Need support and success stories

[Baby_brain]

Hi ladies,

My DD is 4 weeks old and for the past two weeks breastfeeding has been absolute agony for my nipples. It started with the initial latch being a bit painful and now it just tugs and pulls and stabs all the time. She feeds for about an hour every 2-3hrs and it has brought me to tears several times now. She is gaining tonnes of weight and nappies are plentiful so I know that she is getting enough but I am getting so down about the pain. I so want to enjoy breastfeeding but I just can't. When I think of giving up I feel like a weak and terrible mother which only adds to the guilt I already feel about having had a c-section. Eveything else is great and she is sleeping well and is a happy baby. I am so glad to be a mummy and love her to bits but I have been in pain for so long now.

Today I noticed that the entire area around my nipples is bruised. I have spoken to a breastfeeding counsellor, peer support worker, midwife and health visitor. Everyone tells me that the latch is great and they can't work out why it is hurting me. I feel like they are saying it is in my head!

I don't know what the point of this post is, other than to have a rant and get it off my chest. Thanks for listening.

 

[LilFooshFoosh]

I had this. Lanolin helps but what really helped was trying different positions. I usually do a cradle hold but started alternating wit a football hold so she would pull in a different spot on my nipple. My nipples would turn white then purple, I'd get pinching pain radiating outward- I was told she is just an aggressive sucker, latch was fine. As she got a bit older it has definitely gotten better, I don't need to do the football hold as frequently.

You could also trying pumping for a few days to give your nipples a break and then try again.

 

[Baby_brain]

I had this. Lanolin helps but what really helped was trying different positions. I usually do a cradle hold but started alternating wit a football hold so she would pull in a different spot on my nipple. My nipples would turn white then purple, I'd get pinching pain radiating outward- I was told she is just an aggressive sucker, latch was fine. As she got a bit older it has definitely gotten better, I don't need to do the football hold as frequently.

You could also trying pumping for a few days to give your nipples a break and then try again.

Thanks for your response. How old is your LO now and when did things start improving for you?

I am using lanolin. Will try your football hold suggestion too. Thanks for your help.

 

[Izzie74]

I had some pain in the early days which I put down to the frequency of feeds. At 4 weeks, mine was barely off me, sometimes eating for part of every half hour. Not sure if this is the same pain you are experiencing. I used to go into my bathroom and put bare breasts on the tiles to cool and soothe! Crazy I know, but it helped a lot. After six weeks I had no more issues.

 

[LilFooshFoosh]

I brought it up at the 2 month appointment and it stopped shortly after that, within a couple of days after switching up holds. Baby is 3 months on Saturday.

 

[staralfur]

I had pain until my LO was 3 months old. Unfortunately the only thing that helped us was her mouth getting bigger and being able to physically take more in her mouth. The pain wasn't as bad as time went on and I think my nipples just sort of 'toughened up' to some extent.

I did swap feeds for pumping occasionally since it gave me a bit of a break.

 

[coz]

I had alot of pain for the first 2 weeks , they were so painful my nipple was bleeding i remember crying as i was feeding him but also had lots of help with breast feeding advice but nothing helped until they just seemed to heal up and then it was easy allthough i have to say id didnt try nipple cream or nipple sheilds? This time ive brought the nipple cream allready LOL x Hope it gets easier for you x

 

[MrsMandy]

Hi ladies,

My DD is 4 weeks old and for the past two weeks breastfeeding has been absolute agony for my nipples. It started with the initial latch being a bit painful and now it just tugs and pulls and stabs all the time. She feeds for about an hour every 2-3hrs and it has brought me to tears several times now. She is gaining tonnes of weight and nappies are plentiful so I know that she is getting enough but I am getting so down about the pain. I so want to enjoy breastfeeding but I just can't. When I think of giving up I feel like a weak and terrible mother which only adds to the guilt I already feel about having had a c-section. Eveything else is great and she is sleeping well and is a happy baby. I am so glad to be a mummy and love her to bits but I have been in pain for so long now.

Today I noticed that the entire area around my nipples is bruised. I have spoken to a breastfeeding counsellor, peer support worker, midwife and health visitor. Everyone tells me that the latch is great and they can't work out why it is hurting me. I feel like they are saying it is in my head!

I don't know what the point of this post is, other than to have a rant and get it off my chest. Thanks for listening.

