Breastfeeding Help - Conroe, TX

I had cracked nipples for 4 months before I finally saw a breastfeeding consultant. If the first consultant didn't help, I suggest seeing someone else. I found out that although my daughter was latching on OK, she pulled off instead of unlatching (which was causing more damage) and the consultant showed me how to break the seal before she pulled off (putting a finger in her mouth). The consultant sat with us through a whole feeding to watch and see if there were any other problems. With the consultant's help, I was able to continue to breastfeed my daughter for a full year!

Hang in there, Maria. Try squeezing from the top and bottom on your breast/nipple just above the areola and when it is in his mouth, release. I had to do this with my daughter for the same reasons. When I breastfed my first child it did take about 3 weeks for my nipples to become "used" to the routine. Yes, during the first 3 weeks, my nipples were red, achy, even cracked and bleeding at times. It will stop. Also, use the Lansinoh nipple cream after and before every feeding. It does help. Best of luck to you... your baby is getting the BEST MILK!

HI Maria,

I breast fed all 4 of my children and one of them for a yr.
I remember the pain at first. Hang in there for your baby. It does get better and easier. It takes a few weeks for your nipples to get tough and used to the sucking. They may even bleed some- that is normal. I know that it is very very painful when he first starts sucking but if it eases up, that is how it will feel eventually. Most moms stop nursing because of the pain. For each of my kids, it starts all over but I hung in there. Even though my first 2 kids were only 15 mths apart and my son was 21 mths after that. Then 11 yrs later, I had a baby girl. You are doing the most important thing for your baby right now- the colostrum that is lining her intestinal wall is what will keep her healthy. YOur milk is sooooo important, if even for at least 3 mths.
There is some nipple creams that can sooth you in between feedings and it is safe for your baby to suck on. Look at wal mart or ask your doctor. Nursing also helps your uterus shrink faster and helps you get back to your "before" weight.
I wish you the best and dont give up. Also, if you can squeeze your nipple together when inially putting it in his mouth, it might help, but he may just have a small mouth.

Good Luck,

S.

I had the same problem, but mine continued for about 6 weeks due to a persistent case of thrush. This made mi whole breast sore, and nursing just made it worse. So I would recommend to check and see if your baby has thrush. If so, get it treated right away. It's really simple to treat. If you think you have it, your doctor can give you a yeast infection pill that will cure it, but make sure your pediatrician knows that you did that. The medication won't hurt your baby in small doses, but if he gets it from your milk AND from his own med, it can hurt him if he gets too much.

If it's not thrush, then I don't know what to tell you. He's not yet two weeks old, and it really will get better if you keep it up. I know what it is like to dread every feeding. For over a month I was miserable during every feeding, and sometimes even groaned aloud when she latched on. Now those days are past and we really enjoy nursing. I'm in no hurry to stop!

My baby also had this thing about not opening her mouth wide enough. Most of the time (even now, but it's not so much of an issue now), her upper lip would curl under while she was nursing, and I would just use my finger to gently uncurl it. Try putting your nipple right under his nose where he can't reach it and sliding it down in such a way that it forces him to open his mouth a bit more to get it. As long as he doesn't try latching on underneath the nipple!

Something else that helped me was to prop the baby up on pillows and massage my breast while she nursed. I did this when I had sore nipples the first few days (this was before thrush--when my breasts had thrush, massage just made it worse). Do a gentle massage as if you were trying to push the milk from the back to the front. This will make the milk flow easier and he won't have to suck as hard. If he isn't sucking as hard, it won't hurt as much. If you don't have thrush, this is probably your best defence. Don't worry about not cuddling the baby. If it really hurts and you dread it, you probably aren't letting down well, and then he has to suck harder to get the milk to come down, and the harder he sucks, the more it hurts, the more you dread it, the less your milk lets down, and it is a vicious cycle. Use pillows or whatever, make sure both of your are comfortable, and massage your breast gently. I only had to do it for about a day and a half and by that time the soreness had greatly decreased. I would say, try it. If it helps, do it until you don't dread every feeding, and then hold your baby again. This will help your milk let down easier and then he won't have to suck as hard, and your nipples can get a break! :)

Oh, and I big second on Rachel's suggestion to get some Lanolin cream. Use it after every feeding. It's a wonder. If you can't find it at Walmart (it's the Lanisoh brand, so some Wal-Mart should carry it even though mine didn't), ask your doctor, go to a birth center, go to the hospital, do whatever it takes to get some. If you still can't find it, email me and I'll give you my address and you can come and get some of mine. :)

Let me know how it works.

Hi Maria! Hang in there--it is well worth the pain and energy it takes to nurse your baby. My third baby had the hardest time latching on properly. She also didn't open her mouth wide enough. I went through several weeks of intense pain before she finally figured it out. When she would go to latch on I tried to get her bottom lip started first and then I would quickly pull her toward her upper lip to gently force her mouth open wider (I hope that made sense--it's hard to explain). If it was painful I would break the latch with my finger and try again. It will take a lot of persistence on your part, but he'll figure it out! Good luck! S.

Congratulations on your new son and your choice to breastfeed! I, too, had very sore nipples with me son even though he also had a pretty good latch. He liked to feed for a long time, too. Any part of your skin would get sore with that much rubbing every three hours. I found that wearing breast shells between feedings eased some of the pain as well as kept my bra from rubbing more.
The Medela were good but be sure to get the cotton that goes inside to absorb leaking milk (I ended up stuffing the bottom of the shell with those square cotton cosmetic pads.)
Soothies are also helpful; they are cooling gel pads.
The soreness went away after a couple of weeks. Good luck!

