Mother nature endowed any he althy woman with the ability to breastfeed her newborn son or daughter. However, due to various circumstances, mothers sometimes have to transfer the child to dry mixes. One of these situations is if the nipples are cracked after applying the baby to the breast. This kind of mechanical damage is not so rare and can occur even on the very first day of breastfeeding
However, the seriousness of this phenomenon should not be underestimated, it is necessary to understand its causes. After all, this can negatively affect the very process of breastfeeding.
Classification of mechanical damage
To determine the treatment regimen for cracked nipples, it is worth considering their nature. Basedthis, several types of damage can be distinguished:
- by quantity - multiple cracks or separately located;
- according to the degree of damage - superficial or deep;
- according to localization - on one nipple or on both.
When touching the nipple, the pain intensifies. As a result, the woman begins to think about stopping breastfeeding, since its continuation is no longer possible. However, you should never do this, but more on that later.
Detecting a crack is not difficult - visually, it looks like a small incision emanating from the nipple itself up to the contour. In this case, an important point should be taken into account - untreated injuries can lead to the development of mastitis.
Why do cracked nipples appear?
What is the provoking factor that cracked nipples after feeding? What measures should be taken in such a case? How to treat such damage? Questions of this kind and many others haunt many breastfeeding mothers. And what exactly is causing this phenomenon? There are good reasons for this, and often the reasons are combined, which further aggravates the situation of women. Let's look at a few examples.
Wrong capture method
Many breastfeeding mothers believe that the baby is able to breastfeed on their own, relying on their instincts. This assumption is partly true, but only partly. Yes, indeed, nature has provided us with a sucking reflex from the moment we were born in the womb.mother. And even while there, each of us stuck to the finger, then to the umbilical cord.
At the same time, immediately after birth, when the baby receives the breast, the mother still does not understand what exactly he should do with it. Therefore, cracks may appear due to its “wrong behavior”. A number of characteristic signs may indicate this:
- Feeling pain when sucking.
- The baby holds only the nipple with his lips, while he himself is at some distance from the breast.
- The areola of the nipple stays out of the baby's mouth.
In other words, don't be surprised when a breastfeeding woman's nipples crack due to an improper grip. And the longer the mother will endure pain while feeding the child, the more serious the consequences. It is necessary to change the capture technique, and the correct way will make itself felt by the following manifestations:
- child turned to woman entirely;
- baby tilted his head back a little;
- the mouth is open wide, while covering both the nipple and the areola with the lower sponge;
- the baby's upper lip does not reach the edge of the areola, although a significant part of it is in his mouth;
- chin pulled close to chest;
- baby makes smooth, slow and deep sucking movements, and you can hear how he swallows.
If a mother feels pain while feeding her baby, she should carefully remove the nipple to ensure a proper latch. To do this, the chest should be invested in a wide-open mouth. If the child is notopens, it is worth leading the nipple along the lower lip.
Features of improper breast care
Many maternity hospitals recommend that women wash their breasts before each feeding session with soap or alcohol solutions. However, too frequent procedures are not exactly the wrong measure, but rather, even dangerous. And the point here is not only that the nipple cracked during breastfeeding. On the surface of the skin of this important external organ, there are pores that produce a special fatty lubricant.
Thanks to this, a barrier is created against external influences, including the development of pathogenic microflora. If this “film” is washed off regularly, women risk depriving their body of its natural defense mechanism.
Proper care for your own breasts (as well as for the whole body) during lactation comes down to performing normal hygiene procedures. To maintain perfect cleanliness, a single daily shower is sufficient. Using soap or alcohol to frequently wash your breasts is even contraindicated!
Infectious cause
In fact, this is a complication of existing cracks due to improper breast capture by a child or violation of elementary rules for skin care. Infection prevents wounds from healing, the skin looks red and swollen, and light touch causes pain.
Infection occurs as a result of bacteria (staphylococcus) or fungi (thrush) entering the forming wound. Moreover, these microorganisms live directly on our skin, forming itsurface microflora. Normally, they do not pose a threat, but when it is found that the nipple is cracked on the chest, this indicates their active reproduction. Usually this happens with the onset of a favorable moment:
- Violation of the integrity of the skin surface - wounds, abrasions.
