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Hawaii Babies
Married2MrWright
member
BFing Mamas RE: Milk Blisters (TMI Warning)
Married2MrWright
member
So, I think I've got a milk blister. I've felt my nipple be more sensitive over the past few days and thought it could have gotten scraped or something by Libby's new teeth. This morning, in the shower, I noticed a little "bubble" where it was hurting. Then, later today, when I was pumping at work, I looked down and the bottle of milk was bright PINK! I was horrified! It was really bizarre looking. The "bubble" had burst or given way and I was bleeding. It stopped fairly soon after I noticed and stopped pumping.
I've read at LLLI and Kelly Mom that blood in milk is somewhat normal and not harmful to babies. That said, I don't really want to nurse Libby on that side because, it grosses me out to think she could be drinking my blood AND it hurts!
So...if you've stuck with me thus far and are totally 
...have you had this before? If so, what did you do (if anything)? I am a little freaked, especially since Dr. Google says that while milk blisters, cracked nipples, etc. can show up as "pink milk" it could also be an indication of cancer or some other horrible thing.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: BFing Mamas RE: Milk Blisters (TMI Warning)
I have had that twice. Fairly certain I don't have cancer b/c I have to get annual ultrasounds for that b/c of a non-cancerous mass found in the past
But I didn't google search when it happened either time. Well, actually I did for the first one because it HURT.
Mine was just a blister because I have never had cracking issues. The first time I felt it and was painful, much like I would envision nursing plus a big painful zit, and I saw the blister/white area. The second time I didn't even know about it (must have been internal) but felt a little "give" while pumping and sure enough, pink milk. I dumped that 2 oz. then resumed pumping for like 2 mins and no more blood, but didn't pump that side for that session. Just gave it a break that one time, pumped again later in the day and no pink milk so I continued to nurse as normal that night... I'm not sure what I would do if it is still bleeding. BM is healing in and of itself though, so it's not like a little bit of gentle pumping in order to relieve possible engorgement would be bad. So I guess I would do that if it's still bleeding, b/c like you I would have trouble feeding blood milk to my LO.
I have ongoing milk blisters and they sometimes will bleed. Back when I was pumping, I'd see some blood get into the milk. I only threw the milk out if there was a lot of blood mixed in, which rarely happened.
I've had two bad clogged ducts that were related to the milk blisters -- once they "popped," the duct could drain.
As for how to treat them, if the milk blisters were related to a clog, I used heat and a sanitized needle to prick it open so the milk could flow. If there was no clog, I left it alone. For me, anyway, milk blisters and, sometimes, a little blood are just part of the hazards of BFing. A's definitely ingested some blood and he's always been just fine. GL to you!
I don't really see what's so TMI about this post but maybe that is just me :P
I've had several milk blisters too... forgot to include that in my list of BFing problems in my previous post LOL but mine were white dots you could see b/c the milk was stuck right under the skin. I didn't use a needle to pop mine but I did use a warm compress and then I basically had to pick the skin off the top (hurt SO much but had to do it!) i'm sure you already checked kellymom re: milk blisters but that's where i got my info/tips from.
I am sure that your blood tinged milk is from the milk blisters and not cancer. no need to jump to any assumptions! my nipples never bled from them, I just got clogged ducts and mastitis (joy!)... but i don't think a little blood in your milk is going to be harmful to Libby. it may gross you out but I don't think it's a big deal. I would just let her decide...if she wants to nurse and it doesn't phase her then so be it but if she doesn't seem to nurse well on that side then she may not like it. of course you have plenty of milk so if you want to pump and dump and just nurse her off one side while it heals that is fine too, but I wouldn't hesitate to continue nursing b/c of the blood. but maybe that's just me. oh but i just saw you said it really hurts... for me, that would be more reason to take a break from nursing on that side than the blood
but just be careful you don't get a clogged duct from the milk blisters... Libby will be better at preventing that than the pump will, so just pay close attn to your breast and if you feel you might be starting to get a clogged duct, let her nurse again!
your story does remind me though - DH saw a mom and her newborn in the ER b/c the parents were concerned that the baby was vomiting blood and had fresh blood in her diaper. upon further examination/questioning, he figured out that the baby was just spitting up like normal newborns do...but the milk had blood in it from mom's cracked nipples and the blood in the diaper was from the baby's mini period that baby girls get after they are first born. the mom's nipples were already starting to heal up at that point so he basically just sent her home and told her to keep doing what she was doing and that the baby was fine
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
......I'm scared.
Is this... common?
glad it's getting better! it sounds so painful.
not super common - I've had pretty much every other issue, but no milk blister (yet - knock on wood!). here's more about it - https://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipplebleb.html