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Exclusively pumping and incredibly SORE nipples - help!
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Anonymous
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I am exclusively pumping b/c my baby would not latch on. I pump 6 to 8 times a day and my nipples are SOOOOO sore. They are cracked and raw (though not bleeding) and incredibly sensitive to the touch. I use lanolin on them each time after I pump and I also have some herbal cream made from olive oil that I use sometimes too. Why are my nipples so sore? I think my pump flanges may be a little too tight and I need to get larger ones. Is this pain going to go away? I am afraid if it doesn't or if it gets any worse, I will have to stop pumping b/c the pain is intense. Someone help!!!
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Anonymous
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DEFINITELY need larger pump flanges. This happened to me too and when I switched to the larger flanges it made all the difference. I also started trying to latch baby on as he got bigger and by 6 weeks old he got better on his latch and I could stop pumping so often. I did continue to pump 2x per day until 6 months.
Best of luck! |
Anonymous
| Definitely, definitely try larger pump flanges! Seriously, go to Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby this morning and get some. Also try lubing up with olive oil while you pump. |
Anonymous
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I also EP'd and had the opposite problem- I was using flanges that were too big, not too small. This resulted in the flange pulling too much of my nipple/areola in, making them extremely painful. Once I corrected it, the pain really lessened and then eventually went away completely. An LC had initially looked at what I was using and said it was fine but then I read my pump manual and they had an illustration that made it look like I needed a bigger size. Whoops.
Good luck- I EP'd for close to a year and it does get a lot better. |
Anonymous
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thanks...an LC gave me these flanges in the hospital but I think they are not the correct size. How are they supposed to fit exactly? this is going to sound weird but I have really flat nipples, so it's really hard to tell the difference between the aerola and the nipple part. This is why my baby never latched - flat nipples. So I see on the manual that your nipple is not supposed to touch the sides of the flange when pumping. Is that correct? My nipple are also getting kind of a white-ish dead skin layer on them.
When you say lube up with olive oil before pumping, do u mean the whole boob or just the nipple? |
Anonymous
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7:24 here. That's the same thing I read in my manual (re: nipple not touching the sides) and that's why I sized up, much to my detriment. My nipples touched the sides but tapered off at the end, if that makes sense, when I was fitted correctly. Is there any way you can go back to an LC for another check?
Also, I've always heard to coat the flange with olive oil, not your boob, but I could be wrong. |
Anonymous
| Sounds like good advice you're getting re: flange size. I thought I'd also share a tip from my midwife for sore/cracked nipples. I've tried pretty much everything, but her tip worked best for me: after pumping or feeding, express a few drops of milk from each side and rub into your nipple, dry by blowing low heat from your hair dryer back and forth. Works wonders to heal and toughen things up. |
Anonymous
That is how mine fits, too. I had some discomfort in the beginning and tried going up a size, but the bigger flanges were obviously too big because I couldn't even get suction. I think you'll be able to tell whether it's better or worse when you try the larger size. I have the whitish dead skin layer, too. I think that's normal if you're EPing. For the olive oil, put a couple of drops on the flange. You don't need much at all. |
Anonymous
I was told this too. I rubbed a couple of drops onto my nipples and then let them air dry for a few minutes while I got things cleaned up. As for the flange size, you could try a few different sizes. I EP and I used the size that was technically 'correct' and was really sore so I sized up (actually I had at least one flange in all the sizes!) for a day or so which gave my nipples a chance to heal and then I'd go back to the original size. I also used the Medela soft fit flanges which I thought were much gentler. |
Anonymous
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What is your suction and cycle speed???
You might want to adjust that and, as PPs noted, the correct fitting. Pumping should not be painful. |
Anonymous
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I EP'd for 10 months and there were a few weeks in there where I thought they would fall off from the pain. My tips:
1. As mentioned above, get a proper-fitting fallange. Go to an LC, if needed. Also, the correct size will change over time, especially after a few months (my nipples shrank back to normal size, thank god). I kid you not, I started at the XXL size and I was only a 36D post-birth (only! ha ha). They only give you the M size at the hospital - WAY too small for most post-birth boobs. 2. Have your OB write a prescription for Dr. Jack Newman Nipple Cream. I got my first batch at the Breastfeeding Center of DC, but after that I needed a prescription. You have to get it filled at a compounding pharmacy (not your regular CVS) but it is worth its weight in gold. Lanolin does nothing. This actually heals the raw, oozing nips and includes some pain relief as well. See http://www.drjacknewman.com/help/Candida-Protocol.asp 3. Turn the pump down to a medium level and pump longer. Start on the lowest possible setting and increase to medium (or wherever you feel comfortable) after your nipples warm up. I couldn't work up to the max level for months. The maximum level will really suck the life out of your poor boobs. 4. The whitish flaking, scabby stuff was normal (for me, at least). It's not pretty, but I guess it's like a callus to protect the sensitive skin. Eventually, it went away a month or two after I stopped pumping. 5. If you can't take it, drop a pumping session. Every time I reached my breaking point, I dropped a session and was infinitely happier. Yes, my output went down and I started supplementing with formula, but my baby still got plenty of breast milk per day and I was a happier and less sore mama. A little bit of formula mixed into a breastmilk bottle is not going to hurt anyone. I promise. Most importantly, don't be too hard on yourself. Pumping is really really TOUGH. A little milk is better than nothing at all - don't think you have to give 100% BM at the expense of your nipples falling off. Good luck. Honestly, I know the pain and it's really tough. Hang in there! |
Anonymous
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I was in bits until I figured out I was starting on MAX speed and suction. I then began to start the pump at LOW speed and suction and slowly as my milk started to come, I upped it to MAX. The pain went away almost immdediately. I am now an exclusive pumper for 6 months and no problems since I realised that!
Good Luck! |
Anonymous
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OP, I too had flat nipples so I EP'd for the first 6 weeks - if you haven't already, get thee to an LC! (Not the hospital one, I found mine there useless). I was totally sore, depressed, and almost ready to throw in the towel when Josie out in Fairfax introduced me to a nipple shield - a $4 miracle that made nursing possible.
Playing with the flange size and pumping speed will also help (I pumped several times a day even after we figured out nursing, because I went back to work). |
Anonymous
| hi all, I found out I have a yeast infection on my nipples and I also had flanges that were too small. Now I am in horrible pain b/c of the yeast. |
Anonymous
I posted earlier. I went through about 1 month of horrible thrush (and a concurrent vaginal yeast infection- good times, good times) and went through various rounds of Nystatin and Diflucan. Nothing really worked until I did a combo of gentian violet and my own concoction of hydrocortisone, bacitracin, and basically what was jock itch cream. |