O.k. so I have had a rough start with my third at breastfeeding (my first two failed miserably) you can read my questions history to get a better idea of what is going on with this one but I have spend a lot of time in the hospital and pumping and dumping and had a rough start breastfeeding before getting hospitalized. I have hear many times just fix the latch. Well after my now 4th visit with a lactation person we have come to realize that my left nipple does not pull out (have good elasticity I guess you could say) my right nipple is great my daughter nurses on that side just fine; doesn't hurt at all. But my left side now after resuming breastfeeding for a week ( my daughter is 6 weeks old) my left nipple is cracked and hurting big time. Now after saying that I can pump just fine on that side without it hurting with a Large pump piece. Have any of you had this issue and did it ever work itself out. Or am I at a loss as to feeding straight from that side. Also right now I started pumping that side again but do hope that some day I can solely feed off that boobie. Is this going to happen or should I just deal with the fact that the left side just doesn't function correct. ( I am glad to say that now I understand better why I didn't succeed with my first two because the pain was so much and I didn't have a good pump like I do now. I just hate seeing her struggle from going from the bottle to breast and she sleeps much better at night getting milk from the breast and not the bottle but it hurts too much to feed off the left and my right side just doesn't make enough boob juice to feed the whole night...lol As you can see I am trying to stay as positive as I can with this :)
Edit: forgot to mention I have tried the shield and it hurts worse when using it. I have tried both a 22 and 24 in shield size. And when they did a weight check she could only pull out 1/4 oz with shield but could do 3/4 without one. Thanks barefoot mama for the reminder.
I had this same problem. I'm sorry to say we never did solve it, and eventually that breast dried up because I was reluctant to feed on it since it was so painful. I'm sorry that I can't give you advice, but I want you to know that you're not alone!
bless you for trying so hard and sticking with it!
There is nothing wrong with nursing from only one side, except the lopsided breasts. :) Your right breast WILL compensate when it is forced to. Spend 24 hrs in bed being waited on by DH with big glasses of water and as much skinto skin contact as you can handle. You will have more milk. Your body will make enough to feed through the night. Your right side just has to get the proper amount of suckling to start making more. What your baby needs, your body WILL make, you just have to let baby make that clear to your right breast.
If you're pumping on the left, then that is doubly great. You have milk that daddy can use and you can take a nap or go to the grocery store by yourself, knowing your baby is getting the best nourishment in the world.
High five to you, mama. I wish you all the best.
I didn't have the same issues - but wanted to share a similar story. I had thrush with my first child and our experience was very painful. Bite a washcloth, curl the toes painful. But I was so determined to prove the NiCu doc wrong, who'd sent me home with a bag filled plump with formula, the entire staff chuckling at my attempts to hand off colostrum ('he needs way more than this to survive' they'd said). So I kept at it, 'round the clock. Painful nursing after painful nursing. It eventually turned into the most natural moments for the two of us - . Our daughter was the same, multiplied. She latched so tightly that her face would scrunch up. My toes were curled before we even got into the position to nurse. And the thrush was so severe my nipple was bleeding and, well, a deep carved groove threatened to eventually pull that one off. Seriously. I also grabbed onto every lactation consultant I could find to discover how to rid us of the thrush, keep the milk flowing - and uncurl the toes. It was the gal that had me feeding her steadily on that side that prevailed. She said the milk would heal the wound. She felt different posititioning would balance the suction, etc. Who knows, but she instilled a confidence in me that said - yes, i can.
I now believe it was a lot of things that kept us going, formula free. But the biggest was to nurse through the pain OR pump through it. I know of moms who nursed solely on one side. That works, too. And of moms that tandem nursed babies. I think it comes down to you, your body and what you are learning about feeding your baby. I would say to start with one side or the other, switch midway - and then go back. If starting with your 'good side', she'll have some in her tummy and won't be as frantic - will be in the nursing mode, try the other to keep the milk coming - and switch back to empty the other side out OR try the opposite, giving her the frantic suction on your sore side to get the milk moving and switch to your other side to fill her tummy. And then after... I'd set up shop to pump both sides empty. Yup, probably painful, but I'd keep that milk flowing for a few days to see if it doesn't get better.
Elasticity. We laughed at my third baby. She managed to twist, pull, turn, etc - with me painfree. It does come along :)
Best wishes, hang in there - and let us know what happens :)
I had one flat and one inverted nipple when I had my first son. We had a really rough time with nursing in the beginning (I had low milk supply due to complications with labor and blood loss and he had trouble latching and then there were the nipple issues). He preferred the flat nipple to the inverted one because it was easier to nurse. By the time I weaned him though I had one flat nipple (the previously inverted one) and one normal one. My daughter also preferred the easier nipple, but after almost 12 months of nursing I now have two normal nipples. I just kept offering the one they didn't want, offering it first more often than the other. Eventually it got better. Hang in there.
Keep pumping, it will get better...promise.
Be sure to rub some lanolin (or jack newman's all purpose nipple ointment) on before and after pumping on that side to increase the elasticity of the collagen cells in your slow-to-learn-boobie.
Yes, it's ok to do it before pumping - it won't change your milk or taste bad. You only use a little. I'd actually rub a little in 4 to 5 times a day when you aren't pumping too because it makes it feel tons better.
I have the same thing, though likely to a lesser extent. A nurse recommended pumping for a short while and then having my son try to latch since pumping seemed to bring the nipple out a bit. That seemed to help enough that he could latch if I had started him on the other side so he wasn't frantic hungry. Gets to be quite a process, but may be worth a try.
Due to low supply, I only breast fed for a few days before switching to exclusive pumping due to nipple confusion since I was supplementing. So I definitely am cheering your efforts on! Hope it works out for you. Side note, if you do end up going the pumping route, I did find a great resource on Baby Center dot com. Look in the community section for the exclusive pumpers group. I've found a lot of good suggestions and support there.
There are nipple shields you can put over your nipples when latching. You should be pumping when using them to make sure your milk supply is staying up. There is also a product I love love love called Soothies. You put them in the refridge and put them on your nipples. they are awesome. I think walgreens and baby R us have them. Hope this is helpful.
I don't know any tips for nipple elasticity, but maybe this article will give you some inspiration?
http://www.mothering.com/breastfeeding/one-breast-enough
I agree with SA Mamma H. It's called a "nursing holiday" and it's for at LEAST 24 hours, most commonly for an entire weekend. It really helps with supply problems which in your case means with getting your right side to produce everything baby needs. This can totally be done. Just pump the left side for your emergency stash to keep them even and to make pumping and storing easier.
Think about it this way. Plenty of women nurse twins or even higher multiples so each of their breasts is making at least enough for one baby, sometimes more.
Have you tried using a shield on the left side? I have short nipples and nursed my first son for 26 months with a shield. No, it's not ideal, but it worked. Now my 3 week old is using one too, but I'm hoping to wean him off of it. Pump until it's healed, then try the shield. Just a thought/ suggestion. I hope it works!
