Post by rjsbailey on Oct 15, 2008 9:25:18 GMT -5
This information was taken from BabyCenter.com
Is it normal for my nipples to be sore from breastfeeding?
Sore nipples are so common to new breastfeeding moms that you may think they're a normal part of nursing and you just have to put up with them. Not so.
What is normal is an initial pain or tenderness that lasts for a few seconds when the baby first attaches to the breast. What's not normal — or necessary — is pain that lasts throughout most or all of the entire feeding. Many women have stopped nursing their babies long before they intended to because of sore nipples, when often just a bit of tweaking would have kept them nursing comfortably.
What causes the soreness?
The most common cause of pain during breastfeeding is incorrect positioning or latch, says Jan Barger, an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). Most often when this happens, the baby isn't taking a large enough mouthful of breast tissue. You want him to get well back on the brown area of the breast known as the areola. If you notice that your nipple is shaped like a new tube of lipstick, or if you see a stripe running down the middle of your nipple, it means your baby needs to take in more of the areola.
One way to help your baby do that is to make sure that he's ready to nurse — that he's rooting and looking for your breast — before you begin nursing. When your baby is rooting, he opens his mouth wide, so it's easy to guide his mouth onto your breast.
Here's how: Supporting the back of your baby's head with your dominant hand (right hand if you're right-handed, left hand if you're left-handed), point your nipple to the space between your baby's nose and upper lip. When your baby opens wide (like a yawn), you can gently roll him onto the breast, lower lip first, then upper lip.
When you're in the hospital, don't hesitate to ask for help from a lactation consultant or a knowledgeable nurse to make sure that you have your baby positioned and latched well on your breast. This is especially important if you're experiencing soreness that lasts beyond just the few seconds of latch pain.
Here are a few other problems that can cause nipple soreness:
• Your baby is tongue-tied. This isn't very common, but if your baby has a piece of skin (it's called the frenulum) tethering his tongue to the floor of his mouth, he won't be able to move his tongue well enough to cover his lower gum line. When that happens, you may feel as if your baby is biting when he nurses.
If you think your baby may be tongue-tied, have a doctor check to see if the frenulum needs to be clipped. The procedure doesn't cause much pain, even though it's done without anesthesia, and takes only a couple of seconds.
• You have a yeast infection, also called thrush. Your nipples will be red, chafed, and burning. You might see white patches in your baby's mouth — not just on his tongue, but also on the insides of the cheeks and gums. (You can still have a yeast infection even if you don't detect any of these white patches.) If you think you might have a yeast infection, contact your baby's doctor, your doctor, and a lactation consultant for evaluation and treatment.
• Your baby is "hanging out" at your breast. Another cause of sore nipples early on is letting your baby stay on your breast for too long in the first two or three days. "Let your baby stay there as long as he is nutritively sucking," says Barger. When his eyes close, and the pauses are getting longer and longer, take him off and move him to the other side.
"Hanging out" can cause tiny blisters on the end of the nipple. These blisters may break and even bleed. While they may be uncomfortable at first, they'll scab over and disappear, and you'll never see them again.
There are some other, very uncommon reasons for sore nipples. The best thing to do if your nipples are sore throughout your baby's feeding — and it goes on for longer than 24 hours — is to contact a lactation consultant. Often she'll be able to point out something you didn't notice.
How can I prevent nipple soreness?
Barger suggests these preventative measures:
• Don't try to put your breast into your baby's mouth, and don't let your baby suck up your nipple like a piece of spaghetti. Instead, wait until he opens his mouth wide, and then gently pull his head to your breast.
• Position your baby so that his body is turned toward your body and he doesn't have to turn his head to grasp your breast.
• Make sure you're sitting in a comfortable position. Sometimes nursing while sitting on the bed instead of in a chair places your breasts in an awkward position and can make good positioning of your baby more difficult. Try a variety of nursing positions, too; you may find one that feels more comfortable than others. See our illustrated article, How Do I Hold Thee? Positions and Tips for Making Breastfeeding Work.
• Try using a pillow to support your arms while you're supporting your baby.
• Support your breast with your free hand. Sometimes babies will really clamp down on their mom's breast if they think they're going to lose it!
• Make sure your baby's body is firmly supported around your body so that he can concentrate on latching rather than having to worry about the rest of his body dangling.
