Bleeding Nipple

Last night I had quite the scare when I noticed Jaiden spitting up some blood.  I checked the breast he'd fed on just prior to spitting up, and noticed that there was some bloody skin hanging off.  Kinda gross, I know.  >.>  I let that breast "rest" in order to heal up after I put some lanolin on it, but when I fed him on it this morning, it started bleeding again.

I don't want to keep feeding him on that side if he's going to keep ingesting blood b/c it will upset his tummy and he'll spit up (he did this morning too, but it wasn't like last night).  Should I just pump that side until it heals up?  Is there anything I can do to help it heal faster, aside from using the lanolin?

I have my 6 week post-partum check-up tomorrow, and will be talking to my doc about it too.  But I just wanted to see if any of you ladies had some advice till then!!  =D  Thanks so much!

[Avanaar]

Sorry for the post spam ... Medhelp pretty much froze up on me when I hit "submit" and it ended up posting it 3 times.  >.>

[babydreams9]

Aww, that sounds painful!! I can't share any experience, but I do know that it won't *hurt* baby to ingest blood... and you do want to keep that side "going" to avoid supply issues. If it were me, I'd pump that side, and in the meantime give a call to your local LLL or call a local hospital and ask to speak w/a lactation consultant asap. They probably have great advice, as this is not an uncommon issue. Hope it gets better!!

[tiredbuthappy]

MedHelp seems quirky today

I was pumping exclusively and panicked one day when I saw the milk in the bottle was PINK. I called my LC right away and she assured me that it was safe for the baby to drink. Still it grossed me out. I found a great solution, but like I said I was pumping. Maybe someone who had this while nursing can give advice.

To prevent the blood from gushing while pumping, I actually found that putting a glob of lanolin right on the sore worked. It kept even my worst bleeders from making the milk red. To heal the sores in between sessions, I used a nipple shell. I found what was happening was everytime I removed my nursing pad or bra, any scab that started to form ripped off with it, starting the process all over again. Fabric touching my nipple was totally hindering the healing process. The nipple shell is a hard shell that keeps everything away from the nipple, but has holes so air circulates. My nipples healed VERY quickly when I wore them- maybe even within 24 hours. I also did saline soaks to help the sore heal and prevent infection. To make these i took some warm water in a cup and added salt. I dipped my nipple in to the cup or applied the saline with a cottonball. Sometimes I would use lanolin with the shell as well. I highly recommend having a set. They are bulky and look funny under the clothes, but very effective. (warning- they made me leak more because they do slightly compress the area around the nipple. Be sure to wear a nursing pad on the outside of it.)  If i was going somewhere and didn't want to look ridiculous, i had another solution. DH thought of Johnson's non-stick first aid pads. I wore them in between my nipple and the nrsing pad or bra. They are a bit expensive, but the healing wound didn't stick to them.

anyways, back to the blood. My LC said it won't harm the baby, and unless baby ingests a huge quantity, it shouldn't upset the tummy. She told me that I can give pumped milk with blood in it. If it looked like there was a lot of blood (and sometimes there was!), then I could let it settle to the bottom and pour off the good milk. This actually worked.

[Avanaar]

Thanks so much for your advice!

I know the one night I started pumping in the dark, and when my hubby opened the bathroom door and let light in the room, I noticed there was blood in the bottle from my left breast.  I completely freaked out!  But that was partially my fault b/c my breast wasn't in the suction cup right, so it bled some.  I hadn't pumped much, so I dumped it out thinking it wasn't good for the baby.

I think I'll pump for a day or so and let my nipples heal up some.  I already have a couple stored bottles in the fridge too, but now that I know a little blood mixed in won't hurt him, I'm not overly worried about it!  The funny thing about my nipples is that it doesn't hurt when he's sucking on them (the initial latch hurts a little, but that's always happened), but they're tender and tingly when I just have my bra and pads on.  

I have a LC that met with me at the hospital.  I can give her a call too.  =D  But again, thank you both for your advice!!

[Diane1003]

I've called the LC several times from the hospital near me - theyve been hugely helpful. I can't offer any words of wisdom or experience in regards to what you're going through other than to say Ouch!  Sounds like you've gotten some good advice already.  Best of luck!