The Raynaud's type situation, with nipples blanching white (then, often,
blue) was a pretty big problem for me, too. It is extremely painful, so I
really feel for any mom who has it! I found that keeping my nipple tissue
as warm and protected as possible was helpful. The slightest change in
temperature, or the slightest tactile stimulation, was enough to start the
spasms. One thing that helped was to keep squares cut from a pre-fold cloth
diaper, washed to be soft and fluffy, covering my breast at all times,
except for when the baby was nursing. I held the diaper fabric in place by
pulling up the flap of my bra, but not fastening it. Without the extra
layers covering, even the movement of my clothing over my nursing bra was
enough to elicit the spasms. It is amazing how sensitive the nipple can be,
under such circumstances, kind of like the princess and the pea! The layers
of cloth also help prevent any changes in temperature, too. Of course,
having the wet nipple come out of the baby's mouth into the air creates a
big drop in temperature One thing I did was to keep the diaper squares
inside my clothing, to keep them warm, while the baby was nursing, and then
being prepared to cover my nipple just as soon as the baby unlatched. That
didn't prevent it all, but was quite helpful in preventing the extremely
painful spasms that result in the nipple blanching white and then becoming
cyanotic. It makes me cringe just to think about it!
Does this mom have any trouble with her breast pump causing the vasospasms?
I felt like the inside of the baby's mouth was much more comfortable than a
pump, if I could just prevent the problem when the baby let go! This is
only one person's experience, but this mom might find some of it helpful, or
it might help inspire some of her own ideas for avoiding the problem.
Aloha,
Darillyn
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