• Don't pull your baby off the breast — always break his suction by placing your finger in the corner of his mouth before removing him from your nipple.
• If the pain lasts more than about 15 seconds, break the suction carefully and start again.
• Stimulate your letdown with gentle breast massage or hand expression of a little milk before feeding your baby. This will make him swallow more often, giving you more frequent breaks from his sucking.
• Nurse your baby on the least sore side first.
• Don't wait for your baby to cry. Feed him when he starts rooting toward your breast.
• Wear breathable, natural fabrics and avoid plastic liners in nursing pads.
How can I help my nipples heal?
• Try wearing breast shells inside your bra between feedings. These allow the air to circulate around your nipples and keep the fabric of your bra from rubbing against your nipples.
• Put some expressed breast milk (which is very healing) on your nipples and allow it to dry. Or try putting a small amount of pure lanolin (like Pur-lan or Lansinoh) on your nipples after each feeding.
• Saline soaks can be healing, too. Simply combine 1/4 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm water and apply to your breasts with cosmetic pads for ten minutes or so three or four times a day.
• Some mothers like hydrogel dressings, which you can get from your hospital or lactation consultant. These water- or glycerin-based dressings provide moisture and protection, and some moms find their cool temperature soothing.
• Ask your doctor about using pain medication if you need to. Most likely whatever over-the-counter pain medication you were given in the hospital after your delivery will work just fine.
• If your nipples are cracked and stay cracked despite making sure that your baby is latching correctly, talk with your healthcare provider about the possibility of using an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment. You may have a slight infection in the nipples that's preventing healing.
Can I still nurse?
Absolutely. But don't suffer; remember that you don't have to experience this pain. Get help as soon as possible from a lactation consultant so that you can fix what's wrong.
If your nipples are so painful that you simply dread putting your baby to your breast, consider taking a short break by pumping for feedings for 12 to 24 hours. Make sure you use a hospital-grade pump on a minimal setting — don't rush straight to maximum — with flanges that fit your nipples. Some moms get sore from pumping by using the wrong kind of pump or flanges that are too small.
Put a little olive oil on your nipples and areola before pumping — this will help the nipples glide with the pump more easily, and it's healing, too.
Is it normal for my nipples to be sore from breastfeeding?
Sore nipples are so common to new breastfeeding moms that you may think they're a normal part of nursing and you just have to put up with them. Not so.
What is normal is an initial pain or tenderness that lasts for a few seconds when the baby first attaches to the breast. What's not normal — or necessary — is pain that lasts throughout most or all of the entire feeding. Many women have stopped nursing their babies long before they intended to because of sore nipples, when often just a bit of tweaking would have kept them nursing comfortably.
What causes the soreness?
The most common cause of pain during breastfeeding is incorrect positioning or latch, says Jan Barger, an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). Most often when this happens, the baby isn't taking a large enough mouthful of breast tissue. You want him to get well back on the brown area of the breast known as the areola. If you notice that your nipple is shaped like a new tube of lipstick, or if you see a stripe running down the middle of your nipple, it means your baby needs to take in more of the areola.
One way to help your baby do that is to make sure that he's ready to nurse — that he's rooting and looking for your breast — before you begin nursing. When your baby is rooting, he opens his mouth wide, so it's easy to guide his mouth onto your breast.
Here's how: Supporting the back of your baby's head with your dominant hand (right hand if you're right-handed, left hand if you're left-handed), point your nipple to the space between your baby's nose and upper lip. When your baby opens wide (like a yawn), you can gently roll him onto the breast, lower lip first, then upper lip.
When you're in the hospital, don't hesitate to ask for help from a lactation consultant or a knowledgeable nurse to make sure that you have your baby positioned and latched well on your breast. This is especially important if you're experiencing soreness that lasts beyond just the few seconds of latch pain.
Here are a few other problems that can cause nipple soreness:
• Your baby is tongue-tied. This isn't very common, but if your baby has a piece of skin (it's called the frenulum) tethering his tongue to the floor of his mouth, he won't be able to move his tongue well enough to cover his lower gum line. When that happens, you may feel as if your baby is biting when he nurses.
If you think your baby may be tongue-tied, have a doctor check to see if the frenulum needs to be clipped. The procedure doesn't cause much pain, even though it's done without anesthesia, and takes only a couple of seconds.
