Nipples Are Really Sore and Milk Supply

Hi K.,

Congratulations on your great gift:-) In case you didn't remember, lanolin is your best friend! You can also try letting your nipples air dry after each fed. It also sounds like your daughter may not have as great of a latch as you think she has, so I would consult your local lactation consultant just to confirm the latch.

As far as using the pump to get get things going, it is great if you are engorged. If you had a C-section your milk will be delayed typically longer than with a vaginal birth, but you should expect it within the next day or two. Also, if you supplement with formula that will slow down the process. I would feed your baby as often as she is interested. This will help with the milk supple. As far as getting your milk going, there is nothing like baby to do that. The more you demand the more you will produce, so there is truth there. For example if you are nursing AND pumping you will make more than your daughter needs, and have milk to store.

Best of luck,
T. Nelson CD (DONA)

I would definitely consult a lactation specialist regarding the milk and to ensure that your beautiful baby is latching on properly. For the sore nipples, try rubbing vitamin E on them every time after nursing. It does an amazing job of soothing and "toughening up" your nipples. Take a vitamin E capsule and prick it with a pin. Then squeeze it out onto your nipple. Wash it off with a washcloth before nursing again. My mother taught me this trick. I ignored her with my first and used the lanolin that the doctor gave me. Within two or three days my nipples were cracked and bleeding. I switched to vitamin E and they healed and never gave me any more problems. With my other two I started with vitamin E right away, and I never had any problems with cracking/bleeding. I also only used it for two or three weeks - until my nipples were used to the breastfeeding.

K. , if your nipples are hurting when you are nursing then yes, the baby is latching incorrectly. Don't give up. See a Lactation Consultant or Lactation Educator so she can walk you through the process to get the baby on right.
It usually take the body a min of 4 days for the milk to come in, and as of today you are at 7 days. I know of one mom who's milk did not come in full force of almost 2 weeks, and she is still nursing 2 years later. Lactation is all about supply and demand. The more you put the baby on, the more your body will produce. If you get a pump, I would pump right after the baby has nursed, don't substitute the pump for a nursing session, just add it to it after wards.
The most important thing is to relax. Take a warm bath, drink some "mothers milk tea" by yogi tea, and pore yourself a few ounces of Hewewizen (wheat) beer. The unfiltered hoops is very nutricious and helps in the production of milk.
regards,
S.: doula, yoga, lactation

I just wanted to add to all the great responses that you might want to talk to the lactation consultant or your OB about All Purpose Nipple Cream. It is a prescription but it only available at some pharmacys, not all. It is a compound of ingrediants that do WONDERS for sore nipples! My daughter had some issues with latch also, but because it was so painful I was tense and certainly didnt make it any easier for her. So after I talked a few things over with the lactation consultant from the hospital she then also reccomended the cream and I had it that afternoon!! I have since reccomended it to friends w/the same problem and they were so very grateful. Congratulations and good luck.

D.

Hi K.,
I feel your pain! Literally! I have one amazing daughter (21 months) and we had a difficult time breastfeeding at first. My nipples were cracked and bleeding for weeks due to improper latch. We finally went to a lactation consultant and she helped us out. It was great! As some of the other ladies have mentioned, letting your nipples air dry is a great idea. I didn't like the lanolin and a very thoughtful girlfriend gave me Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter and I loved it! I believe they carry it at Babies R Us now or it can be found online http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/products/product_pages/...

We also had a hard time with my milk supply. I took fenugreek (which made me smell like maple syrup LOL) and drank Mother's Milk tea as previously suggested. We also rented a hospital-grade pump and I pumped after every nursing.

Good luck with everything and congratulations on your Mother's Day gift! Take care, K..
J.

My nipples were VERY sore (split, bleeding, painful!) because my son was extremely tongue tied. At about 2 weeks old I finally found a pediatrician that would clip his tongue. However, by that point the damage was done. At about 5 weeks old I started nursing on one side and pumping the other for 2 days. I did this so that my nipples could heal, not to toughen them up.

I recommend seeing a lactation consultant and having your child's tongue and latch checked. A little pain/discomfort is normal for a week or so, but if it goes past that point there is something wrong.

I personally never liked lanolin. However, SOOTHIES are great and totally saved me.

However, a little pain is NOT a reason to stop nursing. It will go away eventually and it's worth it to give your baby the very best. Good luck!

