I want to put this out there for the other women desperately searching the net for some way to help manage this pain. I was fortunate to have the advice of a friend, a husband who once had his nipples pierced and find a few useful threads online. But I had to pick and choose to see what worked best.
Description:
It began as a sore spot, swollen and red like a zit and located at the base/underside of my nipple. It split into a crack which became infected and spread to about the size of a sesame seed. It was rather deep with yellow, white discharge.
As it closes, swelling has decreased. Skin around the wound is puckered and it sometimes itches. The edges of the wound are scabby. It still looks the same size, but doesn't hurt unless prodded and isn't as deep. I have read these wounds heal from the inside out. It seems to be going that way. Nursing wasn't painful this morning, but uncomfortable still.
Maybe the following will help you:
Salt water soaks after each feed for 10 or more minutes and each time you are in pain.
Salt soaks before feds (if you can manage) to loosen scabs and soften wound
Limit nursing but do not let yourself get engorged. (I dropped to nursing Sage on that side every other feed and now, only when it feels full. Engorgement makes the wound worse. I have been assured I can balance out the milk production between sides after I am healed)
Polysporin put on rarely (helps fight infection but traps moisture)
Air exposure (I have not worn anything over my infected breast for days now)
Things that did not work, but may work for you:
Lanolin: this traps moisture which feeds thrush, so did not let my wound close and created a lot more pain and discharge
Changing nursing position: it just hurt however I nursed her. No exceptions, ever.
An all purpose nipple cream recipe given to me by a lactation consultant:
1 part Bacitracin
1 part Hydrocotisone Cream USP, 1%
1 part an anti-fungal to fight yeast (I used Nystatin for the first couple rounds and Lotromin for the third). You can buy Lotromin at any pharmacy. It is used to treat athlete's foot and jock itch. I used the kind for athlete's foot.
1. Mix roughly equal parts of all three together.
2. rub a pea sized amount onto open wound on nipple
3. apply after each feed
*does not need to be washed off after feed if applied over an hour before hand.
I have read it takes a week to ten days to heal completely. It will be one week for me tomorrow so I'm holding out for that tenth day.
I know so many parents who are hunting for a pediatrician they like. Someone they don't butt heads with.
And the reason I like the one we have--she tells me her medical viewpoint in the royal "we" (WE of the medical community) and then leaves it at that. She either knows better or understands that the parent has the ultimate say.
As far as the royal "we" goes--I mostly follow along with the say-so of the educated medical professionals. I get my babies vaccinated. I listen and value their advice.
But not always--
Mostly, I butt heads with my children's doctor when it comes to breastfeeding. If I have a breastfeeding question I scurrying right into the warm and welcoming arms of the La Leche League. They know boobs. They know all sorts of boobs without shame, hanging out, popped in baby's mouth. And since, not oh so long ago, the medical community was pushing formula--I don't feel entirely supported in breastfeeding regardless of all their "nurse to age one or at least six months or at-least-those-important-first-six-weeks."
They still give you formula.
They still get all frowny about nursing a toddler.
And so when doctors pushed me to put my children on vitamin suppliments, I refused. Breastmilk is enough.
When I was told rice cereal is a good first food, I refused and went with fruits.
When I was told to introduce solids between four to six months, I waited till my children acted ready and then I never worried about it.
Is she eating enough solids?
She'll let me know.
My pediatrician was disapproving. She said Sage should be eating two solid meals a day.
Confession: She usually only eats a bit of this or that and there are days I forget to feed her solids at all.
I was told that my milk supply was capping out. That it could not would not should not be enough for a six month old.
Confession the second: River hardly ever ate solids until he was nine months old. That was when he started to demand solid foods. I defiantly did not stunt his growth by doing what he wanted.
Confession the third: I'm not listening to my Sage's doctor on this one. I think she has no idea what she is talking about.
Because my milk is enough.
Is the best food.
Is made just for her and changes as she grows.
It's what she now prefers.
It's what she needs.
Everything else is just extra, play, experimentation, trial and error.
It's no wonder women don't trust their bodies with the medical community acting all squeamish about boob milk.
I'm a big supporter of the boob as food (when possible). My
only claim to expertise is the horrible pain in my nipples from successfully continuing
to nurse my two year old while I am two months pregnant (and counting). That's
twenty six months total of milk production!
