Need a pep talk! (sorry long!)

[ZMom]

I'm so glad I found this board!! Everyone has been so helpful!

Here's what's going on- any advice would be SO nice!!

My DD is 4 months old and the first 2 months of Bfing went great. She latched on well and we really clicked. Then came my first bought with clogged ducts on the left side and now I have a bleb that I can't get rid of or heal on the right (it's going on 8 weeks!). I'm using GV (no help at all!), Licithin tabs 4-8/day (just started- no help except more clogged ducts) and am going to also try GSE. I also keep getting clogged ducts about every other day and they're on both sides. I've tried everything with the bleb and can't seem to get anything out of it- it's just a white sore that won't heal or go away!

I am totally beside myself with discomfort and pain and just don't see how I can keep this up for much longer. I've had to resort to taking 600 mg of Ibuprohen every 6 hrs to stay sane.

I'd like to keep Bfing for at least 6-9 months, but it seems like an eternity. Any thoughts and help would be so helpful. My LC is great, but can't really help with the bleb and I can't get in to see my breast dr until later this week.

Thanks so much!!

[ZMom]

Oh and also the right side with the bleb has greatly reduced in milk production so I'm so worried that I won't be able to get back up to speed. Now the left side is also slowing down.
For the first two months I was doing great at producing about 1 oz every hour on both sides and was freezing a lot. I miss those days and want to get them back!! Thanks again!

[Amy_G_]

Your milk supply has probably slowed to meet demand, and isn't as high as it was to make enough to feed every baby on the block. That's normal and hormones settle down and boobs give only what baby demands. Unless you are going back to work and need the stash, producing 1 oz extra every hour to freeze is more than baby needs, right?

Lecithin MAY help with plugged ducts and recurrent mastitis.
But do you have yeast and that's why you are doing the genetian violet? GSE for healing nips?

I think you need a visit with a DIFFERENT LC, if the one you have cannot help you with the bleb.

It may be a plugged duct all the way out to the nipple, if you can't fix it. It may also be a sore from a lazy latch that won't heal if you keep trying to make it go away as if it were a bleb.

Start with Warm water soaks of the breasts, with massage and hand expression. The warm water can have a salt added, sometimes that helps. get the nips some free air time--with a little sunlight but no sunburns! ;) rub some breastmilk into the sore nips and let air dry then use lanisoh (unless it's yeast)

When you nurse, make sure she's opening up really wide and latching on very deep. kellymom.com has some good pictures for you. bottom lip touches the breast first, you hold it with 4 fingers on the bottom and thumb on the top and squish it a bit and stuff it into the baby's mouth to ensure good latch.

Every time you nurse, try to have baby nurse in a different position. This will help drain the whole breast on all the different sides and avoid plugged areas. this will also put pressure on different parts/sides of your nipple and help decrease pain.

check your pump. If you've been pumping a lot and getting plugged ducts, the pump may not be strong enough for good drainage of the breast, OR the horns may be too small and putting pressure on the breast to plug things up. Some brands of breastpumps do damage to nipples and breasts, and that may be the issue.

Check your bra and everything you wear for things that rub, press, or pinch. don't wear underwires. go braless occassionally. make sure you don't sleep smushing the one sorest breast to plug things up more.

Nurse on one side only per feeding. the "off duty" breast, rub neosporin into any sore spots and let it hang out and heal.

good luck, hang in there, and like I said, consider a visit with an IBCLC (not "just" an LC). I doubt your dr will be of any help with sore nips unless it's mastitis and needs antibiotics.

[ZMom]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help!! I don't know if I have yeast, DD has always had a bit of white stuff on her tongue kind of looks like she has milk on it so now I'm thinking it's yeast.

I'm doing GV b/c my LC thought it would help heal the bleb. I want to just give the GSE a try to see if it's any help. I'm going to try the warm soak too, I usually just get in the shower and massage but that might not be enough.

I think she has a good latch and usually gets a full mouth on so I don't think it's that.

I have the Medela Pump in style and think it's in good condition. I'm going to try a new horn to see if that helps.

New bras are on order. I'll look into an IBCLC too. Thanks again I feel like such a mess!!