- Synthetic bra that prevents normal air circulation.
- Excessive use of breast pads, resulting in a humid environment. And this is just a paradise for pathogens!
Infected fissures must be treated without fail, as ignoring usually ends in serious complications. Staphylococci lead to the development of mastitis of the mammary gland, fungi - to the accompanying inflammatory process of the oral cavity in the baby.
In this case, the treatment is carried out by taking antibacterial and antifungal drugs prescribed by a doctor.
Maternal abuse
Those young mothers, for whom the birth of a child is the first experience, face many important moments for the first time. Often here you can make some mistakes, which subsequently lead to the appearance of cracks and injuries. The most common of these are cases - the mother takes the breast while the baby is still suckling. Another situation where the nipple of the breast is cracked is improper pumping.
Incorrect breast sampling
Sometimes mothers begin to take the breast from the baby, thinking that he has already fallen asleep, although he holds the nipple tightly. But just by pulling on it, a woman risks injuring her skin. Many experts recommendrefrain from doing so while he holds the nipple.
This indicates that the baby has not yet satisfied his hunger. The nipple will slip out of his mouth when the baby is full. If there is a need for an early intake of the nipple, you should put a clean little finger in the child's mouth. As a result, the grip will weaken, and the nipple can be removed without pain.
Incorrect pumping technique
As for improper pumping, it is not necessary when the mother and child are together, as well as in the case of on-demand feeding. If it is required to express, then it is not the nipple that should be exposed, but the areola itself. The use of breast pumps can also cause injury if operated at full power or cracked.
The female breast is a rather fragile external organ that does not tolerate excessive impact. Otherwise, do not be surprised that the nipples cracked while feeding the baby. And it does not matter whether it is a natural procedure or pumping, the actions must be extremely careful, gentle and gentle.
Diagnosis
In most cases, the diagnosis can be made based on the following data:
- General examination of the breast, not only with a he althy breast, but also with a damaged nipple.
- Surveying a woman about exactly how breastfeeding works, what underwear she wears, how she takes care of her mammary glands, etc.
- Additional signs and symptoms.
When cracks are found onnipples, including other problems with the mammary glands, it makes sense to consult a mammologist for advice. If necessary, the specialist will prescribe a general blood test, a study with a leukocyte formula (it will reveal the presence of inflammation).
In case of suspicion of concomitant diseases of the gonads, instrumental diagnostics is performed:
- Breast ultrasound.
- Mammography.
- Microwave radiothermometry (RTM study).
- Electrical impedance tomography.
Usually, such studies are not carried out so often. But if the nipples are severely cracked during feeding, this can lead to serious complications, and then the patients undergo a comprehensive examination with a cytological and histological diagnosis. Differential diagnosis is relevant in the case of an inflammatory process of the nipple or a suspicion of a malignant tumor.
In the latter case, a number of other necessary studies are assigned to the woman, which subsequently makes it possible to avoid errors in determining the treatment regimen.
Therapy for cracked nipples
The appearance of cracks in the nipples is not yet a reason to refuse breastfeeding in favor of transferring the child's diet to dry formulas. Subsequently, this threatens to completely stop the production of milk and the baby's refusal to breastfeed. If mechanical damage is weak and does not cause much discomfort to a woman, then it is possible to limit the use of silicone or latexoverlays.
These devices are sold in many pharmacies and are manufactured by most manufacturers of breast pumps and other accessories for young mothers - Avent, Medela, Chicco, Canpol and other brands. The pads are selected based on the individual parameters of the breast and nipple. Now that the nipple is cracked during feeding, what to do is known - the help of such products is simply invaluable.
If the cracks are deep and there are too many of them, then the use of overlays no longer makes sense. In this case, manually strain the milk to stimulate its further production.
Shallow mechanical damage
Such an injury can occur already in the first days after the start of breastfeeding or when the attachment technique has been violated. At the beginning of sucking, a pronounced discomfort appears, which quickly passes during the procedure itself. Visually, cracks (they are still small) show up as reddened areas.
