The dreaded cracked nipples...

MJC1116 · April 2014

We are on day 3 of nursing and my right nipple is already scabbed up. Ouch. I read somewhere that coconut oil is a great way to help clear up any cracking but was wondering if any of you ladies had more info on this or experience with it...thanks!

meganengler · April 2014

I haven't heard about coconut oil, but I really loved mother love nipple cream!

MJC1116 · April 2014

Thank you!

flcl · April 2014

casey78 said:

Maybe later on the coconut oil. For now:
1. Express some bm at the end of every feeding. Rub it on your nipples. Allow to airdry.
2. Cover with earth mama angel baby nipple butter - or a more spreadable lanolin such as medela lansinoh was sticky and hurt).

I second this. The nipple butter helped me a lot. If you are in a ton of pain you can try using hydrogels. They're expensive but the ones the hospital gave me got me through the first few painful days. GL!

ChrMoo · April 2014

The cracking will go away by week 2, the scabs will peel off. BM was all I used for DD 1 and 2. GL!

Suzanne237 · May 2014

So what causes this? Bad latch? Or is it just your nipples getting used to it? Once you get it healed how do you prevent it from happening again? My baby is 3 wks old. This happened to me bad by the end of the first week. Turned out he was latching wrong. (Too small mouth not opening wide enough) so that fixed it for a week. Now my left boob is killing me again. I'm actually bracing for him to take it to feed. I'm noticing his bottom lip is maybe not flared but tucked in?? How do you train them to pull that out? Should it be out? A lot that I've heard is if it hurts, you're doing it wrong. Thanks ladies for any input.

RDK24 · May 2014

I tried coconut oil but didn't get great results from it (though I love it for an all-over skin moisturizer now!) When I had cracks, my OB suggested Neosporin and it worked WONDERS. Healed up really fast. And when I fed my LO without wiping it off first (oops) her pedi said not to worry. GL!

RDK24 · May 2014

Suzanne237 said:

So what causes this? Bad latch? Or is it just your nipples getting used to it? Once you get it healed how do you prevent it from happening again? My baby is 3 wks old. This happened to me bad by the end of the first week. Turned out he was latching wrong. (Too small mouth not opening wide enough) so that fixed it for a week. Now my left boob is killing me again. I'm actually bracing for him to take it to feed. I'm noticing his bottom lip is maybe not flared but tucked in?? How do you train them to pull that out? Should it be out? A lot that I've heard is if it hurts, you're doing it wrong. Thanks ladies for any input.

A bad latch can definitely be the cause of a crack. When my LO was a newborn and her lip would get tucked in, I'd just untuck it with my finger so her lips were flared out. Helped a lot.

As for "if it hurts, you're doing it wrong," I agree with that mostly. At least in my experience, some pain is to be expected in the beginning, but if you count to 10 and it still hurts, unlatch your LO and try again. (It won't hurt for 10 seconds forever, just in the beginning).

Suzanne237 · May 2014

@RDK24‌ thanks for the advice. When I look at the way the pump works, it makes me think LO isn't putting enough in his mouth. Like shallow or something.

KingsGirl4 · May 2014

I had a bad crack the first week and a half. I just kept it moisturized with Boob Ease nipple balm. It healed up after that week and a half and I haven't gotten any more. A bad latch can cause cracks. You do want to see both lips flanged out. Like mentioned above, you can just use your finger to flip that lower lip out. Here is a video I found really helpful:

https://youtu.be/7FJuBn2bgNk
Good luck!

inluv4life2 · May 2014

I suggest meeting with an LC to determine if it's a latch issue or tongue tie or another issue. Hang in there!

RDK24 · May 2014

Suzanne237 said:

@RDK24‌ thanks for the advice. When I look at the way the pump works, it makes me think LO isn't putting enough in his mouth. Like shallow or something.

I wouldn't compare the baby to the pump, BUT your LO should be taking a lot into his mouth. I always remember the LC saying "it's breast feeding, not nipple feeding." When my LO was really small, I took this piece of LC advice: I'd put my hand between her shoulder blades and when she opened her mouth wide, I'd push her into my boob, so she'd get more in her mouth that way. Sounds crazy, but it worked for us and it's LC-recommended!

And if this helps, for a visual, my LC said the baby's mouth should look like a fish kissing a wall: lips flanged and wide.

GL!

MJC1116 · May 2014

Sleepless nights got the best of me, so I haven't checked in much. But thanks so much for all the tips and advice. The scabs went away by the end of the first week but my nipples are still sore. I think (like others have posted) DS isn't opening wide enough. When he does, he pushes the nipple out with his tongue. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to get him to latch. He keeps moving his mouth away and pushing the nipple out with his tongue. Couple that with what I'm guessing is a growth spurt (aka hourly feedings)... I'm feeling like a sore, walking udder.

It's frustrating because I feel like I should know better given this is my second, but both kids are so different. I've seen the LC twice and of course both times he latches on perfectly. I think I'll go one last time just to be sure.

BGrahl90 · May 2014

I never used coconut oil but I did use olive oil. Seems odd but my mother in law suggested it and I kept a dish for it on my nightstand ever since. Just air dried afterwards. :-)

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