1. Painful latch. For the first few days, I winced as the baby latched on. I checked for a good latch, and everything seemed okay. I could tell she was transferring milk well (jaw movement, swallowing, and subsequent wet and dirty diaper output). The pain also lessened after the initial latch, and improved when the transitional milk started coming in.

I used expressed breast milk to heal the one crack that appeared on my left nipple. I would have used Lansinoh but it never got that bad.

2. Painful letdown. Unfortunately, when the milk came in there was an overabundant supply. While I suppose I would rather deal with oversupply than low supply, it comes with its own set of complications. One of them is an intensified feeling of pins and needles as the milk lets down. It’s temporary and fleeting and I can deal with it (now being familiar with the sensation). I also recall that this feeling goes away when my milk supply regulates in a couple of months.

3. Painful engorgement. When my second child was born, I didn’t have to deal with engorgement because my first child was tandem nursing and she quite efficiently drained my breasts anytime I started to feel over-full. This time I am not tandem nursing, and I have had to hand express when I start to get engorged. Then I ice my breasts to reduce inflammation and slow milk production. I know some women swear by cold cabbage leaf compresses, but they never worked for me.

I have also been block nursing — nursing on one side per nursing session. That helps drain each breast fully, ensures that my nursling does not develop green stools, and lowers milk production overall.

4. Painful plugged ducts. When I spiked a 102.5 degree fever on day five after the birth, and I started to feel cramping and back pain much like labor, that was too much for my body to handle. In the kick-you-when-you’re-down tradition of breast infections, I developed a plugged duct that eventually became red and inflamed. I rested, got plenty of fluids, and nursed, nursed, nursed on that side. I also tried a couple of remedies that I think help — but I am not a doctor and I have no proof these work at all. File them under “can’t hurt, might help.” I took cranberry supplements (I figure if they help fight the bad bacteria that cause bladder infections, they might do the same for breast infections) and drank diluted grapefruit seed extract. All I know is, the next day the red and inflamed spot was gone.

It’s day 8 as I write this, and I feel good. Everything is under control again. Perhaps the benefit of all that breastfeeding experience is that I know that with time, any problems do resolve, and perseverance is rewarded many times over with a successful nursing relationship.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Oversupply

When my first daughter was born, I struggled with oversupply. In theory oversupply sounds great because it eliminates any worry about having enough milk for the baby. In reality, it can cause a lot of problems including painful engorgement, an overactive letdown (which can cause the baby to choke, sputter, and pop off the breast), a foremilk-hindmilk imbalance (leading to green and gassy stools), plugged ducts, and mastitis.

I wish I had known more about correcting oversupply in the first place. In the end it took about 12 weeks for my supply to regulate.

Plugged Ducts

Off and on over that first year, I experienced several plugged ducts:

~ Kellymom on Plugged Ducts and Mastitis
~ NEW BEGINNINGS article on Plugged Ducts

I became adept at hand-expressing to remove the little white milk plug that was blocking the milk duct. One time, though, I found that I had damaged the nipple skin at the site of the plug, and the sore simply would not heal. I tried Lansinoh and I tried expressing breast milk on the nipple and letting it air dry. The white, cracked sore did not go away.

Thrush

Eventually I spoke to a La Leche League leader, who suggested I consult my doctor to see whether it could be thrush. I wasn’t in terrible pain and my baby didn’t have white patches in her mouth, but thrush can exist without such symptoms or signs. My gynecologist first prescribed Nystatin for me and my baby, and when that didn’t work, we moved on to Diflucan. (I also sanitized all of my clothing and any toys or other items that had been in my baby’s mouth). When Diflucan didn’t work either, I began to suspect I didn’t have thrush (that’s what I think in retrospect), or I had a stubborn case.

Gentian Violet and Grapefruit Seed Extract

I started looking for alternative remedies for thrush, and happened upon information about using Gentian Violet:

~ Using Gentian Violet – Dr. Jack Newman
~ Thrush Remedies including Gentian Violet (see also the warning on its use) — AskDrSears.com

Gentian violet is purple and does indeed stain your nipples, baby’s mouth, and clothing. I bought a few pink/purple outfits and put my baby in them for the duration of our treatment! Whether or not I actually had thrush, this is the product that finally helped my nipple heal.

Later on I learned about grapefruit seed extract and its antimicrobial properties. I tried Nutribiotic – GSE Liquid Concentrate anytime I had an open sore, or my baby developed a yeasty diaper rash. I also take it internally when I’m battling a bout of plugged ducts and/or mastitis. It’s also an effective cleaner! Just make sure you dilute it. Plain sterile water works for topical applications, and a little orange juice (or grapefruit juice!) works well to mask the bitter taste when you take it internally. A small bottle of GSE seems expensive ($10.50 or so on-line or at a natural foods store) but a little goes a long way and I still have my original bottle four years later.

~ Grapefruit Seed Extract for Treatment of Thrush – AskLenore.com
~ Identifying and Treating Thrush (with GSE) – Dr. Jay Gordon

It’s convenient that these remedies do not require a prescription, but as always, consult your physician, your child’s physician, and/or a pharmacist before using any medication.

Other Participants in the Carnival

~ Tongue Tie – Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog
~ Supplementing – Mama’s Magic
~ Oversupply, Blebs, Plugged Ducts, and Mastits – Half Pint Pixie
~ Plugged Ducts and Mastitis – Speech Act
~ Low Milk Supply and the Mini-Pill – Tales of Life with a Girl on the Go
~ Getting Rid of Thrush – Nurturing Notes
~ Sore Nipples, Engorgement, and Medications – BreastfeedingMums
~ Surviving Mastitis – Blessed Nest Perch
~ Supplementing during the First Week – Hobo Mama

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3