Help!! Sore nipples

[dinosaur2010]

My poor nipples are really sore in the first 10 seconds of latching on then tender throughout feeding. The tips of them look slightly bruised.
Can anyone offer any tips? Also how long is it usually until your nipples toughen up? I can't remember from last time!!

 

[sue_88]

2 days old is definitely normal to feel this way!! My pain lasted 7-10dayd with a perfect latch. It's a grin & bear situation!!

 

[noon_child]

Lansinoh!

 

[brandonsgirl]

Lansinoh, breast milk applied to nipples, making sure baby is latched correctly. But mainly its just perseverance. Its tough... with my LO we have been through it all (sore/cracked/bleeding nips, blocked duct, mulitiple times of mastitus, thrush, nipple shields, difficulty getting the perfect latch etc) And there were many times i felt i couldn't get through it or the pain was just too much. But like someone else said, if you grit your teeth and bare it, it will eventually get better. I dont really know a timeline because i had all the other issues in between. Only just now do we finally have a perfect latch/no pain feeding at 2 1/2 months. I feel like we are only just getting started lol. But have no plans to stop now.

Although you saying that your tender during the feeds, make me wonder if your LO is correctly latched? What shape are your nips once LO comes off? Are they slightly flattened?

 

[dinosaur2010]

I think I'm properly attached but I'm going to get my midwife to have a look Tomo.
My nipple comes out normal shaped but I know sometimes during a feed she'll slide off a bit and is just getting the teat bit of the nipple.
My nipples also look a bit bruised on the ends which makes my think maybe my latch isn't the best

 

[indigo_fairy]

It's so difficult to begin with, I put the sensitivity down to hormones too because my nipples had already gone through the pain (cracked nipples, bleeding, thrush etc..) with my daughter and I bf her literally until I was a little way through pregnancy with my son. I was then surprised the exact same feeling came back again - the pain and sensitivity etc.. It thought I'd 'toughened them up' already. Nope I think that must be a myth. It took us 4 - 7 weeks to have comfortable feedings with both, but I think I had the latch wrong to begin with as it's something you and baby have to learn, it's not something you both instinctively know how to do sometimes. Good luck, it sounds like you're making a great start.

 

[angela98661]

Have someone hold a cup of icy cold water to sip from so itdistracts you from pain. Sometimes its just the intial latching that hurts. Works for me. After a moment of bf the pain subsides with this technique for me

 

[LittleNugget]

I'm sorry you're in pain. I'm also sorry to say that I just went through the beginning stretch of BF and time seems to be the only thing that works. I tried every remedy known to man those first few weeks- Lansinoh, milk on nipple, gel soothies, getting latch checked. When DD hit the 5 week mark, it just suddenly started to feel better. I think my nipples just had to toughen up on their own. But I have very fair, sensitive skin and this is my first baby so it may not take as long for you! Good luck!

 

[Popples1]

Mine hurt so much I literally cried through some feeds. I used nipple shields for a couple of days to give them a rest and I think they'd toughened up a bit after a couple of weeks. Good luck

 

[azure girl]

Sounds normal, I cried a few times when feeding on my right as I have a shorter nipple. Now DS latches well and things got better, just keep going momma.

 

[dinosaur2010]

Sounds normal, I cried a few times when feeding on my right as I have a shorter nipple. Now DS latches well and things got better, just keep going momma.

That gives me hope that you are more comfortable now after just over a week!

 

[Marythefairy]

I was surprised that my nips hurt so much with dd2 as I was expecting them to be used to it after 18 months of feeding dd1. But it disappeared much quicker. I used to start feeding dd1 and have to count to 20 thru gritted teeth for about 6 weeks even.though my latch was fine there was an initial pain. With dd2 I also had to do this but I realised I already had stopped about 2 weeks.

 

[ButterCup17]

One of mine was so sore it was actually bleeding!! Nipple shields helped!

 

[dinosaur2010]

I was surprised that my nips hurt so much with dd2 as I was expecting them to be used to it after 18 months of feeding dd1. But it disappeared much quicker. I used to start feeding dd1 and have to count to 20 thru gritted teeth for about 6 weeks even.though my latch was fine there was an initial pain. With dd2 I also had to do this but I realised I already had stopped about 2 weeks.

Same here I breastfed my dd for 15 months- only stopped in October! So didn't think id be back to square one again! I can actually say that today it's not AS sore as yesterday- yesterday was eye wateringly painful. I slathered on Lansinoh through the night so hopefully they are toughening up or healing a bit now!

 

[Marythefairy]

Fingers crossed for you. At least you can be reassured with your knowledge that in the long run bf is pain free. When it was my first I couldn't imagine that latch on initial pain ever going but then it just did.

 

[Julia1977]

Silverette silver cups!!! They changed my pain from excruciating to almost nothing in 3 days! Italian remedy all my italian mamas friends use it!

 

[dinosaur2010]

Happy to report that my nips are 100X better- still tender when latching on but so much better than the other day already! Thanks for advice !!

 

[Marythefairy]

Great news. Thanks for updating us. Will be reassuring for all those who read for advice