Failed bf before, would like to try again with next baby, help, advice gratefull. X

[kittykatasa]

Hi

I tried bf my last baby but had no choice but to bottle feed after 2 weeks due to the pain, my nipples became so cracked an scabbing over the pain was far to intense to carry on, this was even with having bf support worker at my house daily to help with the latch, but that wasnt till a week later when i asked for help by then the cracked nipples were already there, i thought it would be so easy to bf, just a case of letting baby suck it if u know what i mean, think my problem was that when i first started i just put baby 2 breast and aimed nipple to middle of mouch, which later found out was totally wrong. And had no idea about how to do it.

My question is i dont understand this whole, nose to nipple? Surely if u line nose to nipple then nipple doesnt go in there mouth? Would like any advice how you bf and wether soreness is normal etc etc, as when i have my next one i really dont want to have to give it up again. Not sure if this matters but does nipples matter i know they went alot bigger when feeding my last for the 2 weeks they like trebbled in size but mine are like the size of garden peas when erect haha sorry lol. Does that matter also does it matter when feeding with erect or non erect nipples?

Thank you

 

[Misscalais]

I only fed my 1st for 6 weeks and then i lost my supply. Next baby i fed for 6 months
For me it hurt every feed until around 6 weeks and that's when it got easier for me. Make sure you have baby checked for any lip ties after birth. Have a look on google and see if you can find any pics of a good breast feeding latch.
As for when you get sore nipples there is special cream you can get and also nipple shields.
I couldn't breast feed my 3rd because he had server reflux and also not a very good latch. I was told he didn't have any ties but months later seen that he has an upper lip tie. I only managed 5 weeks with him. Hoping new baby will get at least 12 months.
Good luck.

 

[Sinclair]

It hurts, it's fairly normal for it to have some pain. Lioe the previous poster said there is a special cream, it was a life saver for me. My nipples were cracked and just overall painful.

It took awhile to figure out the latch, after the first few days my son latched on like a pro and I only had to move his lips so they were out and now like sucked in.

We've been going a year and five months now with no sign of stopping. I don't believe the size of the nips matter either. when he was a newborn I just placed my nipple near his mouth and he did the rest. Little dude was a pro, thankfully because I was so lost. XD

 

[noon_child]

If you feel inside your own mouth you'll notice that the top of your palate curves quickly upwards and towards the back of your mouth is quite high up, kinda in line with the bottom of your nose. As your nipple needs to be in this space near the back of the palate you need to make sure that before you latch, it is pointing to this space. As most babies "bob" their head on the the breast (that is lift their heads backwards while opening their mouth, rather than just open their bottom jaw while keeping their head still) this nose to nipple position is considered the easiest quick way to tell if baby will be able to latch well. Once baby is latched well you will see that they do not look symmetrically attached to the breast, they will instead have most of their mouth and chin covering the areola whereas much more areola will be visable above the baby's top lip. Again this means the nipple is high in the baby's mouth giving the tongue space to move.

 

[kajastarlight]

If you have large breasts try "holding the hamburger" the whole feed.
Also I have going that out helped to "rough up" my nipples with a dry wash cloth a few min a day a few times a day the last month of pregnancy. Helps get them ready for the abuse!

 

[TTC First]

Here is what I learned and it has helped a lot. I was told that the babies chin should go to the breast first and then you have to wait till they open their mouth really wide and put the nipple in. Make sure you are holding your breast to the baby.

I was still in pain for the first couple weeks (maybe it was from bad latching early on) because it takes time for you to get the hang of it and your nipple to get used to the baby. I ended up getting a little bit of bleeding at one point.

When I told my doctor about the pain and bleeding she prescribed this cream:

https://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&id=76:all-purpose-nipple-ointment-apno&Itemid=17

This was a life saver! This made the the pain and cracking much better. I put it on after every feeding and now that things are better I occasionally put it on at night. My lo is 3 weeks now and I haven't had pain and swelling for a little while now.

I definitely say get that cream!

 

[noon_child]

I just wanted to add that a lot of people here have said pain is normal. I know what they mean as nearly everyone gets some pain at some point; it is very common and doesn't mean you are in anyway not able to feed while everyone else is finding it a breeze. However I wouldn't say it is normal, as that suggests the pain must be born and ignored, whereas actually the pain tells you that the latch isn't quite right, or the baby isn't making the correct movements with their tongue. Pain and damage should be investigated with lactation consultant help. I think doing some research about the organisations and support groups abailable in your area could really help as you can go to them for help if things are tough and reassurance that you are doing OK.

 

[Tulip]

Nipple size is of no consequence, Baby should have a big old mouthful of breast rather than just nipple As pp said, defo find out what BF help is in your area before baby arrives.

I failed with ds1, four weeks of agony and I quit.i was determined with ds2, so knew when and where my support groups were. Hospitalised with mastitis at 3 weeks pp and super supportive mw got me through (she used to be the BF advisor and happened to have delivered him too). Latch was still poor but HVs and peer supporters couldn't see a problem so infant feeding coordinator suggested cranial osteopathy for him and I healed after two sessions!

Sorry, wittering on there but shortened version - we're still going at 14 months! You can do it!

 

[_Meep_]

I NEVER managed to get my baby latched on properly. She had a small mouth (she still does, but obviously not as small as it was!). She had a posterior tongue tie (snipped at 4.5 months). She had a lip tie (fell and broke it on a coffee table at 11 months). She had a high palate and small lower jaw (she still has these too). She was absolutely CRAP at nursing. She couldn't cope with my flow at all. She went on strike all the time. She clicked her tongue through every feed and screamed and cried if I tried to feed her while she was awake. I hated and feared trying to breastfeed her for the first six months of her life.

Thankfully, I had NO pain, which was unusual. If I had, I wouldn't have carried on.

It's so important to get your baby checked structurally if you have problems again, by someone who knows what a posterior tie is and how to recognise one. Three professionals told me my baby's tongue was normal, so in the end I took her to a specialist, and there it was - a posterior tongue tie.

After we had that snipped, things slowly improved.

My daughter never learnt to breastfeed 'properly'. She was just too set in her ways - she still had a crappy latch. She still needed to breastfeed lying down to keep a hold on the breast. She still struggled with my flow 50% of the time. But we stuck at it.

And we're still going at 14 months. Now, she pulls out my top and peers down at my boobs and huffs and puffs and mumbles 'Boo ... boo ...' until I give her what she wants. Sometimes she just wants me to take one out so she can snuggle it. She breastfeeds at 3 in the morning and strokes my hair as she does so. And I savour every moment, as my breast-hating, screaming, fighting child has become an addict. We even nurse sitting up! Though I still have to hold my boob in place for her, and her latch is still abysmal. We get by, as a team.

I'm sorry you experienced pain - as I said above, that would have been the last straw for me too. Chances are your next experience will be different and you will be more likely to succeed. I guess I just wanted to say, to anyone who is struggling, that there ARE ways round things if you can keep going. Things can really change, even if you think they never will.