over producing? pain, cracked nipples, blisters OH MY!

maganh91 · November 2012

I had my baby 10 days ago and i have had a lot of problems breast feeding. ive seen the lactation consultant and she couldnt get her to latch either. i tried pumping and was getting less than an ounce of milk, even after the 4th day post delivery. i had to supplement with formula for two days, then i was making enough to feed her. but, she still wouldnt latch so we are having to bottle feed her. i prefer to breast feed, but the most important part is that shes getting the breast milk.

well, now, 10 days post delivery, i feel like im over producing milk. i pump every 3 hours and get anywhere between 6 and 10 total ounces. my newborn only eats 2 ounces per feed, so im freezing the rest. it would be fine, but with the milk came a bunch of awful other things. it started with nipple tenderness, which was expectedd, but i thought it would go away, its only gotten worse, and now its excruciating. the tips of both of my nipples are covered in blisters also, which makes the pain 10 times worse. now, one nipple is cracking and its horrifying. this is my first baby and my first experience with breast feeding. ive called my OB and she said that its ok and should go away. but i just dont think she understands how severe it is. im really hoping that i am overreacting and that it is normal, but i cant even find pictures on google that matches what my nipples look like. i also have clogged ducts (off the subject question: when i pump, sometimes the duct unclogs and this nasty string of thick milk comes out, gross. but is it ok for baby to drink those thick strands of milk? )

now, am i overreacting? is this really normal? or should i insist that my doctor see me?

on the over producing note, should i pump less? would i be risking more clogged ducts if i do? if i start trying to slow down milk production, could it backfire and make me dry up completely?? should i be worried about getting an infection because of the broken skin? ive been keeping everything clean and dry and following doctors orders to the T, if this isnt normal, what did i do wrong? how do i fix this? can anything help with the pain (aside from tylonol)?

please help! i dont know how to deal with this!

Shermany · November 2012

I'm afraid I don't have any advice as I'm still too new to bfing, but I'm sorry you're going through so much trouble ! I really hope you get the help you need and can find some relief soon. You sound like a very brave mama! Good luck !

madisonbradford94 · November 2012

The more you pump, the more you will make! Your body thinks your baby needs more so it continues to produce.

If you want to breast feed, maybe try a nipple shield and work on weaning your baby off of the shield after a week or so, that's how I taught my daughter to latch on. I can't answer the other questions, I'm a FTM and haven't experienced the cracked nipples, but my midwife said the blisters are caused by the baby always sucking the same place on the nipple, maybe try moving your pump off to the side or something.
Good luck!

eaglei1 · November 2012

I can answer some of these.

Regarding overproducing. It takes awhile for your body to figure out what it's supposed to make. In my case I EP for similar reasons as yours. Initially I averaged 60 to 70 oz per day now at 4 mo I avg around 45. I have a 3 month stash so far that I rotate. My plan is to have enough for a 4 to 5 month stash and then slowly stop pumping around the 7 to 8 month mark that way my baby will get bm for a year. This is my 2nd child and that's what I did for my first. I pumped the way you are now every 3 to 4 hrs for The first 8 weeks. Now I pump 3 x's a day. You will not regret having a stash

As far as the pain. You probably have clogged ducts. Hot showers, massage and then pump. With the cracked nipples...pump on lower speeds, get a bigger flange I went up to 30 mm and it helped tremendously and afterwards I would use Lansinoh nipple cream. It will also help you if you can do a few of ur pump sessions 3.5 to 4 hours apart just to give yourself a break.
The stringing milk is fine. It looks gross but it will blend in the milk and eventually it will go away as your body regulates...probably within a week.

You are doing a great thing for your baby and you ate almost to the point where a lot of these issues will resolve themselves. Keep up the good work!

tbone_bride · November 2012

eaglei1:
I can answer some of these.