I want to offer words of encouragement. The first few weeks are hard. I had trouble with pain through 8 weeks. (I hurt so badly that I punched the arm of a chair and bit down on towels and cried while he ate, and I have a high tolerance for pain.) I've made it 8 1/2 months now. But the best advice I can give you is to say that your nipples will get used to it, and to take it one day at a time. I found that pumping was easier on me than my son was, and that might be an option, at least for a couple feedings a day pump and feed him from a bottle, to give you a rest.

A couple things about formula. There's no shame in using formula. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. A happy mom makes a happy baby, and if you're in pain it will be hard to be happy. And it's not an all or nothing deal. You can replace a couple feedings with formula to give yourself a break and your body will adjust to that, and should you decide to go back to exclusively breastfeeding, you can just start feeding him more again and your body will adjust to that too.

Good Luck!

(Also you might call your OB/GYN and ask about the throbbing, it might be a symptom of thrush or a clogged duct)

(Edited to correct spelling)

Maria, it sounds like he's not latched on correctly, but also no matter how many people tell you it doesn't hurt it will take your nipples some time to get use to it and it does hurt until then. I understand you "dreading"it;I did too, but i promise that it will get better. For me it took 3 wks for both of my children. I have a 21 month old little girl and a 2 month old little boy. If it gets to be too much use a nipple shield to help but keep it up I promise it will get better!!
Also get some Lansinoh nipple cream. It is kinda expensive for me at least but it is the best. I talked to a breastfeeding consultant and she said to put the cream on your nipple before you start feeding and that will help protect your nipple for a while. Also, try switching breasts often. To give them each a "break." Hope this helps and feel free to contact me if you need.

Maria,

God Bless You! My middle child used to do the same thing. What I used to do was hold her lower jaw down as she was nearing my nipple. This way, I was able to make sure she was taking in more of the areola. Eventually, she learned that if she opened her mouth wider she would get more milk out...but, also in a faster way. :) There is a good nipple soother called "Lansolin"(?). I don't know if I spelled that right. But, it comes in a purple squeeze bottle and helps relieve the throbbing you may be feeling. I hope I was some help!

Stop breastfeeding and buy a good breast pump. He will still get the benefit of your milk and you will get the relief you need.

Hi Maria, I have been breastfeeding 3 months and have done a lot of research regarding it and know several people who breastfeed. A good latch should not be painful. Nipple pain is not the norm and you're not suppose to " just get use to it". I highly recommend you take advantage of an awesome local resource: La Leche League. It is a group for breastfeeding moms, led by breastfeeding moms which have undergone specific training. Check out www.lalecheleague.com to find contact info. I know they'll be able to help, good luck......M.

I am an IBCLC and can help you with this issue. Give me a call at ###-###-####.

M.

You can try to let him suck on your finger for a couple of seconds, then transfer him to the breast. This helped me with my son. Either way, your body will adjust to his mout because my son had a really small mouth. Let me know if I can help any further!! Good luck!

Hi Marie, I understand completely what you are going through. I had the same problem with my son. I had sore, cracked, and bleeding nipples because my baby would not open his mouth big enough.
I tried everything from the nipple shields(which did not work for me, the milk would not come out well, and it was stilll extremely sensitive), I tried cooling pads, and nipple cream(I think it did some good, but didnt solve the problem. Oh if you are looking for good products to help with nursing, earth mamma angel baby has the best organic products. I loved it.
I remeber crying every time that I nursed, but I didnt want to give up. Although I wanted to soooo bad. I even heard that pumping your milk and giving it to your baby that way could help, but even the pumping was unbearable!
After you nurse, make sure to leave some milk on your nipples to dry, that helps to heal them a bit.
I actually had to try and force my baby's mouth open to get it widder, but that actaully backfired because I was using my finger, and by the time i got him on there, his mouth would shut again. I did this for a few months before I learned how to get him on right.
You have to get your baby's lower lip to touch the breast first while compressing it with your hand. And just stuff in the breast as much as you can. It does take awhile to get used to, especially if your baby was like mine and just starts sucking before he even opens his mouth.
Even after about six months I still had some problems. It seemed like it was on onw side, then it would switch to the next.
Guess what, I made it to one year though^^
And you know what. Even after all that trouble, I actaully miss nursing my son!!
I know that breastfeeding is not for everyone, but it was the best thing that I did. It just made me feel so close to my son.
I really hope that you can get through this, and know that you are not alone!!
I wish you the best for you and your little one

I had the same problem with my son. I used a nipple shield with him for about a month, but I was still in a lot of pain until my body adjusted to nursing. I think the pain is normal, but if he is not latching on correctly it will be even worse. Try squeezing your areola as he is latching on so he can get the entire thing in his mouth. Just keep working on it...it will get better every day as your nipples get callused(?).

I have 3 kids and nursed all for them.There is a cream that is sold in the baby bottle isle that is wonderful.I am not sure of the name but it is in a purple tube.It is safe for both you and baby and has no flavor.It helps with the pain and redness.It is sold for about $10 but is very worth it.As long as you can hear the baby swallowing then he is ok.Hang in there this is one of the best things you can ever do for your child.I belive it does make your kids healthy being that my kids are hardly ever sick.