<< I have three clients who have these deep cuts on their nippl;es that JUST
> WON'T HEAL.  We've used bacitracin, super wound wash, moist healing pads,
> skipping every other feed and pumping rather than nursing, and they won't
> heal.  One ofthese women had flat nipples withher previous baby and it's
> everted since.  My guess is that with the connective tissue stretched, maybe
> it was compromised and now "broke?" >>

ime, the non healing ends up being and issue with two things -
sometimes one of them, but usually both.

1)a latch or suckling action that just isn't 'quite right' (ie tongue
tie, exceptionally high palate or bubble palate,  less than optimal
latch etc etc)

2)insufficiency of dietary zinc, vitamin A mostly with secondary
factors being protein, EFA's and dietary antioxidants.



Wound healing is such a huge zinc dependent issue and zinc deficiency
is common.  Pregnancy and birth just eat up zinc at an amazing rate,
damaged tissue during birth demands what zinc  is left.

Many women stop taking prenatals after the baby is born and are eating
poorly....and even if they are taking pn vites, they're generally of
poor quality (ie rx vites).

We'll often do a few days of 20 mg zinc, 4x per day (lozenges are
easy), a few days of preformed vitamin A (not beta carotene) at lowish
doses, increasing dietary protein, fruits and veggies, minimizing
starches/grain/sweets/juice.

Things tend to heal up quite quickly (moist wound healing/saran wrap)
as long as the suckling/latch issues are dealt with.

I really hate to 'rest' a breast (ie pump that side and  not feed from
it) but sometimes it's necessary, rarely though.

We also work on changing position often during feeds so that the
tissue isn't getting the same pressure over and over - footballbaby
facing up, football baby facing in (tummy to ribs), cradle, lying
down,  nursing vertically in a sling/baby bjorn etc.  This is
extremely helpful.  Then mom applies topical emollients and saran wrap
after each feed.

Under rare circummstances when mom isn't breastfeeding from the badly
affected side, we'll use raw honey which has wound healing properties
the likes of which I have seen no where else.

k

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