Minor damage tends to progress, and in this regard, they should not be left unattended in any case! It is necessary to use a combined method of treatment, for which you can use:
- Own milk - after feeding the baby, apply a few drops to the affected areas and allow to dry. This remedy is a natural prevention against skin inflammation.
- Lanoline-based creams - when nipples are cracked, this is the right remedy. At the same time, both the active substance itself (Medela, Lansino) and preparations based on it can be used. BUTsince it is of natural origin, it is not necessary to wash it off immediately before applying the baby to the breast.
- Traditional medicine - you can remove cracks from the nipples with a mixture of vaseline and rosehip oil (2: 1). Apply it after feeding, then cover with a napkin (plastic bag), put on a towel (put on a bra). Before the next procedure, wash off the remnants of the "ointment".
If treatment is started in a timely manner, you can get rid of small and minor lesions on the skin of the nipple within 2-3 days.
It should be taken into account that cracks will heal best when the chest is open and there is an opportunity for air to enter the damaged skin of the nipples. For this reason, it is better to refuse closed underwear for the duration of treatment. As for breast pads, they should be used as little as possible or not used at all.
Deep damage
How to smear cracked nipples with a deep lesion? It is best to ask your doctor directly about this issue. A specialist can suggest an effective ointment that will be safe for the baby during feeding. As a rule, many specialists opt for such topical preparations (some of them also contain lanolin):
- "Videstim".
- "Purelan".
- "Solcoseryl".
- "Actovegin".
In addition, aerosols used for burns andwounds - "Panthenol", "Livian", "Vinizol". Syntamycin ointment has good efficiency. At the same time, it is important to wash off these products from damaged nipples (or one) every time before feeding the child.
As many mothers say, Bepanthen ointment is also effective for cracked nipples. And it is the ointment, the cream in this situation is not relevant. The drug can also be useful to a child when he has diaper rash and irritation on the skin. Tellingly, this ointment can not be washed off before the feeding procedure.
However, most experts are inclined to believe that it is better to rinse the skin before putting the baby to the breast.
Proper feeding technology
As we now know, breastfeeding should not be stopped even when nipples are cracked. What to do then? After all, while the baby is eating, the woman, meanwhile, experiences pain, and sometimes noticeable. And the larger the area of the lesion, the stronger the discomfort.
Nevertheless, there is a way out of the situation, it is enough to adhere to the simple technique of feeding the baby:
- Take breaks. This is true in the case when only one nipple is damaged - feeding from it should be interrupted for some time (6-12 hours). This will be quite enough to let the tissues tighten. If you feel full, express milk by hand.
- Start breastfeeding on the breast with the least pain. If during one session the mother puts the baby on both breasts,Always start with the one that hurts the least. A hungry baby always sucks more actively, a damaged nipple in this case is most at risk.
- Frequent procedures. Even if each attachment of the baby to the breast causes pain, you should not take long breaks. As already mentioned, a hungry baby makes more effort, and when he is a little full, then the effect on the mammary gland will be accurate, and wounds will heal faster.
- Chest airing. When nipples are cracked for women for the period of lactation and wound healing (as well as every day), it is better to wear loose-fitting clothes made of natural material to ensure normal air exchange to the skin of the chest. If possible, you should spend more time without a bra. Such a measure will speed up the recovery.
- Use overlays. This is a kind of "magic wand" if the damage is deep. Before each feeding of the baby, it is worth applying a little ointment based on lanolin, and then place the pads on the chest. But after the wounds have healed, their further use should be stopped (why, we now also know).
The best prevention against cracked nipples during the breastfeeding procedure is to practice proper breastfeeding and maintain normal hygiene, without fanaticism. Women need to show care and tenderness towards their own breasts, and then many problems in the future can be avoided.
Conclusion
When you discover the fact that the nipples are cracked, you should not immediately panic, the main thing ispull yourself together and act accordingly. The first step is not to refuse to continue feeding the child in a natural way. This way you can avoid problems with milk production, and the baby will benefit.
But it is better to try not to allow such a destructive process at all. To do this, you must adhere to the usual prevention. What to do for this has already been discussed in this article, the main thing is not to show excessive fanaticism. Only in this case, you can save breastfeeding, and the procedure itself will be painless!
