Hi ladies. I first want to say how I've appreciated all the help I've received here. That said, after seeing how some requests turn us against each other, I'm respectfully asking that only those with helpful advice answer this because I'm comfortable with my decision as a mom related to this subject and don't want to feel attacked by someone with a different opinion than I have. None of us need that stress. We should be supportive of and encouraging to each other.
Now on to my request.
A few nights ago as my son was drifting off to sleep while nursing, he happened to clamp his jaws down. He's done that only a few other times and I usually only receive a nip because I use my finger to release his latch when I first sense a change in his mouth movement. The other night caught me by suprise. I didn't realize until I got into the shower later that he had actually broken skin and I was bleeding slightly. Knowing the healing properties of breasmilk, I've used a bit of that every time we finish a nursing session to help it heal quickly, which it has. My only lingering issue is that that nipple is still unbearably sore when he nurses on that side. I'm guessing that he must have bruised the tissue although I can't see a bruise. My milk has never let down quickly but it takes even longer when I'm tense. My natural reaction to the pain is that my body tenses up a bit. I've tried putting ice on that one before he nurses and frankly neither of us like the boob-sicle effect so that doesn't work for us. I'm trying to do slow breathing exercises until the pain subsides a bit but that only works after a few minutes.
What have other mom's in this situation done to cope with the discomfort (besides weaning of course)? How long does pain from an injury like that it last?
Thanks......in advance......for your encouraging and supportive responses.
S.
Hey, I just wanted to thankyou for asking the question, I had a similar situation this week, and have been breathing deeply and trying to deal with the situation. I don't pump, so I'm going to try the lanolin, someone suggested. Thanks again for reading my mind, and everyone for their responses.
Hello S.. I know your pain all too well. Unfortunatly for me I never grasped the knowledge to know before she would bite me. I didn't know that part of my body would actually bleed until I nursed. I used the (I believe this was the name) Lamisil cream that came with the breast pads to help ease the pain, but you must fully cleanse your breast prior to nursing. Also, I used the breast shield, but my baby was use to it. You can stop by your local hospital and pick one up in the maternity ward (I made the trip a few times in the middle of the night). The breast shield didn't stop the pain, but it did PREVENT the bites. Since your baby is 11 months old now, (If it were me personally) I would squeeze his cheecks together right at the jaw when he bites in the future. I would squeeze enough to get him to let go and to teach him that it is not okay to bite along with the "don't bite momie" or I would take my breast away from him for a few minutes. Hope that helps!
I've not had your situation, but would recommend contacting a lactation consultant for help. I live in Columbus, and there is a free lactation consultant hotline through Ohio Heath (Riverside hosp and Blackwell center). No need to continue suffering through this!
D.
I don't know if it would help for this type of bruiseing, but we use arnica gel--which is a homeopathic product--for all types of bruises and it is a miracle worker! you would of course have to wash your nipple well before nursing--or nurse on the ok side and gently hand express on the bruised side until it is less painful. I always found hand expressing to be the least painful--but maybe there are better pumps today(my "baby" is 20 yrs old)
This happened to me a few years ago when I was nursing my now almost three year old. The only thing that worked for me was to call my ob/gyn and get on an antibiotic to heal the sore. It took some coaxing, but they agreed and I was fine withing a day, I urge you to call the doctor.
It will take some time to heal, but you will. You have a few options here. You can 'suffer' through it using your deep breathing exercises that you mentioned. You can hand express or pump (though pumping might irritate it just as much as nursing would) while he is eating from the other side and then feed him the expressed milk from a bottle or supplemental nursing system (so that he receives as much breastmilk as he normally would but only at the one breast). You can try using a nipple shield so that your nipple isn't coming in direct contact with his mouth (though this might not work either). You can also talk with a lactation consultant or La Leche League leader. I'm sure there are lots of tips they could provide you with since I'm pretty sure this is a fairly common thing to have happen.
If this happens again in the future, I have a suggestion for you. It may sound mean or something, but it isn't. When my son bites down, I pinch his nose. It forces him to let go in order to take a breath. It doesn't bother him at all. In fact, he gets a really funny look on his face like "Hey, what was that all about, mama?"
Oh, one last thing I thought of is to maybe use some lanolin cream where he broke your skin. Something like Lansinoh (spelling) would work. But, if it's a bruise, it could take several days to heal completely.
Only thing I can think of is pump and let him only have one breast until you are fully healed. If it is a bruise beneath the skin then I would estimate a week to heal.
Hope this helps.
First- good for you for breastfeeding!! We mommies do need all the encouragement we can get! My oldest was a biter too, I had one time like your experience although not quite as bad. I held a warm wash cloth on that side while he nursed on the other. It helps it to not get engorged and is soothing. Also a little ice or warm cloth than pump. If it keeps being sore for more than a week i would call the dr though. good luck
If he'll take a bottle, could you pump that side until it's healed? If you're bruised, I don't know that you can spead the recovery time up. I remember the unbearable pain I felt when I first started nursing my dd. I would clench the couch and cry until the pain eased. Of course it went away in a couple weeks, but that pain wasn't from bruising. Would a nipple shield work? That might reduce the risk of breaking the skin again too.
S.,
Good for you for nursing and even through this occasional biting. My oldest was a biter (now almost 6) and I nursed him until he was two. I love the benefits of extended nursing, even with it's challenges. When my son would bite, I would say "no biting mommy", and pull him of that breast. He could nurse on the other side in a minute or two , but if he bit that one too, we were done for a bit. I would explain that it hurts when you bite mommy's nurs ( what my son called them) and they need to rest.
As far as dealing with the pain. Lansinoh is amazing. I applied it after every nursing session and I healed very quickly. I would also reccommend warm compresses before nursing to help with let down.
You could also try nursing him in slightly different positions on that side, such as the football hold. You may have to be on a bed or the floor to do this position with a toddler, but I've seen it done! A different position may help to not put as much pressure on the bruised area.
If you can go to a local La Leche League meeting, you would get alot of support and great ideas there. They helped me with so many tough times and I know I would have not nursed as long without their support. I might have been tempted to listen to those people who told me to quit nursing when he bit me! You can go to www.lalecheleague.org to find a meeting in your area.
Good luck!
M. S.
