A few weeks ago, I battled a plugged duct. Thanks to the help of you all, I got rid of that (twice), but now I'm having pain on that side while nursing. To be honest, I think the pain while nursing actually started while I had the plugged duct, but the duct seemed like the more immediate problem, and the pain was only on occasion. Now the duct is clear again, but the pain is more constant. When my 12 month old isn't nursing, it's just a mild stinging. When he latches on, though, it actually hurts. On a scale of 1-10, the pain is only maybe a 5, but I don't like that it hurts at all.
For the past few days, I've seen what looks like a white dot on my nipple. Upon closer inspection, it looked more like...well, do you know what a dead taste bud looks like? It looked kind of like that. Now that seems to be gone, but where it was, it looks like a faint trace of dried blood. Might I have a cut that is burning when he nurses? I've never had a cut there before.
As usual, any suggestions? I cringe at the thought of him nursing on that side, which is unfortunate, because that's always been the easy side to nurse him on. Sigh. This breastfeeding thing is so much more complicated than anyone ever lead me to believe...