Date: Wed, 22 Jan 97 23:25:36 PST
From: KRISTIN
To: Karen Foard
Subject: Re: Cracks at nipple base

Karen,
My name is Kristin Barr, RN from North Canton, Ohio.
G1P1 I had this exact same problem but only on my left breast when my
son was 1 week old.  the crack went from 1:00 to 5:00.  After the
crack appeared, my son would latch on for 1-2 minutes then YANK off
screaming.  I felt like he was going to rip my nipple off!  I was
ready to quit, but my mother talked me into continuing.
I showed the crack to a house OB/GYN at the hospital I worked at and
she told me to pump that side until it healed and nurse my son on the
other.  A LLL friend also brought me some Lansinoh and I got a breast
shell to keep the pressure off.  Pumping the affected side was not as
painful as my son nursing on it.  Within 4 days, I resumed nursing on
that side and never had a problem again.
I think a breast shell would help keep pressure off the nipple and
might keep it from folding back on itself.
Kristin Barr, RN