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It’s officially one year since I have been a nursing momma. These are some tips and tricks I have learned along the way! I hope you find them helpful.
As I began to share my journey and experience of breastfeeding our fifth baby. As I began, I realized there is the emotional side of that journey, which I documented here. And then there is the troubleshooting experience side. With all the tips and tricks. That is what this post is all about. Hopefully, if you are having some complications, sharing my experience will help you navigate those and you can successfully breastfeed your baby for as long as you like!
One thing I tried different with baby number 5 were these silver nipple covers. If you have never nursed before, you might not know this…because I certainly didn’t the first time around. That raw skin needs a few weeks to toughen up and it gets really tender with those first few feedings. Your clothing brushing up against it can hurt. If you have any little tears or lesions as you work on baby’s latch, that open skin sticks and dries to your clothes. Then you literally have to rip your clothes off your skin. And of course it hurts! So you need some kind of protection. I wanted to try these silver nipple covers because of the healing properties that silver has. I feel like they worked so well! They kept me from sticking and I also healed up quickly.
The other item I got that was different this time around were these manual breast pumps. Those first few weeks I tend to get engorged as the milk supply levels out. I also get very leaky as that is happening. These helped tremendously and it was so nice to not waste the milk as I leaked. I also used these disposable nursing pads a bit. I was sure I’d have problems with leaking between feedings because I’d been quite the leaky faucet with my previous baby. But after the first couple weeks I didn’t need them anymore.
Also, the baby’s latch is so important. They need to have a wide open mouth to latch on. Not kind of slurp on. Here’s a youtube video that shows the proper latch. The sooner you can nail this down, the less cracks and lesions you will have. If your baby is really struggling, I’d recommend making sure your baby is not tongue tied or tethered. Your pediatrician can check for this.
Now, heres the SECRET SAUCE for cracked nipples and if you are unfortunate enough to get a bleb. A what?!? Yeah, I hadn’t heard of a bleb either until 10 days postpartum when all of the sudden I was in excruciating pain while nursing on my left side. Turns out I had a pea sized amount of pus in a clogged nipple duct. Once I punctured it so it could drain, I felt so much better. Anyways, the secret sauce. APNO cream. Why this is not part of the handouts upon discharge I’ll never know. This a cream you can compound on your own with over the counter meds to create a safe and effective way to treat those sores fast!
Ingredients:
Polysporin Ointment (topical antibiotic ointment)
Lotrimin (antifungal)
Hydrocortisone 1% cream (steroid cream that helps to heal open sores)
Creating your APNO Cream:
Mix equal parts of the above ingredients and apply a thin layer on your nipple/areola as needed. You can wash it off before the next feeding if you are more comfortable with that, but is not necessary.
It is not recommended to use this for long term (months at a time) because it can affect the tissue. It is best for short durations to heal the sore or thrush. You’re looking at a time line of 5-7 days. If you have sores or complications that are not healing in that time, I would recommend seeing your doctor. Save the cream! It will last for months and you can use it if you develop more sores. Luckily after you get baby’s latch down, and the tissue to toughen up, you likely won’t need this cream anymore.
Now lets talk about mastitis and clogged ducts. Oh my! The clogged ducts are a beast of their own. It has been my experience that you will feel a sore spot on your breast before you feel the lump. If a sore spot develops, I found it best to start massaging and applying heat compresses to the spot. You may not feel anything until there is a hard spot/lump. It will be so sore!. The duct is clogged and milk is not flowing properly. This is why massage and heat are so important. After 5 kids and having mastitis at least 4 times, the best tool I have found to aid in unclogging the duct is a little magic bullet vibrator. Hehe…..its just the perfect size to hold on there and get the job done. Changing the baby’s nursing position is also a great way to help!
In my experience, once a fever hits, its time for antibiotics. For me, that was my choice. If my mastitis progressed to that point, (which only happened once) I was absolutely miserable. Once you have a fever, that is a sign an infection is likely present. Avoiding this is why massage, changing baby’s position, and heat compresses are so important!
Did you know breast milk has many healing properties? It’s not called liquid gold for nothing! It has healing properties and anti-inflammatory properties. Here’s a good resource if you want to learn more. In short, I put my milk on sore cracked nipples, eye infections, skin injuries, on baby’s diaper rashes, loosen cradle cap, etc.
I hope you find these tips helpful. While my years of breastfeeding are behind me, they are some of the sweetest memories. I know nursing isn’t for everyone, or possible for everyone. I was extremely grateful for the experiences that I had. I also know how hard it is! I always felt like if I could make it passed the first two weeks, it becomes so much easier!
Quick list of shopping links:
Polysporin Ointment (topical antibiotic ointment)
Lotrimin (antifungal)
Hydrocortisone 1% cream (steroid cream that helps to heal open sores)
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