Blocked ducts/ exploding breasts - LLL help?

[MLBW]

Dear Cath,

Dr. Jack Newman has an all purpose nipple ointment made from the drugs mupirocin and betamethasone. These are not available in Hong Kong so doctors use other drugs which do the same thing. Usually it is fucidin and daktacort together but I believe that fucidin and mycozole will work just as well.

This ointment has three functions. It is an anti-bacterial, an anti-fungal and an anti-inflammatory. This is usually given for sore nipples rather than sore breasts. Did you complain about sore nipples too?

You only need a very small amount of the two ointments which you mix together in the plam of your hand first and then put on your nipples. It should be such a small amount that you can gently rub it into your skin ? so that by the time the baby feeds it has all been absorbed into your skin and there is none left.

If this is the only thing that you have changed then it is likely that it is the ointment/cream that is upsetting your son and making him fussy.

Best wishes,
SARAH

Hi. I used both the all-purpose nipple ointment and the mixture of miconozole and fucidin. Both exacerbated the problem as the root cause was dermatological. I think it's a good idea to have a dermatologist take a look at your nipples if they are bothering you. It is assumed that it is a yeast-type infection usually but sometimes (especially with the all-purpose nipple ointment that also includes a steroid) that is not the case. I'll tell you, neither of those creams made things better for me.

 

[MLBW]

mji
Funny - I did the cabbage thing yesterday after talking to my sister (a Brit). Talk about relief!!!! Yes - It REALLY helps!

I was going to mention that too. I had serious problems with breast engorgement for the first 6-8 weeks of breastfeeding--along with some major dermatological-caused nipple issues. But....cool cabbage leafs were the only thing that helped in any regard of the many, many things that the lactation consultant recommended (everything from pharmaceutical treatments to naturopathic/organic remedies). I really did run the gamit of treatments and never did find a solution to my problem (apart from stopping breastfeeding when my son was 5 months old) but the cabbage leaves--those at least provided immediate relief.

Glad you tried that!

 

[LLL_Sarah]

The most common cause of sore nipple is poor positioning and latch. So the first thing to do is get help with this - have a LLL leader or a lactation consultant watch you breastfeeding and suggest tips that could improve things.

If after this your nipples are still sore then you may need medication to help as well. Please don't self medicate but go to a doctor who will be able to see actactly what sort of infection you have.

As MLBW mentioned if you don't have a yeast infect, thrush medicine won't help. The usual types of infection are: bacterial, fungal and thrush but the soreness could have other causes too so it is best to check with a doctor.

Best wishes,
SAAH

 

[MLBW]

The most common cause of sore nipple is poor positioning and latch. So the first thing to do is get help with this - have a LLL leader or a lactation consultant watch you breastfeeding and suggest tips that could improve things.

If after this your nipples are still sore then you may need medication to help as well. Please don't self medicate but go to a doctor who will be able to see actactly what sort of infection you have.

As MLBW mentioned if you don't have a yeast infect, thrush medicine won't help. The usual types of infection are: bacterial, fungal and thrush but the soreness could have other causes too so it is best to check with a doctor.

Best wishes,
SAAH

Yes, I know that this is true. However, in my case, my son had a really great latch and was a breastfeeding natural from the beginning--made several trips to the lactation consultant and had her observe me--it wasn't a problem with his latch. It was a problem with my skin so as LLLSarah said, it could be caused by several things. And I still think cabbage leaves are awesome! It's amazing how something so simple can help so much when all the other prescribed medications and ointments failed.

 

[Sucellia]

Yeah! Cabbage leaves is very well known method to cool down the breast (when duct is blocked or when you have mastitis) in Japan. But make sure to wash it clean before use them!

Other thing we do is use cold taro potato or normal potato. Just grade them (mix them with flour if you want), wrap them with moslin square or you can use plastic bag and put it in your bra! If works great, too!

Anyway, I hope you gets better soon!

Sucellia