Blisters?

I didn't know you could get sore nipples again...For a few days, I had noticed that I felt sore again and finally, when I actually looked at my nipple, I saw the culprit. I had little red blisters. Nursing felt like pinching and it wasn't comfortable. Crazy, right? Thankfully, I read some good information in The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, and started trying its suggestions. Basically, blisters, or blebs as they call them, can occur because of blocked ducts. The blisters forms over the top and actually collects some milk within them. They can occur more frequently after a period of time when the baby begins to sleep longer stretches at night. The book listed many options as remedies--soaking them in olive oil, warm water or vinegar, popping them with a sterilized needle, and more frequent nursing. I tried the vinegar. Vinegar actually absorbs the milk within the blister and then makes the blister smaller.

For a day or two, I put vinegar on a paper towel and wore it within my bra for a few minutes after feeding. Finally, after one of Aya's longer nursing sessions, I felt it pop and it bled a little. For several days after it popped, I still felt some tenderness but a lot less pressure. I followed the lead of a lactation consultant at a hospital class I attended, and used some neosporin, which helped speed up my recovery considerably. This was not a fun experience, but I was glad it reminded me again of how painful nursing can be in the early days, and reminded me too, of how thankful I am that nursing is comfortable again.