Hi K.,

Congratulations on your baby girl! I'm 37 and had my baby girl almost a year ago and my son is 2 1/2 years older than her. The tea called Mother's Milk by Traditional Medicinal has really helped me when my milk wasn't coming in fast enough for baby. It takes about a day for it to help. Most health food type stores carry it.

Drink a ton of water. Take a warm bath and then nurse right after you get out (difficult with 2 kids). I had problems with baby one latching on right. The LC said his lips should look like duck bills when nursing. Ask to talk to the lactation consultant when you take the baby in for her one week appt. Have her look a the baby latching on. It's embarrassing but can make a huge difference. Good-luck sister!

my nipples were sorer than I expected with #2. I asked the nurses in the hospital and they watched the latch. Everything was fine. Does your baby seem content after feeding? Then the latch is probably fine. #2 at 5 mo is large and healthy but I wwas wondering too if I had enough milk at first since I never felt as large or engorged as with #1.
Is your baby gaining weight properly? That also would indicate everything is working.

breastfeeding is brutal! ;)
I would recommend lasinoh and soothie breast pads they are helpful in dealing with the pain.
I wouldn't pump to toughen up nipples. In my experience when your nipples are already in a fragile state you don't want to add trauma to them otherwise you might end up with cracked and bleeding nipples which is not a fun experience

Congratulations Mama!!

My nipples hurt like a son of a gun all three times until my milk came in and for a little while after while they were healing. Pumping will probably hurt even worse. I bet your milk came in last night since you posted this:)

Sending out healing nipple vibes:)

well, your milk supply should come in by the 3rd day so if it doesn't, or hasn't, I would call the doctor or a lactation concultant to be sure the latch on is right and everything else is good. Second, your nipples do have to toughen up and things should get easier and less painful once your milk supply is in and the baby doesn't have to try so hard. As long as your baby is feeding every couple hours then you shouldn't need to pump to get your supply in. It's actually better to have the baby do their thing so she gets the hang of it. It's also harder to reach the let down point with the pump. talk to your doctor if you are really concerned. And, a lactation consultant is a great resource.

Dear K.,
I'm a mother of twin girls and I have learned from experience that latching problems can lead to sore nipples. It was so bad for me because I kept each girl on the same nipple. I could tell right away from how sore I got that my smallest was not latching on correctly because the other nipple never hurt as bad. Eventually I did start to crack and bleed. But don't be discouraged!! I used Neosporin which the pediatrician said was very safe and healthy to use and withing 24 hours my pain had subsided. I didn't pump as much though because the girls sucked enough to stimulate the hormone in the breast to let my body know I needed to produce more milk. That's basically all it takes to stimulate more milk production. It helps if you just let your baby keep sucking even after the milk is gone. Don't feel like she'll get too attached or anything. You're baby's just helping you to produce more milk. At first I thought it was odd that I was breastfeeding for an hour, when the girls were eating only 20 minutes out of that hour. But then it helped because more milk came and later on their feedings only took 10-15 minutes. I hope this helps. Good luck.

K.,

First of all, Congratulations!!!

Now my ansers to your quesions.

#1: Yes nipples are sore for the first little bit. I can't remember how long it is supposed to take to feel better.

#2: I used a breast pump and it seemed to diminish my milk supply. I also never felt my milk "come in" I remember bieng concerned aboutnot producing milk. I supplemented the first two weeks, but then I did not need to after that. I also took fenugreek, you can take as many as 3-4 capsules with breakfast, lunch and dinner. It really helped me out.

I wish the best of luck to you, and hope you are getting enough sleep!

N.

K.,

It is very very normal for your nipples to be sore! I have breast fed my three kids and soon plan on nursing my fourth (I am pregnant). I am still nursing my third. I thought by my third child breastfeeding would be a breeze. Wrong! Nursing my third child was more painful at first then my first two. Give it two to three weeks. If you can make it past then, the soreness will cease. Make sure the baby is taking as much nipple in her mouth as possible. Make sure as much of the aerola is in her mouth as possible. Seek a lactation consultant to make sure the baby is latching properly. Just remember it is totally normal for it to be painful in the beginning. Hang in there. She will latch on soon pain free.

Your milk is transitional milk right now and I was sore just before it really started to come in. Use some lanolin to keep your nipples moist and let them have as much "air time" as possible. You'll need a lactation consultant to evaluate your latch. I wouldn't pump at this point since your daughter is so new. Her sucking should bring in your milk when she's ready for it. Check out a local La Leche League meeting. There are lots in the area and you don't have to be a member to attend and ask questions.

