I know there are some dopers who can help me with this. So far, the baby is a champion nurser. He latched on right after birth, and has been doing great ever since. (Which was a big relief to me, because his sister was not hungry for days after she was born, and lost a lot of weight in the mean time.)
The problem is mine…my nipples hurt so bad that I want to cry when he latches. I know that it’s not supposed to hurt, and so I checked my various breastfeeding books, and I am pretty sure he is latching on correctly (and I never had this problem in the past, probably because my daughter took to it so gradually?) So my question is, does anyone have advice for how I can fix the problem without putting him on the bottle? It hurts even worse to pump right now, so it would mean using formula. I really, really do not want to have to go that route, but he is nursing a lot right now, and I am afraid that I won’t heal well under the circumstances.
Any help anyone can offer is MOST appreciated! Thank you!!!
Maybe it shouldn’t hurt, but I’m not sure I’d say “it isn’t supposed to hurt.” I’ve breastfed three kids, including a set of twins, to the age of four, more or less – without any formula supplementation – and there most definitely was (for me) a notably ouchy introductory time after each birth, with the first being more difficult than the second.
Of course it hurts! Have you seen the shape of the nipple inside a baby’s mouth? I wanna see the bit of flesh - nipple, upper arm or nose - that stretches that far and then gets rubbed repeatedly with a little sandpapery tongue for hours a day without some pain at first! “Breastfeeding shouldn’t ever hurt” is an institutionalized lie on the order of “We’re reviewing your application” and “You might feel some slight pressure here for a bit.” It repeated so women aren’t scared to even try it.
If he’s got the latch right, it shouldn’t hurt for long. You might consider a quick check with your local certified lactation consultant so she can check his latch. Some angles are just impossible to see yourself (like if he has enough of the bottom part of the areola in his mouth. And pictures are all 2-D, while babies and breasts tend to be rounder.
If the latch is fine, try Lanolin. It’s da bomb. Lansinoh ointment is available at the drugstore, and it’s saved many a mom’s nipple. I thought it was hype, or that, like ibuprofen for pain, it might take the edge off but not get rid of it entirely, but boy was I wrong! One application, and I was a convert. Plus, it’s so clean you don’t have to wipe it off before he nurses!
As for the pump - actually it will hurt more than the baby, especially long term. And your supply will go down before it’s well-established. Don’t go there.
For short-term relief, the nurse at the hospital where I delivered mini-Marli recommended warm tea bags, placed on the nipples after nursing. You probably want to wash off the tea residue before feeding again, though, the last thing you need is for the little sprog to suddenly let go of the nipple, look up, and announce, “I say, Mum, haven’t we got any Earl Gray?”
the bf advice should actually read: It’s not supposed to hurt for the entire feeding and the pain should start to go away after the first six weeks. If you can get through weeks 3-5, you’re golden. Lasinoh was my best friend durning the early nursing weeks. Small purple tube in the baby aisles or the pharmacy. It depends on the store where it’s stocked.
It’s been almost three decades since I’ve nursed, but I imagine that some of the hints are the same. Clean up well (but GENTLY) after nursing, use nursing pads in your bra (don’t substitute paper towels), and try to get some sunshine on your nipples. I didn’t use any sort of lotion, which might or might not have helped me.
That was going to be my suggestion too. I had thrush with kid/s 2 and 3, and the pain was excruciating when they were feeding.
As well as topical medication, it might be wise to get a systemic anti-fungal treatment to make sure both you and your baby are totally clear. IANAD btw, just a mum who’s been there and done that.
Please go to www.lalecheleague.org and see if there is a non-long distance Leader who can talk you through the latch issues. It can be really useful to do this on the phone rather than on a board (although they now have email help too).
I’ll second that experience. For me, two weeks of hurt like hell followed by one week of hurt like hell from mastitis, followed by the next few months of fairly normal feedings - though my shoulder is still screwed up years later from improper propping of baby’s head.
Thanks for all the advice so far! It’s very discouraging when La Leche says it’s not supposed to hurt, because it makes me assume that I am doing something wrong! I nursed my daughter for over a year, and I really don’t remember it hurting this much at the beginning, and I know for sure it didn’t hurt for the duration of that year. Maybe I’m just not remembering back to the beginning that well.
It does hurt mostly right at the beginning, and once he gets latched, it diminishes greatly. Other than that, it feels pretty much just the same as it did with my daughter, so I can’t imagine what I am doing differently this time…it may be just that this one is more vigorous than she was.
I thought about thrush, but does that set in very quickly? He’s only 4 days old!
I have the Lansinoh ointment, and I do think that’s helping.
I will call LLL if it doesn’t start feeling at least a little better soon.
They did. I’m frugal. Lack of a boppy was one of the most “penny wise, pound foolish” things I’ve ever done. I could have bought a truck of boppies with the physical therapy and chiropractor visits.
Sarahfeena - don’t forget your BSEs during this time. My sister just had a masectomy and pregnancy and breastfeeding kept it from being found for longer than it should have been!!! With all the hormonal changes, it will be tough to do a BSE, but they can’t do a mammogram while you are breastfeeding.
Is he opening his mouth wide to latch? Some babies (mine included), although they have a good latch, they tend to get there by “vacuuming” the nipple in place, rather than opening wide and getting it in the right place straight off. Understandably that can cause more pain. Try stroking his lip, waiting for a wide-open mouth, then putting him on.
Also, it might help to relieve the pain by using different positions. It’s been so long I don’t remember most of the terminology, but if you are cradling him across your body to feed, try a football hold where he is lying along your side instead. Or try nursing while lying down.
Good advise from all. My second baby couldn’t seem to latch on properly for a time and my nipple was really sore and cracked. I got some ointment (can’t remember the name) OTC at a pharmacy that helped out a lot. It was in a purple tube.
What really helped was when I figured out how to get the little nipper (bad pun intended) to open her mouth wider by gently pulling down her chin on the approach.
The first month is the worst. I would concentrate on being as relaxed as possible when each feeding session started, so that the baby didn’t feel all the tension and apprehension I was feeling. I remember sitting in the rocker, gently cradling the little vampire in my arms and tensing up my foot. I would concentrate on sending all the pain and discomfort down to my legs, so that the baby would feel nothing but comfort in my arms. Then , as the feeding progressed and the pain subsided, I could relax my foot. Silly little psychological exercise, but it worked for me. And then, all of a sudden, the discomfort was gone. I guess my boobs built up calluses! All the things they tell you to do before birth to toughen your nipples just didn’t work for me. But get through the first month, and you’re golden.
