Painful nipple question...

[cjarret]

Hello, all - My little one is almost 8 months old and in the last few days I've had some painful nipple issues.  When my LO nurses on my right breast, my nipple really burns for the first few minutes.  It gets a little better after that, but it's still pretty tingly for a while after we're done.  My nipple doesn't look funny, though it does feel a little dryer than my left one...  LO does not have any white patches in her mouth or anything, either.  Oh, and it doesn't really hurt when I pump.

Any ideas?  I was thinking yeast infection, but my only "symptom" is the burning pain in my nipple.

 

[LLLena]

I would consider calling your healthcare provider for advice.  I ended up with mastitis and then a yeast infection which lingered.  So just for your own sanity, I would try to get checked.  Goodluck!

[riuliani]

Definitely get checked but it sounds like thrush.  Or at least it sounds like the symptoms I had when I had thrush.  LO only had white mouth the first time I got it.  The second time I had it LO had no symptoms.  Although if it is thrush it may only be a matter of time.

In the meantime you could try a simple rinse to see if it helps.  When I had thrush I found rinsing the nipple after every feed with a vinegar water solution really helped with the pain.  The vinegar helps to decrease the fungus.  Then I would put Purelan/Lansinoh on the nipple to keep it from drying.  A cracked nipple hurts even more (trust me  ).  Good luck!

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

I agree - check it out.  You could have a yeast infection without your lo having thrush yet...