Pardee,
I have seen splits at the base of the nipple in a mother who was
positioning her baby too high in sidelying. He was using his tongue to
try to lift her nipple into his mouth, and incised the skin at the base
of the nipple. We had baby nurse over mom's shoulder for a few days, to
place his tongue on the superior aspect (top) of her nipples, and they
healed readily. If changes in positioning, sucking and latch do not
allow the nipples to heal, I agree that thrush is the usual culprit.
--
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC NYC [log in to unmask]