I could have written this virtually word for word!
My little boy is also 4 weeks old and I have the same pain when feeding!
I wondered if it was his latch as we had issues when he was born but I am fairly confident his latch is right. I spoke with a Dr about it earlier this week as I wondered if it could be thrush and she gave me some cream to put on after feeding . It does seem to have alleviated the extreme radiating pain that I was getting as I was feeding and for upto an hr afterwards. I still get pain when he 1st latches but I've noticed how hard he sucks when he's sucking on our fingers (sometimes it's the only way to settle him.) so I think it's just that.

Might be worth finding out if it could be thrush? I read that sometimes there's no symptoms like white in babies mouth ect.

 

[redneckhippy]

I had so much pain I used to cry through most feeding sessions and have to yell out to get through the pain of the initial latch. My nipples were so bloody and cracked. It did finally get better and now at 4 months it's great and painfree but there were times I believed we would never get here. What helped me was changing up positions (just sort of rotating every time so that the same part wouldnt' always be sore), squeezing my boob and stuffing it into his mouth (described to me as a "boob sandwich") and getting his tongue tie clipped. I also let my boobs be out in the air as often as possible. At night I would sleep topless and put a towel down (because I was leaking so much) but I think that helped my nipples heal. I also used coconut oil. There is no way around that it really sucks at the beginning, but just make it though one day at a time and eventually it does get better.

 

[Tulip]

I had a lot of pain and damage but only on one boob. Infant feeding G specialist couldnt work out why, but at 11 weeks suggested cranial osteopathy in case he was feeling a bit tight on one side. Completely cured after 2 sessions!

 

[noon_child]

Today I noticed that the entire area around my nipples is bruised. I have spoken to a breastfeeding counsellor, peer support worker, midwife and health visitor. Everyone tells me that the latch is great and they can't work out why it is hurting me. I feel like they are saying it is in my head!

Of all people those 4 that you've mentioned should be the last to say the "latch is great from the outside" - you are in pain and bruised so something is not right. This doesn't mean you have to give up, but no-one should make you feel like this!!!!! Im really angry about this because I'm a peer supporter. Where abouts in the UK are you?

 

[Baby_brain]

Today I noticed that the entire area around my nipples is bruised. I have spoken to a breastfeeding counsellor, peer support worker, midwife and health visitor. Everyone tells me that the latch is great and they can't work out why it is hurting me. I feel like they are saying it is in my head!

Of all people those 4 that you've mentioned should be the last to say the "latch is great from the outside" - you are in pain and bruised so something is not right. This doesn't mean you have to give up, but no-one should make you feel like this!!!!! Im really angry about this because I'm a peer supporter. Where abouts in the UK are you?

Thank you all for your replies. I am in Sheffield.

Today my mum bought me and electric pump and I have had such a nice pain free day expressing my baby's feeds. I am hoping to let my breasts heal and then reintroduce the boob again. I am also keeping the boob for her before bedtime feed.

 

[noon_child]

It might be worth stringing/spooning/whatever method some of your expressed milk in to her at the start of a feed just so that she's not quite so enthusiastic! Maybe latching her when she's had a few mouthfuls of food will mean she'll wait to get a good position before sucking, as it sounds to me like she starts sucking whether or not she's in a good position or not! She gets the milk out through sheer brute force but you are left with damage.

Is the bruise all the way round or just by the top lip position, or just by the bottom lip?

Also was it an ILBCLC counsellor you saw? If not or you are not sure, I'd recommend calling LLL or NCT to get another look - especially now you have damage to show!

 

[Kazy]

With my first I had pain through 4 months. Turns out I had a yeast infection that I didn't know about. Baby showed no signs of thrush but apparently had it. Might be worth asking your Dr and getting treated just I. Case. Not every baby has obvious symptoms.
Also, have you checked for a tongue tie? My lo now is slightly tongue tied and I had yo work with her a ton the last two weeks to make sure her latch was good even when it looked good. The lactaton consultant said yo look at the shape of my nipple when she's done nursing. Mine was flat with kind of a white line where she chomped down.
She also said to let her suck on my finger and make sure I could feel her tongue come over her gum line e while sucking. That's how you can make sure she is sucking correctly and her tongue is long enough to go under the nippme and pull it back.
Not sure if that helps but that's a few issues I have had. After a few days of working with her my pain went away. Now we have digestive issues but that's another story.

 

[noon_child]

. The lactaton consultant said yo look at the shape of my nipple when she's done nursing. Mine was flat with kind of a white line where she chomped down.
She also said to let her suck on my finger and make sure I could feel her tongue come over her gum line e while sucking.

yes this^...if someone says the latch is good but haven't felt for themselves what the baby is doing with their mouth then they have no real way of knowing what is happening on the inside!