I have been helping a mother for 6 weeks. Her breastfeeding has never
been pain-free, and for the last week she has rested one nipple
(expressing and giving the EBM by bottle) because despite what
appeared to be (to me) a good attachment, the nipple on that side
remained especially sore. Tonight I watched her try the baby on this
side for the first time after this week's rest.
To look at, her nipple was normal, though there was a tiny 'hole'
about the size of a pinprick, in the very centre. You would not
notice it unless you were peering at it.
The baby fed beautifully on this side and it was pain free.
Then, when the baby came off, this pinprick hole was gaping - it was
now about the size and depth of a large pin head and bright red raw.
This part of the nipple was tender, but the rest of the nipple was
fine.
It struck me that this was, indeed, a very slight inverted nipple of
some sort, and the inside bit lived happily enough tucked away, but
when it came to being put into a baby's mouth, it didn't have an
epidermis to protect it.
Is this possible? Am I right? And what can the mother do to achieve
healing? She is slapping on the Lansinoh, but although this seems to
be doing a good job of not making it worse (there's no apparent
infection there), the skin remains raw.
It's just struck me that maybe it's not an inversion but a cut of
some sort, that could be repaired with a little suture or a
steri-strip......are these mad ideas?
Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK
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