Today I was asked to see a patient who complained of
>severe pain in her right nipple while nursing (so much that she screamed
>and cried).  She was able to comfortably nurse on the left breast.  Her
>nurse told me that she said she had had this same problem with both of
>her other children (now 7 and 3).

Becky, these ones can be quite frustrating. She can certainly just feed on
one side as you suggested. I always reassure mums who need to feed from
only one side, that although they feel lopsided, no-one else usually
notices anything unusual because the breasts are covered by her clothes. I
know from personal experience about this!

Another thought, have you considered a nipple shield for just the right
nipple? I have had a client recently whose baby seems to suck in a strange
way and hurts her terribly - he did have a bubble-type palate and tends to
keep his tongue up. I suspected he was pushing the nipple into the bubble.
He has been feeding on a nipple shield now for a couple of months, even in
bed with mum at night. She notices very quickly if he latches on without
the shield when she is half-asleep! I just thought this might be a better
option than expressing the right or giving it up completely.

******************************************************************
Joy Anderson B.Sc. Dip.Ed. Grad.Dip.Med.Tech. IBCLC
Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia Breastfeeding Counsellor
Perth, Western Australia.   mailto:[log in to unmask]
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