Nobody wants to talk about it, BUT WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT!
Breastfeeding is hard work, and harder work for some than others. For me, breastfeeding my son was pretty easy breezy, aside from a milk supply issue I was having due to some pretty stressful events the first year of his life. With my daughter, I figured I wouldn’t have any problems since I didn’t have nearly the amount of stress I had before.
There was one thing that I didn’t count on though… my daughter had a rather… aggressive latch. Like seriously, my beautiful daughter was like a rabid squirrel on my nipple. Between that and the cluster feeding the first few days, it didn’t take long before my nipples were not only sore, but they were cracked open and bleeding. I had never even heard of this before!
I literally screamed out in pain every time my daughter would latch on. “I can’t do this” I thought. I literally bawled because I wasn’t going to be able to breastfeed my bundle of joy. “Why couldn’t I have tougher nipple skin!” I thought. I quickly realized that THAT was definitely not what I wanted! 🙂
I wasn’t going to give up thought. If I can just get them to heal, all of this liquid gold is for the taking… painlessly. After lots of research, and trial and error, doing these 5 tips helped my sore, cracked, and bleeding nipples start to heal within 24 hours, scab over in 3 days, and completely heal in 1 week!
-Breastmilk-
After each feeding or pumping session, I would take the breastmilk “residue” on my nipples and allow it to air dry BEFORE continuing on with any next steps or putting my bra back on. Much to my surpise, breastmilk is actually known for its ability to not only fight infection, but heal wounds (source) Google it ladies…
–Lanolin–
After letting the breastmilk dry, I would apply lanolin liberally to each nipple. This helped the skin heal, and also created a barrier to reduce any friction from my nipples rubbing against my bra.
-Salt Water Soak-
This was by far the most crucial step in the healing process. Two times a day (once during the day and once at night) I would take about 1tbsp of salt and mix it with about 4-6oz of warm water in a small Tupperware bowl. I would then go to my bathroom topless and dangle my nipple into the salt water solution.
Note: THIS WILL BE AWKWARD… and possibly a bit messy until you get the hang of it.
The first time I did this, there was a bit of a burning sensation, but nothing too uncomfortable that I needed to stop (I also have a rather high pain tolerance I’ve learned). That being said, you may need to adjust the salt to water ratio if you find that the 1tbsp to 6oz is too concentrated. But whatever you do, DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
I soaked each nipple for about 5 minutes and allowed it to air dry before applying lanolin, and putting back on my bra. Within 24 hours I had scabs on my nipples! which sounds disgusting, but it’s exactly what you want. It means there’s some healing going on!
-Pump on the More Injured Nipple, and Feed on the Other-
When your nipples are this damaged, you really don’t want anything near them. But unless you want a hungry baby and engorged breast (which can turn into a whole other set of problems; from infection, to a diminished milk supply), something’s gotta give!
I found that one of my nipples as particularly more damaged than the other, and it was less painful to have her feed on the opposite side. I decided to let her feed exclusively on the less damaged side and I would pump the more mangled nipple. This allowed me to be a bit more gentle with my distressed skin, as I could control the suction and the length of time that something was “tugging” at my nip.
I also wasn’t diminishing my milk supply. While there was still some discomfort it was far less than what my little one would have caused. Considering my daughter already was very “aggressive” with her latch game, she would also like to stop nursing and then RELATCH… to top it all off she also would clamp down and pull back on what was once a nipple. Ummmmm NO! Breast pump please!
-Don’t Pick the Scab!-
Scabby nipples??? I know, gross. But seriously, if you have reached the point were your nipples are scabbing over, REJOICE! This means that they are starting to heal. If you are completely grossed out (or just a picker like me), it’s very tempting to peel those scabs off. DON’T!
Just Like with any other scab, you don’t want to pick it because your body is working to repair the trauma that is underneath. It needs that protective barrier to keep out unwanted debris and bacteria. Once the wound has healed, the scab will come off on its own. I found that after nursing, pumping, or a long shower, the scab kind of just slid off revealing brand new skin, WOOHOO!
Conclusion
Breastfeeding is hard on a mama, but it’s worth it. Bloody nipples and all…
Have you ever experienced cracked and bleeding nipples? How did you heal your traumatized skin?
