What should I do if my nipple is bitten and becomes festered?

In order to provide their babies with sufficient nutrition, many mothers will actively extend the time of breastfeeding. This is a manifestation of great maternal love. However, as the baby grows up, he may start to grow teeth, and the bite force will become stronger and stronger. Then the baby will bite the nipple, and in severe cases, it will even bleed. If not cared for properly, the nipple may fester. At this time, this nipple cannot be used for feeding. The following methods can be used to help solve the problem.

What should I do if my nipple is bitten and becomes festered?

You can't breastfeed on the bitten side. You can apply some ointment. But the milk must be expressed, otherwise it will easily cause inflammation.

First of all, I can’t breastfeed on this side now. Erythromycin ointment should be applied. You can breastfeed only after you are cured. But the milk on this side should be expressed.

Generally speaking, most mothers will go through this process, so you must be careful when feeding your baby. Remember to use breast milk to soften the nipple. This will make it easier for the baby to bite the nipple and help the baby suck out the milk. In this way, the child will not bite the nipple and cause suppuration.

If the nipple skin is damaged, bacteria can enter the breast tissue and easily cause mastitis or abscesses. If the baby stops sucking and the milk cannot be emptied, there is a high chance of infection. When breastfeeding after childbirth, be careful to prevent the baby from biting your nipples. Nips are prone to cracking if they are soaked in baby's saliva for a long time, so each feeding time should not be too long, generally 15 to 20 minutes is good; also, do not let the baby sleep with the nipple in his mouth.

Other protective measures include stopping using alkaline soaps, detergents, or applying medicated oils when cleaning the nipples. Improve the baby's sucking posture and continue to breastfeed the baby. You can start by feeding from the breast on the side that does not hurt. When the feeding posture is improved, the pain will usually improve immediately and the fissures will heal quickly.

During the intervals between breastfeeding, expose the affected nipple to air and sunlight as much as possible. Leaving a drop of after milk on the nipple after each breastfeeding will help the nipple skin heal. Sometimes, after improving the sucking posture, the pain still persists, or because of breast swelling, the baby cannot get enough milk, which will cause the milk stagnation to worsen. Therefore, the milk needs to be squeezed out before the fissures heal. When nipple rupture occurs, the mother should pay more attention to protection and local hygiene to avoid infection and inflammation.

First, wash the ruptured part of the nipple with warm water, then apply 10% cod liver oil bismuth, or compound benzoin tincture, or grind equal parts of Chinese medicine Phellodendron chinense and Angelica dahurica into powder, mix with sesame oil or honey and apply to the affected area. Wash off the medicine before breastfeeding and protect the nipples with nipple shields or sterile gauze.

If the nipple is severely cracked, breastfeeding should be stopped for 24 to 48 hours; or the milk can be sucked out with a glass breast shield for indirect feeding so that the child does not come into direct contact with the nipple, or the milk can be squeezed directly into a sterilized clean bottle to feed the child.