cob]

Whoever you can be seen by the quickest would be my answer, you need to get this treated now, you don't want to be hanging about in pain and things getting worse xx

 

[the why bird]

Agreed. Get seen as soon as possible. A crack that big is a risk for infection - I had an infection in a cracked nipple and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Is seeing both an option? A doctor will be able to help you get healed but might not be able to advise much about keeping your supply up in the mean time.

 

[caitlyn2009]

Thanks so much ladies for the replies! This morning when I nursed on that side I used a different position and although still painful (no getting around that right now) it was better so I will continue to do that. I have a nipple shield but LO won't have anything to do with it and when he does latch on briefly the pain is still there. I am waiting on a call to see when I can see my midwife and then from there I will contact my lactation consultant
I think infection may be setting in and now I have a small red area on my breast as well. It is the worst pain I have ever experienced but I am so determined to make this work.

 

[patch2006uk]

Thrush can make cuts slower to heal, too, so perhaps worth getting treatment for that. If you've found a less painful feeding position, hopefully that'll help it to heal. Have you tried saltwater rinses? They were the only thing that helped me heal one persistent crack I had when first feeding my eldest (just make sure to rinse before feeding LO - don't want salty milk!)

 

[pineapple91]

oh my good for you for soldering on that looks so painful. have you had baby check for tongue tie. trust that it will get easier the first month is always the worst and it will be so worth it in the end.

 

[Tulip]

Darling this is EXACTLY what I had on my left side. Huge hugs to you, I know how painful it is. I was also determined this time too, and want to reassure you that it took time but I managed to push through it

We saw an LC who couldn't find anything.wrong with DS2s mouth or our positioning, but he did have a slightly shallow latch just on that side. We worked on that and saw an osteopath (who could feel tension on that side of his head) and we were discharged after two sessions. This wasn't until 11-12 weeks though due to.moving house, so he may have just grown big enough to change his latch.

You must be sure to drain those ducts so please please see an LC about.latch. I had that non-draining boob feeling at around 2 weeks and was admitted to hospital before 3 weeks for IV antibiotics for infective mastitis and sepsis.

All I did After that was keep the crack clean, and moist with Lansinoh. It helped that I was on antibiotics for the mastitis which prevented a localised infection. I made sure to fasten my bra in such a position that it held the crack closed which made it less painful to move.my arms.

Oh and I used Multi Mam healing compresses - pricy but soothing.

Lots of love to you - my nipple is now fully healed but a bit misshapen! Xxx

 

[Mushymilkfor2]

That sounds exactly like what I went through! I originally was advised to stop nursing and exclusively pump/express on the bad side. But since the nipple was also very scabbed over it wasn't draining properly which in turn started to turn to mastitis. The two days I didn't nurse to get it to heal went down the drain because the best way to treat mastitis without antibiotics is to nurse.

In the end I was told I could use something like neosporin to help the nipple heal faster. I think it took two days before I was back to normal and could nurse again without problems!

Good luck!

 

[caitlyn2009]

Well ladies I went and saw my midwife yesterday. She said that she doesn't think I have mastitis yet so I am working hard to keep my breast emptied and to loosen up the blocked duct. I have been nursing frequently on that side and pumping after he has finished his feed. I have also been doing massage and wet, hot compresses. It does feel better today, but I can still tell there is a blockage in there. She did prescribe me antibiotics to take if it isn't better by this afternoon. If it worsens I am to go to the emergency room and if it isn't completely better by Monday I have to go back to see her.

As for the nipple, she did not seem at all concerned. She said she expected it to be much worse and she thinks it looks like it is healing. She did say it looked like it had a little yeast, so she prescribed me some cream to help with that. I asked if it was not healing because of his latch and she said she didn't think so since it wasn't all that bad of a crack. She suggested putting an ice cube on it before nursing to help with the pain.

I am a little frustrated because it is the pain in my nipple that gets to me. I have been in terrible pain every couple hours for the last month and it is really starting to get me down. I want breastfeeding to be successful, but I am not enjoying it at all. I told my OH I was going to give it another week or so with the new medicine to see how it goes and if it isn't better then I will start pumping and bottle feeding. I really want to avoid that because I did it for 6 weeks with my DD and know how much work it is.

Thanks again for all your help and input. If anyone else has any tips or tricks please let me know

 

[patch2006uk]

If you have thrush, antibiotics will make it worse. Lots of natural yogurt, try and avoid sugar, and consider getting a pro or prebiotic to support your body's bacteria x

 

[Maxy1]

My LO will be 1 month old tomorrow. I have been exclusively breastfeeding him. He has had 1 bottle of pumped milk so far and other than that he is always put to the breast to eat. My left breast is very damaged. I have a huge crack in my nipple that will not heal. It is damaged to the point that milk flow seems to be obstructed. After nursing on that side my breast still feels fairly full and LO gets hungry quicker after nursing off that side. I also hear less swallowing then when he nurses on the right. I have had 2 blocked ducts that were extremely painful and although they went away with lots of nursing and pumping, the left breast is always tender and bruised feeling. I find myself hesitant to nurse on that side which I am sure does not help with the blocked ducts. Who do you think I should contact? I find myself regretting breastfeeding at times because of the pain (I literally have to bite my tongue or clench my teeth to keep from crying out in pain), but everything seems fine on the right breast so I really want to resolve the issue and power on. I have included a picture... sorry if it is TMI but I wanted to show just how bad the damage is. Breastfeeding failed with my daughter and sent me deep into depression so I am desperate to keep going which I think is why I have suffered through so far.

Thanks in advance for your replies

Wow - that is some injury!! It looks so painful, you poor thing

So contrary to all advice out there I suggest you keep the crack doused in lansinoh or milk to keep it moist. If you let it dry every time you feed, the suction will rip the top of it off, causing more pain and more bleeding.

It is a strange place for the injury to occur so badly it must be a position problem. Sounds basic but check for his head movement, that he isn't slipping off over the course of the feed or that your arm isn't letting him roll away from you (cradle hold) or that you are not holding his head on the nipple.

Failure to heal may be just that the injury keeps occurring due to the feeding or it may be a circulation problem for that nipple. I am thinking vasospasm. Is your nipple still nice and round when your LO finishes feeding? Is it the same colour it was when you started - i.e. not purple, red or white? Is it sore all the time, sometimes or only when you are feeding?
Vasospasm feels similar to thrush but with no symptoms in LO and the nipple changes over the feeding.

For the blocked ducts and bruised feeling. Take high levels of probiotics and go bra-less if you can. Massage the areola especially before feeding to remove any congestion. The pain in your nipple may also be an infection in the nipple rather than in the breast. It feels like constant pressure in the nipple and then when you latch LO its like being stabbed in the nipple. There are topical creams available if its that. If you leave it, it will basically pop and the infection will spread. ugh.

Sounds like you are doing everything you can do. Well done and best of luck.