How to successfully treat wounds and cracks on the nipple
The baby has already practised sucking during pregnancy. It has found its little thumb or hand good. It is therefore not only born with a pronounced sucking reflex, but also with well-trained muscles to get its milk from your breast.
Perhaps you were also surprised by the intense feeling that your baby triggered with its first strong latch on to your breast after birth.
However, babies' first sucking reflex soon wears off. Then the child has to learn how to drink properly from the breast. This is a real challenge for every baby in the first few days. Some learn more quickly. Other babies need more patience. The nipple is stressed to varying degrees by this practice.
Almost all women describe these suckling attempts as painful. This will pass as soon as the baby has grasped the nipple properly. So all you have to do is help your baby to grasp the nipple properly. Then the pain will be gone.
If the skin is damaged by breastfeeding, this is known as sore nipples.
How to recognise sore nipples
You will recognise the danger even before you discover the first symptoms on the skin. This is because latching on remains painful even when your baby's mouth is sucking on the breast. You cannot overlook the injuries to the skin: Reddened, warm and thickened (oedema) areas show that the tissue has been injured in depth. Skin abrasions and tears may bleed temporarily until a bark forms.
If you see purulent or yellow deposits, the wound surface is colonised by germs that you must treat. There is now a risk that your breast will become infected.
This is why nipples become sore
Your baby has not been able to grasp the nipple properly. Or it was unable to suckle using the correct technique. This is why the skin has been damaged. Sore nipples often occur in the first few days. This is because the breast does not have as much milk at the beginning and the milk flow reflex is not yet working properly. The baby therefore often craves food and has to pull hard. During the milk let-down phase, babies are also often less able to grasp the nipple.
Sometimes the frenulum of the baby's tongue or lips is a little short. Particularly in the first few days after the birth, nipples often don't position themselves properly. Both causes often make latching on much more difficult. In this case, nipple shields can be a good aid to make breastfeeding easier. It could also be that germs or a fungus have damaged the skin.
What you can do against sore nipples
The right technique
Look at what the cause is. If you remedy this, the nipples will heal quickly. You do not have to stop breastfeeding because of this. If the baby swallows some blood, it will spit it out again. He will not like it. You cannot harm the baby with this.
Make sure that you get into a comfortable position first. It is particularly important that you can be as relaxed as possible now. Position your child so that their mouth can reach the level of the nipple. This works just as well sitting down as lying down. Give your child a drinking position in which their body is not rotated. This is because it can swallow better if its face is not turned to the side.
Wait until the baby opens its mouth. You can also lure it with the nipple on its lip. Then bring the baby to the breast. It will then suck in the nipple until its mouth covers the areola. Its lips are curved outwards. And then it will massage the milk out of your breast with vigorous sucking movements.
If you hear clicking noises, the baby is hitting the roof of its mouth with its tongue. This means that the nipple is not far enough in his mouth. This is not a good technique. This is because the baby is not getting enough milk and the clicking will damage your nipple. So carefully release the vacuum that has formed. This is very easy to do if you carefully push your little finger into the corner of your baby's mouth. Then let go and you can feed your baby again. This is worthwhile. Because it's not breastfeeding that injures the nipple, but the wrong technique.
As long as your baby has not yet mastered the right way to drink, you should definitely do without a dummy. This is because it uses a different technique to soothe itself. This is good for the dummy. But it damages your skin when breastfeeding. The soother is definitely not recommended during this time. none suitable means to make your baby happy.
Good care
The nipples heal with "moist care". This means that no plasters or dry compresses need to be applied to the wound. You can help the wound to heal after breastfeeding by applying either breast milk or Lanolin* on your nipple. Both work equally well. Just use whichever is most comfortable for you. Creams that contain paraffin oils, i.e. synthetic oils, should not be used for nipple care. not use. Because the baby will always eat some of it. Paraffin oils are unhealthy for your baby.
If you have an allergy to lanolin and breast milk does not help sufficiently, you can also place boiled tea bags with sage tea on the breast from time to time. But don't leave them on for too long. A few minutes are enough to achieve the desired effect. If you leave the bags on for longer, your skin will become dry and brittle. The wounds are then closed. But this skin will tear again all the more quickly. Alternating the treatment between tea bags and breast milk is particularly suitable for mothers who have developed an allergy to lanolin.
Pus or yellowish deposits are a sign of a real infection. You should show these to your midwife or doctor. This is because you may need an antibiotic or an antifungal agent (antifungal).
If you massage and warm the breast before breastfeeding, you will stimulate a good milk reflex. This is also gentle on the nipple. Because your baby then has to suck less strongly.
In this situation, many women resort to a Nursing cap*. This helps some babies to grasp the nipple more easily. You do not need them for the actual healing of the wounds. They help to eliminate the cause. However, the nipple shield only works if you use the right size. It must fit you. If it is too small, the nipple will be squeezed. This makes the cracks even worse.
If the nipples are not only sore, but also feel hot and painful, they could be cooling compresses* help. They alleviate discomfort and support wound healing.
