Cracked nipples during breastfeeding – treatment and prevention

Any healthy woman is endowed with the opportunity to breastfeed her newborn baby. However, it happens that mommy has to give up natural feeding due to various circumstances and transfer the baby to infant formula.

See also: Breastfeeding rules – how to feed a newborn correctly?

Cracked nipples in a nursing mother are considered one of the most common problems in which breastfeeding becomes difficult or even impossible.

The content of the article:

The most common causes of cracked nipples in nursing mothers – how to prevent cracked nipples?

Often, almost all young mothers in the first days after childbirth are worried about painful and uncomfortable sensations when breastfeeding. This is due to the fact that never before has the skin of the nipples been exposed to such an intense effect, and the pain receptors located in it serve as a signal of an increased load.

Similar operating mode becomes habitual for the breast after three to seven days of feeding… However, we note that the soreness of the nipples during feeding should not be associated with the appearance of cracks in the nipples. These are different concepts.

Some of the causes of cracked nipples include:

• Incorrect attachment of the newborn to the breast, or a special shape of the nipples that does not allow the baby to latch on to the breast correctly;
• Impaired skin water and fat balance, which is facilitated by insufficient care of the skin of the nipples, frequent washing of the breasts, the use of breast products that greatly dry out the skin;
• Taking off the breast from the baby before he opened his mouth;
• Fungal infection (thrush) in the mouth of a newborn;
• Lack of vitamins in the female body (hypovitaminosis);
• Wearing non-breathable synthetic underwear, inserting weakly absorbent liners into the bra, which contributes to local overheating of the skin with increased moisture. See also: Bras for nursing mothers – how to choose the right one?

Every mother who breastfeeds her baby must adhere to certain rules that will help her prevent cracked nipples:

• To start feeding, make sure your baby is properly attached to the breast. You should not offer a baby a bottle without special need;
• Stop using an electric breast pump. Do not breastfeed for more than forty minutes;
• Let your skin breathe more often.
• Wear cotton underwear.
• To maintain hygiene, use a pH-neutral soap and no more than twice a day.
• Timely treat thrush in your baby;
• Do not use alcohol-based breast solutions without consulting your doctor.
• When you are indoors, do not wrap your breasts in a downy shawl or wear warm clothes to prevent overheating.
• Use high quality pads (disposable or reusable) that absorb milk; change them as often as possible.

Treatment of cracked nipples – what does medicine offer?

For most women suffering from cracked nipples, the question is brewing – how to cure them while maintaining breastfeeding. First of all, you need to start treatment of cracked nipples with a visit to a gynecologist, which will help to reveal the cause of the disease and prescribe the appropriate drugs.

• Among the most effective and common drugs for nipple cracks, modern medicine prefers ointments and creams, consisting of dexapanthenol…
• Bepanten – anti-cracking cream and ointment, which promotes rapid healing of cracked nipples. The ointment should be applied to the cracks at the end of each feeding.
• Adequate amount of vitamin B is included in the spray Panthenol… The drug is sprayed at the end of each feeding on the breast in the area of ​​cracks at a distance of ten to twenty centimeters.
• Perfectly protect the skin from drying out and make it strong and supple. Lanolin… After each feeding, creams with lanolin should be applied with massaging movements to the affected skin.
• A medicated gel can be used to treat cracked nipples. Kornegregel… It should also be applied to the breast after each feed.
• Ointment See – an effective drug for cracked nipples.
• An excellent healing effect is given by the use of sea ​​buckthorn oils…
• For cases where the cracks are deep, you can use drugs avent, actovegin or solcoseryl…

Cracked nipples and breastfeeding – is it possible to breastfeed with cracked nipples?

In the life of every woman there are few pleasures like feeding a baby, but, unfortunately, it is not at all easy to convince a mother with cracked nipples of this. A woman who has made a firm decision to breastfeed her baby should know that temporary inconvenience – cracks and irritation – a treatable phenomenon… The help of a qualified professional and a positive mothering mind will not take away the joy of feeding!

See also: Up to what age should you breastfeed?

Babies are usually not affected by cracked nipples.… The blood impurity that appears in milk does not pose a danger to the baby, so there is no reason to stop breastfeeding.

However, in order for mom and her baby to enjoy feeding, nipple cracks need to be healed…

• First of all, a mother with cracked nipples should pay attention to correct attachment of the baby to the breast… The baby must be held in such a way that the nipple is in front of his face, he will turn his head and take the breast. When sucking, the baby should capture both the nipple and the areola.
• The healing process for cracked nipples will accelerate use of silicone pads, which help to reduce pain during feeding. The choice of overlays should be based on the size of the chest.
• Women for whom cracked nipples do not cause unbearable pain can use it for feeding pose “from under the arm”…

Either way, moms should remember that cracked nipples are not a reason for completing lactation! The baby really needs breast milk!

The Colady.ru website warns: the information is provided for informational purposes only, and is not a medical recommendation. Do not ignore the advice of a specialist, especially when there are alarming symptoms and problems with breastfeeding!