Chomped Nipple Syndrome

Chomped nipple syndrome is a phrase I coined to describe how enthusiastic nursing can cause mothers a special discomfort.

Some babies don’t latch onto the nipple properly. Some babies latch on all too well and suck like they’ve never eaten before. Both cases can leave your nipples feeling raw and painful.

If this is you, there are three things you need to do:

1. Figure out what is causing the baby to chew your skin off and work to change it

2. Treat the pain

3. Rule out other causes such as thrush (or yeast) infections
In fact, treating the pain first might give you more patience to deal with the first item on the list.

As a rule, the first line of defense are the things everyone knows about: Let your nipples air dry after nursing and rub them with lanolin, a natural cream made with the oil from sheep’s wool. Make sure you’re wearing only your softest, most comfortable bra and don’t be surprised if your special cotton-elastic blend nursing bra doesn’t make the cut. Silk or satin against sore nipples often feels nicer that elastic tension, no matter how slight that tension may be. If you use breast pads to soak up potential milk leaks, the disposable ones can be just too absorbent and drain away even the natural skin moisture your nipples need to heal. Even though they, in effect, don’t work as well as disposables, the natural cloth breast pads are softer and gentler on sore nipples. Try to go braless and padless as often as you can.
A number of herbalists make special nipple creams for nursing mothers. These are usually lanolin or glycerin-based and contain a lavender, rose and/or thyme oils or essences. The main benefit of these creams is aromatherapeutic. Sniff, relax and your body will be better able to heal, as the theory goes. I’ve also heard of women using the topical ointments made for teething babies on their nipples. They dab on a small amount after nursing and wash their nipples before the next round. Surfing around, I haven’t found any information actually condoning or recommending the practice. I’ve never tried it myself and I probably won’t. The thought itself makes me cringe with fear of absolute numbness.
Making sure the baby is positioned at the breast and latching on properly is also key. The baby needs more than just the tip of the nipple to suck comfortably. The baby should have at least a centimeter around the tip in his or her mouth. Also, make sure the baby’s bottom lip is sticking out like a little pout. The wonderful Kellymom site and La Leche League site have a ton of other pointers on ensuring the position and latch are comfortable.

From personal experience, I can also say that nothing prevents sore nipples from healing more than feeding on demand. The skin just doesn’t get enough time to heal and, rather than getting hungry, the baby just gets used to topping-up constantly.

Feeding on demand is necessary for the first week of life to ensure the milk actually comes in, but once the supply is established, it will just hurt your nipples and the baby’s belly. My mid-wife told me that one feeding every two hours for babies under three weeks old and every three hours after that is fine for most babies 8 pounds or over. If they get hungry between, try to distract them a little, but in the end, what’s 15 minutes less between good friends?

Finally, thrush, or a yeast infection of the baby’s mouth can be transferred to your nipple and cause serious pain. You might notice white patches in the baby’s mouth or a yeasty smell on his or her breath. Luckily, this is a simple fungal infection that can be easily treated. Just be sure both the baby and you get treated so that you don’t pass the infection back and forth.