Loosing skin on the nipple

[Izy]

Hi ladies,

I'm off to see the GP on tuesday but I'm wondering if anyone has had any experiences with loosing skin off the nipple.
I thought it would settle and it was just a reaction to the sudden change for my poor boobies, but 4 months on I still loose skin from my left side.
The last few days it's even gotten to the point that it looks grazed all over the nipple and X is refusing to feed from that side.

[Tam-I-Am]

Possibly thrush?

Does it hurt to feed? Does bub have bumps in his mouth, white bumps on his cheeks and tongue?

If it's only on your left side, is it an attachment issue? Have you seen a paediatric chiro or cranial osteopath for bub? Might be worth a go if you haven't...Sounds like if he's refusing to feed off that side it might be something else going on, ie a sore neck for him that's creating a poor attachment and in turn damaging your nipple...

Have you seen a lactation consultant? That'd be a good idea too...

Not sure what it is exactly, but I hope you get to the bottom of it!

[Izy]

Thanks Tam. Do you think it could be thrush even though it's only on one side?

I've not seen a LC really as it's all been going OK, and X is putting on weight well. I guess it could be an attachment thing, but it's usually not painful to feed. If it is painful I take him off and reattach, or if he's really being a pain I just put him on my 'easy' side :p

The nipple in question is also partly inverted, so it's always been a bit harder to feed from. That breast is also slower than the right, so I'm not surprised he prefers the right, but to flat out refuse the left is somewhat off-putting.

[Tam-I-Am]

I think it's a possibility. Thrush lives on and in humans in varying amounts all the time, it's a gut health imbalance that allows it to grow out-of-control and cause symptoms, so its CONCEIVABLE (although unlikely) that it could occur symptomatically on one nipple and not the other.

Honestly, I'd try the osteo/chiro and then go from there. Refusal to feed from one side is generally because of pain or discomfort from an ear infection, or a neck ache, or something like that.

And if that's going on then it may well be an attachment issue.

Or, given that it's a little inverted, it might just be that he can't draw it back into the soft palate at the back of his mouth, and instead it's rubbing against the edge of his hard palate causing damage...

I really don't know...but (sorry to be a downer) I wouldn't expect too many answers from a GP. They just don't know a great deal about breastfeeding.

[kuddles]

Ouch. I used to have attachment issues with DS. He would pull off while he still had my nipple firmly clamped in his mouth. It would basically peel my nipple like a banana.
It hurt so much. I just fed through it :( and then rubbed a bit of my milk around the nipple and let it air dry. I found that if I firmly held the back of his neck so he wouldn't rip off my nipples would feel a lot better. I HTH a little.
DS was a both side feeder from early on. I always started on the good nipple (because he would always be more frantic at the start) and let him finish on the other side.

[Izy]

Thanks ladies.

The GP I'm seeing is a woman who has also had her own children and is fabulously supportive of breastfeeding. I think it'll be good for her to have a quick look at X and me to rule out infection. I do still expect that she will be referring me to a local LC though Tam. I've found as you've mentioned that breastfeeding really is a bit of a niche thing.

I was looking into thrush and X only really gets white on his tongue (or occasionally on his lip in a line when he has had a really long sleep) so it's making it seem even more unlikely- but as you mentioned it may be possible for the thrush to be purely on my nipple.

[Izy]

Ok, as it turns out the skin loss is actually Ezcema.

So I have a steroid cream I can use at night or basically any time I have the longest break from feeding.

Tonight I fed a bit from that side using a nipple shield, so thats a start. Need to protect the skin I have left here as the longer I wait the thinner the skin will get :rolleyes:
I really should have looked into this BEFORE my boob got this tender.

[kuddles]

I'm glad that you found out. :)
i bet knowing has eased your worries somewhat.

[SomewhereOverTheRainbow]

Oh Izy that sucks! I saw your FB status tonight and then found this thread. Have you had eczema before?
Hope it starts to improve for you :hugs::hugs:

[Izy]

nope, and it's nowhere else.
Apart from maybe on the top of my big toes.

Thanks for the support ladies

[SpecialPatrolGroup]

Izy, you might get some relief from one of the nipple 'cages' that you get from the ABA - they will keep you clothes from rubbing and prevent any creams (if you have to use any) from coming off. I was in the ABA shop the other day and saw them there. They are at Coorparoo.

[Tam-I-Am]

It seems really odd to me that you would experience eczema on one nipple only when you've never really had eczema before. I would have thought that dermatitis with your bub's saliva as the irritant would be more likely, and I'd be really hesitant to use a cortisone cream on my nipple when my bub was going to be drinking from said nipple/breast later on...

I dunno. I'm not doctor, don't get me wrong - but I *do* get eczema, and I did get flaky/peeling nipples when I was pregnant, and it wasn't eczema, it was something else entirely...

In any case, I hope you get some relief, and I agree with the PP's suggestion of a breast cage. I had impetigo on one nipple at one stage, and it hurt to have clothing next to my breast, those cages were a lifesaver. Avent make some that are about $10 from the supermarket/chemists.

[Izy]

breast shell shall be my best friend.
I'm going to avoid the cream cause i feel the same way tam.
I'm just going to try to keep it from 'soaking' in breastmilk, and keep up the lansinoh. I'll only use the cream if i have too, and even then it would be a case of the cream on at 9-10pm, washed off thoroughly at about 7. Nipple cream on, and then washed off before feeding to get as much remaining trace as possible.

For now i'm going to minimise feeds from the left so as to give the skin a chance to heal. I've got more than enough milk in the right alone, and would prefer to have to stuff one cup than cry and be frightened of feed time.