Regarding overproducing. It takes awhile for your body to figure out what it's supposed to make. In my case I EP for similar reasons as yours. Initially I averaged 60 to 70 oz per day now at 4 mo I avg around 45. I have a 3 month stash so far that I rotate. My plan is to have enough for a 4 to 5 month stash and then slowly stop pumping around the 7 to 8 month mark that way my baby will get bm for a year. This is my 2nd child and that's what I did for my first. I pumped the way you are now every 3 to 4 hrs for The first 8 weeks. Now I pump 3 x's a day. You will not regret having a stash

As far as the pain. You probably have clogged ducts. Hot showers, massage and then pump. With the cracked nipples...pump on lower speeds, get a bigger flange I went up to 30 mm and it helped tremendously and afterwards I would use Lansinoh nipple cream. It will also help you if you can do a few of ur pump sessions 3.5 to 4 hours apart just to give yourself a break.
The stringing milk is fine. It looks gross but it will blend in the milk and eventually it will go away as your body regulates...probably within a week.

You are doing a great thing for your baby and you ate almost to the point where a lot of these issues will resolve themselves. Keep up the good work!

All this! And call your LC. She can help. Definitely get bigger flanges and use nipple cream. Hot compresses for clogged ducts. And massage while pumping.

Good luck, sorry you are having a bad first experience. It will get better!

mcanant · November 2012

APNO or newmans as sometimes called nipple ointment is wonderful! Get prescription from your doc! You don't usually even have to see them they can just call it in. As Pp said, give your nips a break and use a nipple shield if you need to heal.

emaddock · November 2012

mcanant:
APNO or newmans as sometimes called nipple ointment is wonderful! Get prescription from your doc! You don't usually even have to see them they can just call it in. As Pp said, give your nips a break and use a nipple shield if you need to heal.nbsp;

I would highly recommend all purpose nipple cream as well. Your OB can write the prescription for you.

emu0013 · November 2012

maganh91:

I had my baby 10 days ago and i have had a lot of problems breast feeding. ive seen the lactation consultant and she couldnt get her to latch either. i tried pumping and was getting less than an ounce of milk, even after the 4th day post delivery. i had to supplement with formula for two days, then i was making enough to feed her. but, she still wouldnt latch so we are having to bottle feed her. i prefer to breast feed, but the most important part is that shes getting the breast milk.

well, now, 10 days post delivery, i feel like im over producing milk. i pump every 3 hours and get anywhere between 6 and 10 total ounces. my newborn only eats 2 ounces per feed, so im freezing the rest. it would be fine, but with the milk came a bunch of awful other things. it started with nipple tenderness, which was expectedd, but i thought it would go away, its only gotten worse, and now its excruciating. the tips of both of my nipples are covered in blisters also, which makes the pain 10 times worse. now, one nipple is cracking and its horrifying. this is my first baby and my first experience with breast feeding. ive called my OB and she said that its ok and should go away. but i just dont think she understands how severe it is. im really hoping that i am overreacting and that it is normal, but i cant even find pictures on google that matches what my nipples look like. i also have clogged ducts (off the subject question: when i pump, sometimes the duct unclogs and this nasty string of thick milk comes out, gross. but is it ok for baby to drink those thick strands of milk? )

now, am i overreacting? is this really normal? or should i insist that my doctor see me?

on the over producing note, should i pump less? would i be risking more clogged ducts if i do? if i start trying to slow down milk production, could it backfire and make me dry up completely?? should i be worried about getting an infection because of the broken skin? ive been keeping everything clean and dry and following doctors orders to the T, if this isnt normal, what did i do wrong? how do i fix this? can anything help with the pain (aside from tylonol)?

please help! i dont know how to deal with this!

This sounds a lot like me. LO is 4.5 months old now. I have had issues from the beginning with my nipples. I am now on my 4th perscription. Nothing has helped. I have been an EP'er (DD was a premie) nursing never worked for her. I am actually in the process of cutting out pumps ( I am down to 5 per day) still pumping between 40-50 ounces. I have a huge freezer supply and just can not take the pain any more. My nips bleed and I get the milk blisters frequently. I have found a heating pad helped me get them a little more under control. Good Luck, I hope it gets better for you.