New Mom - so ready to be done with PAIN!

[@llli*lizm]

Hello,
I have been reading this forum for the past couple weeks, searching for answers to various problems that have come up since my little boy was born just over 2 weeks ago. It has been a wealth of information!

However, I finally decided I needed to find the time to make an account and post because I am getting really sick of living with PAIN! Starting with our lovely, but very painful (thank you pitocin!), pain reliever free birth on December 30th, to now, I don't think I've experienced this much pain in my life! We had our initial latch problems and the pain that accompanied that. But it seemed to be improving and resolving around the end of week 1. We've made it through mastitis, two sweltering fevers, and more extremely painful clogged milk ducts than I can remember! Thanks to antibiotics at birth and for the mastitis, where we are now is a killer case of thrush that popped up at the beginning of week 2.

At least, thats what I think... initially he seemed to be showing signs of thrush (popping on and off the breast, crying as in pain when eating), although he never had the tell-tale white "cottage cheese" in the mouth. For over a week I have experienced painful burning like sensations on my nipple (almost like someone put icy hot on my nipple), sometimes accompanied by shooting pain from the nipple up towards my arm-pit. Also my nipples are pink and feel "raw" and when he latches on it is some of the most intense sharp pain I have experienced. This pain continues while he eats as a varying in intensity pinching sensation. All of these symptoms are way worse on the right side (always been the problem side) than the left. In fact, the left side was almost symptom-less and felt quite pleasant to nurse on, but has been gradually getting worse. Sometimes I think that it is improving, only for it to hurt worse the next time.

I went to the pediatrician for this last Tuesday and got Nystatin and was told to coat the inside of his mouth with it and put it on my nipples after he ate. That was terrible, as the nystatin has your typical "medicine" consistency and made my nipples sticky! By Saturday, the pain was so bad I was in tears, so I made a call in to the pediatrician's after-hours clinic. The nurse told me to up the amount of times I was giving him the nystatin and put Lotramin on my nipples after he ate. She said it should improve, but might not go away for up to 2 weeks.

Well, today is Tuesday and while the burning in-between feedings seems to have improved somewhat, it hurts like nothing else when he eats. It is even starting to become quite painful at times on the left side. Which makes me sad because I enjoyed feeding him on that side. Today at the 2 week check-up his doctor didn't seem too concerned. I mentioned our continuing problem and my pain and she checked his mouth and said he was fine. Well, thats great, but he's not going to continue to be fine if his mother continues in this kind of pain!

I feel terrible because I've gone from feeding him absolutely anytime he wants, to trying to just squeak out a few extra minutes between feedings to avoid the pain. Of course I feed him when he wants it still - he doesn't seem to be suffering - weighed in at 10lbs 2oz today - almost 2lbs of gain from his birth weight of 8lbs 6oz! At least something's going well!

I just want to get to the place where we can both enjoy nursing and for me to not dread it so much! Any suggestions? Thanks so much - sorry for the novel length post!

[@llli*rakoonz]

I'm sure a more experienced mama on here will also chime in, but do you think it could be a shallow latch in addition? At the end of a feeding, are your nipples round like a pencil eraser, or are they shaped like a new tube of lipstick? That was causing me agony and I didn't even have any infection.

[@llli*bcav]

I had thrush twice, the first time I took meds for it and the second time I used organic apple cider vinegar. I would swipe my nipples with a cotton ball soaked in full strength vinegar after each feed. The thrush was gone in a few days. The yeast don't like that kind of environment so they die off. I didn't bother with nursing pads because as long as you wipe after each feed that should be enough. But i was very strict to wipe EVERY time and for a few days after the pain was gone. Now if I feel even a slight tinge or burning sensation I pull out the vinegar. Oh, and the peri bottle that you get when you leave the hospital made for a great portable container for the vinegar. And I did read somewhere that is should be ORGANIC apple cider vinegar.

[@llli*lizm]

I'm sure a more experienced mama on here will also chime in, but do you think it could be a shallow latch in addition? At the end of a feeding, are your nipples round like a pencil eraser, or are they shaped like a new tube of lipstick? That was causing me agony and I didn't even have any infection.

I don't *think* it is the latch. Nipples mostly come out round, occasionally a little "lipsticky" - but that's usually because he is losing his grip at the end of the feeding. At the end of week one, the latch issues were resolving, and I don't think they've gotten worse. Although it is hard to tell since the thrush is so painful.

[@llli*lizm]

I had thrush twice, the first time I took meds for it and the second time I used organic apple cider vinegar. .

I was using just regular apple cider vinegar half strength, but it didn't seem to be helping, so I gave it up when I started using the lotrimin. I do have some Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar - so I think I'll start trying that out again.

[@llli*lizm]

Another question. Can I still use the lanolin? I feel like it might help a little with the "raw" feeling, but I don't know if that would create too moist of an environment for the yeasties.

[@llli*katmar]

I have yet to hear of a thursh case nystatin resolved (anyone out there? speak up if it worked for you). Much better is Diflucan. We had thrush about, hm, 5 times in the first 6 months, and we finally got rid of it through a combo difulcan, gse, probiotics, and insane hand sanitizing. Make sure you both take the Diflucan (I just put it on my nips, but some people take it orally, too). Does your LO have yeast diaper rash, too? To protect from that, I have found coconut oil to be a great prophylactic -- oh, and also on your nipples! My IBCLC gave me a med article out of India about how coconut oil combats yeast on the nipples.

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

Nystatin won't work for a case like you describe. You need Diflucan. Baby needs Diflucan.

[@llli*browncow]

You might look into Dr Newman's all purpose nipple ointment instead of the lanolin. I *think* yeast like the lanolin. Someone else chime in here if I'm wrong it's been awhile. But the APNO has a antifungal, antibacterial, and antiinflammatory medication in it. Also you will need a prescription and a compounding pharmacy to get it but I've heard of people that make their own with over the counter meds too. I'd post a link to Dr. Newman's site but I'm on my phone

[@llli*lizm]

Thanks so much for all the help so far! I think I am going to try to ACV and Coconut Oil, since those are both things I have on hand.I know that Coconut oil is anti-bacterial, but I had forgotten that it is anti-fungal as well. Hopefully it will help relieve the feeling of being "chapped" or "raw" as well. If those things don't seem to be helping after a couple more days...I guess I'll have to go slinking back to the doctor. Hopefully it will work!