• You have a yeast infection, also called thrush. Your nipples will be red, chafed, and burning. You might see white patches in your baby's mouth — not just on his tongue, but also on the insides of the cheeks and gums. (You can still have a yeast infection even if you don't detect any of these white patches.) If you think you might have a yeast infection, contact your baby's doctor, your doctor, and a lactation consultant for evaluation and treatment.
• Your baby is "hanging out" at your breast. Another cause of sore nipples early on is letting your baby stay on your breast for too long in the first two or three days. "Let your baby stay there as long as he is nutritively sucking," says Barger. When his eyes close, and the pauses are getting longer and longer, take him off and move him to the other side.
"Hanging out" can cause tiny blisters on the end of the nipple. These blisters may break and even bleed. While they may be uncomfortable at first, they'll scab over and disappear, and you'll never see them again.
There are some other, very uncommon reasons for sore nipples. The best thing to do if your nipples are sore throughout your baby's feeding — and it goes on for longer than 24 hours — is to contact a lactation consultant. Often she'll be able to point out something you didn't notice.
How can I prevent nipple soreness?
Barger suggests these preventative measures:
• Don't try to put your breast into your baby's mouth, and don't let your baby suck up your nipple like a piece of spaghetti. Instead, wait until he opens his mouth wide, and then gently pull his head to your breast.
• Position your baby so that his body is turned toward your body and he doesn't have to turn his head to grasp your breast.
• Make sure you're sitting in a comfortable position. Sometimes nursing while sitting on the bed instead of in a chair places your breasts in an awkward position and can make good positioning of your baby more difficult. Try a variety of nursing positions, too; you may find one that feels more comfortable than others. See our illustrated article, How Do I Hold Thee? Positions and Tips for Making Breastfeeding Work.
• Try using a pillow to support your arms while you're supporting your baby.
• Support your breast with your free hand. Sometimes babies will really clamp down on their mom's breast if they think they're going to lose it!
• Make sure your baby's body is firmly supported around your body so that he can concentrate on latching rather than having to worry about the rest of his body dangling.
• Don't pull your baby off the breast — always break his suction by placing your finger in the corner of his mouth before removing him from your nipple.
• If the pain lasts more than about 15 seconds, break the suction carefully and start again.
• Stimulate your letdown with gentle breast massage or hand expression of a little milk before feeding your baby. This will make him swallow more often, giving you more frequent breaks from his sucking.
• Nurse your baby on the least sore side first.
• Don't wait for your baby to cry. Feed him when he starts rooting toward your breast.
• Wear breathable, natural fabrics and avoid plastic liners in nursing pads.
How can I help my nipples heal?
• Try wearing breast shells inside your bra between feedings. These allow the air to circulate around your nipples and keep the fabric of your bra from rubbing against your nipples.
• Put some expressed breast milk (which is very healing) on your nipples and allow it to dry. Or try putting a small amount of pure lanolin (like Pur-lan or Lansinoh) on your nipples after each feeding.
• Saline soaks can be healing, too. Simply combine 1/4 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm water and apply to your breasts with cosmetic pads for ten minutes or so three or four times a day.
• Some mothers like hydrogel dressings, which you can get from your hospital or lactation consultant. These water- or glycerin-based dressings provide moisture and protection, and some moms find their cool temperature soothing.
• Ask your doctor about using pain medication if you need to. Most likely whatever over-the-counter pain medication you were given in the hospital after your delivery will work just fine.
• If your nipples are cracked and stay cracked despite making sure that your baby is latching correctly, talk with your healthcare provider about the possibility of using an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment. You may have a slight infection in the nipples that's preventing healing.
Can I still nurse?
Absolutely. But don't suffer; remember that you don't have to experience this pain. Get help as soon as possible from a lactation consultant so that you can fix what's wrong.
If your nipples are so painful that you simply dread putting your baby to your breast, consider taking a short break by pumping for feedings for 12 to 24 hours. Make sure you use a hospital-grade pump on a minimal setting — don't rush straight to maximum — with flanges that fit your nipples. Some moms get sore from pumping by using the wrong kind of pump or flanges that are too small.
Put a little olive oil on your nipples and areola before pumping — this will help the nipples glide with the pump more easily, and it's healing, too.