There are a few breastfeeding myths out there that make me
twitchy and I think they stem from a simple lack of knowledge.
Let's be frank, breastfeeding isn't a widely embraced public
practice or social phenomenon. I base that on the scowls, blushes, and shocked
expressions when some boob exposure happened to me at the local Laundromat.
The medical community may now support breastfeeding, but not
too long ago that wasn't the case. My mother was not a breastfeed baby.In those days they gave new mothers bottles
and formula right there in the hospital. My grandmother was so curious about
the hows and whys of boob food that she asked if she could "watch me" with open
curiosity while I breastfed my son.
New mothers, without proper support, are often frustrated with
breastfeeding. There is a negative history towards it. Plus all those nice
clean bottles and containers of formula offer new babies instant and covenant
nutrition.
But here's what you should know before you shut down your
own milk production:
1.My newborn isn't getting enough milk. She's
nursing all the time. I must need to supplement.
FALSE!
First, it takes a few days for your milk to come in. So yes,
your baby needs to nurse very often to take advantage of its first food,
colostrum. Trust me, it's there even if you can't see it. Proof? You can watch
your newborn swallow as he/she nurses. No lie, colostrum is all your newborn
needs over those first few days.
Consider colostrum a super vitamin packed full of nutrition
and immunities to help your baby fight off sickness. It isn't as fat-rich as
milk, but don't worry this is the way it is supposed to be. Boob food is
specially designed by your body for your needy newborn.
Even after your milk does come in (and you will know it
because it hurts like hell), your supply is not fully established. It can takes
a couple weeks for this to happen and supply fluctuates with demand. Reflect
back on your high school economics class for this one. Your baby's demand is
established by nursing. Nursing stimulates milk production which increases your
supply. More tit time equals more milk making. That's it in a nutshell.
When mothers supplement they are taking away crucial
nipple stimulation and thus compromising their supply.
Now some women do have supply issues, but supplementing
should be a last ditch effort. Increasing the types of food you eat and
drinking plenty (and I means gallons upon gallons) of water can help with some supply
issues.
If you must supplement, I suggest consulting a
professional lactation consultant before doing so. It should always be nurse
first and then offer formula. And yes, unfortunately breastfed babies tend to
nurse more often. Breast milk is digested better and thus faster. Sometimes,
like during that first major growth spurt at two/three weeks, you might
experience marathon nursing. Perfectly normal. Keep with it.
Remember, breast milk is the best food for your baby. A good
rule of thumb it to use the best food first.
2.I have no one to help me. I don't know what to
do!
FALSE!
There is help out there! Before shutting down your milk
factory, I strongly suggest visiting your local chapter of the La Leche League(LLL).
The insight of other mothers and a trained professional can help you through
your rough patches. It is also quite the experience to be in a room full of lactating
mothers feeding their infants and toddlers of all ages in completed acceptance
and comfort.
Also, ask your hospital about their lactation consultants.
Most delivery floors have one right there for you to speak too, but sometimes
you do have to ask. In most cases LLL leaders are trained lactation consulates.
The book, "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" is a great
resource to skim through while you are pregnant or to use as a go-to tool for
any questions you might have. It proved a wonderful one for diagnosing myself
with Mastitis (a breast infection) at seven weeks postpartum.
3.I have to breastfeed till my baby reaches
his/her first birthday.
FALSE!
Numbers are estimates. As parents we know our children do
things when they are ready to, not when a sheet of paper or website tells us
them ought to.
The U.S. Medical
community provides a few magic numbers for us to use as a baseline. Try to breastfeed
to at least six weeks. Six months is better. One year is the best.
The World Health Organization recommends 2 years of
breastfeeding. Studies of breastfeeding in more traditional cultures show that
breastfeeding has an range of anywhere from 2.5 through 4.3 years!
So, breastfeed as long as you like. Like most parenting
decisions, you need to do what is best for you and your child regardless of
what society, peers, and family might think of you. Believe me, with a two year
old still nursing and while I am pregnant on top of that (or below technically),
family has been more than a bit incredulous!
Breastfeeding doesn't work for everyone and you really all
do get points for trying or doing what you can. It isn't easy. It's work, sacrifice,
and sometimes pain, but armed with proper knowledge and with support systems in
place more women can and will successfully breastfeed.
Good luck to you and good job to those amazing breasts of
yours!
