Hi Nancy,
Maybe I would take a closer look at the mother... chronic pain is very
disempowering, and can also be a sign of previous disempowerment.
Pain needs to be addressed, because chronic negative input feeds on itself,
and even if the baby is traumatizing the nipple less, she might be feeling
the same or even more pain (the input adds up, because the neurons are
hyperstimulated).
What treatment is she taking for her pain? I would suggest antiinflammatory
medication, a good, steady dose, to help calm the pain.
I would also suggest looking at her self efficacy, there are very good
tests, as this will give you valuable information on where she feels she is
not doing well, and you can help empower those areas, as well as pinpoint
the things she is "good at" and giving her positive feedback.
Also test for signs of depression (maybe an Edimburg scale). Depression may
also cause chronic breast pain. You might also want to gently ask her about
previous traumatic experiences.
Finally, I would ask her to see a physiotherapist to relax her back, neck
and chest muscles, which are usually contractured after such prolonged
pain. This impedes good blood flow to the breast/nipple, and also adds
overall pain.
Gentle breats massage might also help her.
These moms often get the message that there is something very wrong with
their baby (who undergoes tons of procedures) but hardly get any good
feedback about any of their breastfeeding (other than "wow, it´s amazing
you can stand this for so long"): focusing on the mom´s pain rather than
only on the baby´s difficulties, and giving the mother strategies that help
her reduce pain and feel valued (a gooood massage by a skilled physio can
do wonders) is a good thing. Speak with her partner, if she has one, about
helping her feel good body sensations (warm showers, alone or together,
feet rubs, lots of hugs...).
Hope this helps.
Kika
--
Dra. Carmela Baeza
Médico de Familia
Consultora Certificada en Lactancia Materna IBCLC
www.centroraices.com
http://www.facebook.com/Consulta.Lactancia.Raices
<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Centro-de-Atenci%C3%B3n-a-la-Familia-Ra%C3%ADces/274415189309122>
Autora de "Amar con los Brazos Abiertos"
http://www.ediciones-encuentro.es/libro/amar-con-los-brazos-abiertos.html
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