Cracks in the nipples during breastfeeding

It's painful, unpleasant and scary - these words should not sound when it comes to breastfeeding! But it is they who most often say the newly-mum, if the nipples suddenly appear cracks.

A lot of young mothers notice the engorgement of their nipples and sometimes even painful sensations during the feeding of the baby and some time after the birth. This is explained by the fact that before the tender skin of the nipples has not been subjected to such a strong mechanical effect. Discomfort is most powerful at the very beginning of lactation and is felt much less after a week after regular application of crumbs to the chest. What are cracks and why are they formed? A crack is a violation of the integrity of the skin on the nipples. It can be formed either on the nipple itself (looks like a shallow cut), or in the place where the nipple passes into the surrounding areola. Sometimes it happens that the crack starts to bleed, and the woman experiences severe pain not only at the beginning, but throughout the whole feeding session. Prevention of the formation of cracks and abrasions of nipples and their timely treatment is a warning of milk stagnation and prevention of mastitis.

Cracks on the nipples are also dangerous because they can penetrate through infection, form candidiasis nipple and even mastitis. Such conditions can cause harm not only to the youngest mother, but also to a child who, with breast milk through wounded nipples, can also catch an infectious disease.

Why are cracks formed

• During breastfeeding, the mother applies the baby incorrectly. The nipple is not designed for strong compression, chewing and other horrors that go with it during feeding. He is only a guide, helping the baby to orient and capture the areola - the parasol. This place should be located in the area of ​​the baby's gums, and it is his baby who squeezes to get milk. With the right attachment to the breast, the tip of the nipple is near the baby's sky, and its lower lip is turned outward. If the nipple penetrates into the mouth of the baby is not deep enough, it remains only in the tongue, and its lower lip easily injures the nipple and areola. When such irritations occur regularly, the skin around the nipple is damaged and there are wounds and cracks.
• Incorrect removal of crumbs from the chest. Often, when a child finishes a breast meal, he can squeeze the nipple with jaws, injuring him. The same happens if a woman for some reason wants to stop feeding and pulls the nipple out of the baby's mouth, and he tries to keep it. If you need to stop feeding before the baby is full, insert your little finger into the corner of the baby's mouth, fix the open jaws and gently remove the nipple.
• Use of bottles for feeding, as well as pacifiers. The mechanism of sucking in using these "substitutes" is completely different, and the baby can put his chest as if he were sucking a bottle. This leads to unpleasant sensations during feeding and can provoke the appearance of cracks.
• A short frenum of the tongue in the child itself. It prevents the toddler from sticking out the tongue during feeding, putting it on the gum and making the right sucking movements.
• Incorrect care of the breast. The most common mistake - too regular washing of the breast with soap, in which the nipple leaves the natural protective film. In addition to moisturizing properties, it also has antibacterial properties, preventing the penetration of harmful nipple bacteria into the nipple.
• A rare change in disposable pacial pads. If you do not change them regularly, they become wet, being a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria, rub and irritate the skin of the nipples.
• Thrush and other dermatological skin diseases areoles and nipples.

Methods for controlling nipple cracks
If the nipples are wounded, the first step is to find out why they appear and eliminate this cause, and only after that apply ointments and agents for healing and repairing damaged skin areas.

Ineffective ways

• Feeding on the clock, as well as reducing the number of feedings and their duration (limiting the time of the baby's stay in the chest 10-15 minutes). The kid has time to get hungry and sucked so tightly to the chest that even more traumatizes the tender skin of the nipples. In addition, a child may not have time to drink from the breast the necessary portion of breast milk and empty the breast completely, which is fraught with the rapid extinction of lactation.
• Use of a bottle for feeding. Mom has to buy additional accessories and express milk from the chest, while the effect of this is not so obvious - decant (whether by hand or with the help of modern breast pumps) also traumatizes the chest and can lead to a decrease in lactation.
• Use of special pads on the nipples. Lining can reduce pain and preserve breastfeeding: they take on the pressure that the nipple carries, if the child is not properly applied. But sucking milk through such an artificial nozzle is much more difficult, and the crumb will continue to suck not as needed. This can lead to the fact that the breast will not be completely emptied of milk, and the baby himself is not good at gaining weight.

Effective methods

• To learn the correct application and weaning of the baby from the chest, and also check the crumbs of the bridle of the tongue.
• As little as possible to use for feeding a baby bottle, and also not get carried away using dummies.
• Ensure proper breast care. It is quite possible to do hygienic washing of the breast (1-2 times a day) without soap. Wear linen from natural fabrics, if possible, do not use breast pads or change them frequently, air your nipples after you feed the baby.
• All ointments and creams can be used only after feeding. In order for cracks to heal faster on the nipples, they can be lubricated with sea buckthorn oil or rosehip oil, aloe juice. Before feeding the baby, rinse all the ingredients from the teats with warm water and rub the breast well.
• Timely treatment of thrush in mother and baby.

When forming cracks on the nipples, it is better not to self-medicate. Do not forget that, nevertheless, the main and often the only cause of the cracks that arise is the incorrect application of crumbs to the chest. Without solving this problem, no drugs will help. A breastfeeding consultant will help you with this. He will also explain how to properly nurse the nipples and skin of the breast. Usually, correcting the application and changing the position of the baby at the breast dramatically reduces the pain sensation, but if the cracks are very deep, sometimes you need to take a break and do not feed the baby with an injured breast from a few hours to 1-2 days. At this time, the mother expresses her hands and feeds the baby with breast milk - preferably from nesosatelnyh objects (drinker, spoon, syringe without a needle).