You should consult a lactation specialist. I would check the LaLeche org website for one. Also if you live in the Seattle area there is a dr. who specializes in breastfeeding. She is amazing, her name is Dr. Ohara. She can check your babies latch and she also checks to make sure the tongue is not tied, and if it is she can clip it. She did this for my son and it made a world of difference. Here is a link to a breastfeeding essentials site for sore and cracked nipples. http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/sorenipples.html Please don't use Vitamine E straight from the capsule on your nipples, it can be toxic to your baby. I used a hospital grade pump to get my milk going. I would pump after I nursed and it worked wonders for us.

Congratulations on your new baby!

you've gotten some great advice already and I wanted to share a resource with you:
kellymom.com is a wonderful website dedicated to information on nursing and parenting.

here are some articles they have on sore nipples:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/bfhelp-mother.htm...

Remember, there's powerful hormones involved that make your nipples more sensitive. Things should get better in a few weeks.

Here is some info on what to expect the first few weeks:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html

My milk took 5 days to come in. And when it did..... woah!

Congratulations again and keep up the good work of nursing.

I'd call a lactation consultant sooner, rather than later. I had my 2nd baby in March and waited until he was 5 weeks old before I called, and I regret it. I had sore nipples and low milk at 5 weeks, and it is taking awhile to get turned around; I'm still struggling with supply.

I recommend Tracy at Optimum Wellness, ###-###-#### if you are in the Seattle area.

Good luck!

Congratuations on the birth of your baby,especially a mothers day blessing. I hope your getting enough rest and caring for yourslef, this first week can be difficult. Forgive me if this is a repeat of what has previously been said and hopefully at this point things are improved anyway.

Milk is usually in by about 3-5 days, in the meantime continue nursing on demand, a minimum of 8 times in a 24 hour period. Prior to offering the breast, try soaking your breast in warm water or a warm moist pack. I would recommend checking out Kellymom.com for handouts, step by step and videos anout latch techniques. A few signs of good latching, pain at the beginning of feeding but not lasting more than a minute or so, the nipple should appear elongated with no creases or flattish. When you are done feeding express a drop of milk and let dry prior to putting lansinoh, soothies or olive oil on the nipple.

Pumping can assist bringing the milk in but with on demand feeding there typically not alot of time left and sleep is more important. If you decide to pump, pump immediatly after feeding for 10-15 minutes. I you are able to get anything out,try spoon, dropper or cup ffeedung back to baby. The pump isnot going to toughen up your nipples and in fact thats not really whats needed, the pumpwill let your nipple resta nit though. Usually in a happy mother baby, pumping just complicates things. If baby is feeding well and has good diapers - one wet diaper for every day of her age (example: 4 days old = 4 wet diapers up to 6 days old) AND at least one poopy diaper in a 24 hour period - skip the pumping.

Take care and I hope things get better quickly.

With all of my children, my nipples hurt incredibly bad! It peaked at about 2 weeks and then quickly got better. I would not worry about the pain, but the fact that it has been 5 days and your milk still hasn't come in is concerning. I would advise you take your baby in for a weight check just to be on the safe side and if your milk doesn,t come in the next day or two, I'd consult a lactation specialist.

Hi,
Congratulations on your new baby girl! I have a 3 month old baby boy and the following has been my experience. As far as soreness goes, are you using anything on your nipples (ointment or such)? My sister made up a batch of ointment for me, but I know there are over the counter nipple creams (I think earth mama angel baby has a good one). Also, to ensure that I was getting the proper latch I got on youtube and looked at the different latching methods. The football hold really seemed to help when my nipples were sore because he was latching on from a different angle. Also, if you send you hubby to the store for a head of cabbage (thats right cabbage:), and put it in the refrigerator, it feels great to put a cabbage leaf over each boob and leave it there. The cooling helps with the soreness and will decrease your chance of engorgement where you milk supply comes in. You have to "pack" your bra with it and leave it there between feedings though for it to really work. (Not sexy but it works! lol). I do not recommend pumping to toughen up the nipples or even to bring your milk in. Pumping could increase your chances of engorgement, which is NO FUN. The more nipple stimulation you have, the more milk your body will produce. That is why breast feeding is perfect for your little one. Your body will make as much as your little girl needs. For now, the colostrum she is getting before you milk comes in will be perfect for her. (even though it might not feel like enough). If you do find that when your milk comes in you are engorged, get into the hottest bath you can stand and make the water high enough to cover your breasts. Manually express each breast for as long as you can (literally until the water turns white). ONLY DO THIS ONE TIME. It took me over an hour to do. It feels so much better afterward! If you do it more than once than your body will overproduce milk and you'll be in pain all over again. If you have a hard time keeping up your milk supply when it does come in, get some Fenugreek. It is an over the counter herb supplement that helps increase milk supply (and as a bonus it makes your sweat smell like maple syrup lol). I hope that helps! Take care and congratulations again. :)

