Why are my nipples still so sore??

[Tappys]

My ds is 4 weeks old and my nipples become extremly sore after he nurses for a while. I definitely don't think it's yeast because I don't have the symptoms. When he comes off my nipple looks a little pinched with a white ridge. I still tend to think that his latch is off but there is no damage and a few minutes after nursing it looks normal. If it was a bad latch, wouldn't there be some sort of damage? I saw a LC 2 weeks ago and she said the ridge is normal.

Any advice would be great!

TIA!

[ima062002]

Is the pinching making your nipple look like lipstick? If so that would be an indication that the latch is a bit off and your baby may self correct that a few minutes into nursing.

How long does the soreness last? Does it let up once your nipple looks normal again?

Does the tip of your nipple look white? If so, it could be vasospasm, a constriction of the blood vessels which is painful. You could fill a sock with some rice (uncooked) and heat that up in the micro and place warm (not hot) on your nipple and see if that helps. Heat is what helps the vasospasm to go away.

[Tappys]

The soreness tends to last well after my nipple returns to normal. My left side tends to hurt more and longer than my right. It's not a burning pain, just a soreness that is pretty painful. I did think about vasospasm being a possibility but because the shape was off I thought it might be related to the latch. I'll definitely read up on that though. My nipple is not shaped like lipstick but more of a symetrical pinch, even on both sides with the white ridge. So weird!

[Tappys]

Ok I did some research on Kellymom about Vasospasm and I think I found the answer. Looks like I have Blanching due to Nipple Compression and that triggers the vasospasm. I have over active letdown and they said that can cause him to have a shallow latch. I guess all I can do now is try the heat like you suggested and wait until he gets a little bit older. With my over active letdown, I take him off right when I get it but apparently that's not enough because he chokes his way through nursing the first 5 mins of nursing.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. :)

[Nipple_nectar]

You can try to improve the latch by reviewing what you are already are doing, go to www.drjacknewman.com and check out the latching tutorial, I am thinking that using an asymmetrical latch will improve things for you, I'll try and find a link for you.

Also, for pain management, you could invest in a pair of silverette, you can read about them here: www.breastfeedingheaven.com I use them and they are magical:)

[ima062002]

Also, have you checked Kellymom for nursing positions for OALD? It might help to stem the flow a bit. Glad I could help :).