PS. I'm realizing that this would be the fifth day since her birth, which does seem a bit long for your milk to not have come in. Have you tried drinking mothers milk tea ?

K.,
Definitely call La Leche League or call a lactation consultant soon. Nipples can sometimes be sore in the first couple of days right at latch on, but it shouldn't continue past 3 days.

I just went to a lactation workshop and learned some interesting things about how to position and support the baby's body to get her to latch on well herself--but it's hard to describe in print!

If your insurance covers Providence, you should call the postpartum care center ###-###-####. They will get you in on the same day.

Yes, I'd recommend that you see a good lactation consultant ASAP, and also see a good craniosacral therapist who specializes in working with babies. Especially if the birth was in any way challenging (including epidural, induction, vacuum, forceps, c-section, suctioning after birth etc etc), but even if the birth seemed normal there still could be some cranial issues that could affect your baby's ability to latch. And I'd recommend also that you spend as much time as you can resting skin-to-skin with your baby, and get other people to help with your older daughter so that you can relax more and help your milk let down. I wouldn't recommend pumping. Your baby is the best pump, and if she isn't nursing efficiently because of a latch issue, the best thing you can do is see a craniosacral therapist (I would recommend that for all newborns, even if there were no problems).

it sounds like a latch problem. i had the same with my first and didnt realize until my second what was goig on. try putting almost all of your nipple in her mouth and i would pull her upper and lower lips over the nipple.(my son sometimes sucks with his lips curled under his gums-not correct). also it took 3days to get milk with my first and 5days with the second.

Hopefully a lactation consultant was able to reply. My friend, who is one, told me that lanolin helps at first, and not to worry about when your milk supply comes in b/c what they are having now (very much looks like water perhaps) is the most helpful stuff...there is a name for it that formula companies have been trying to replicate but have failed to...shoot...anyway, don't worry about when and how much of your milk is coming out b/c you are all that that child needs right now (sadly, not even his father is as important as you are)...so I too remember these questions when I first had my daughter 1 1/2 years ago...and all will be fine. Nipples should get better with lanolin. Congrats!

I'd contact the lactation consultant at the hospial where you delivered and possibly your ob if you still don't have your milk yet. (I'm guessing since you wrote this a few days ago, your milk has already arrived) I remember my milk came in very fast with my 2nd child. My nipples were sore the first few days but it went away after that. Your daughter might not be latching on correctly. The lactation people can watch and see how she latches on and let you know if it's correct or not. Don't be afraid to go because if you don't get things going right in the beginning, it's harder to correct it the more time that goes by. Good luck and enjoy your new little girl.

Hi, K.!

Congratulations on your beautiful new baby. What a blessing to arrive on Mother's Day.

#1 - I was really sore with my first and only and she was latching correctly. I used that nipple cream in the purple tube, what's it called? And it helped...I even had cracking and bleeding, but after a couple of weeks of staying at it, my nipples did "toughen up" and the soreness went down. I also had a nipple shield that the hospital had given me and it helped when the soreness was just too much to take to nurse. I wouldn't recommend using it continuously, because the baby may either refuse it, or refuse to nurse without it.

You can tell if she's latching right if her mouth is opening wide to latch and it looks like her mouth is in an O shape when she's on. If she's just got a hold of the nipple, her cheeks may sink in a bit and you'll feel pulling and tugging in that area.

#2 - My doc recommended against pumping and just using the baby to encourage milk supply. I would say keep it at...she should be getting pre-milk, but I'm not sure at what point you need to be concerned about it not dropping yet. Mine came in at 48 hours on the nose and it's been 5 days for you. You may want to talk to the pediatrician.

From everything I learned, it should not hurt. As the last responder said, it might be normal to have a little discomfort, but it should end and it should not outright hurt. I third getting help from a lactation consultant sooner rather than later, as you don't want to damage your nipples. They will be able to guide you. Good luck and congratulations!