Ouch :(

[_Lexi_]

Jessica has had a great latch since she was a few days old, and we haven't had many problems with feeding. Over the past few days though, it's begun to really hurt. Round the bottom of my nipple is really red and sore, they're constantly erect, and it hurts when they brush against anything. Doesn't help I have to wear a bra and breast pads 24/7 because I leak so much. I'm beginning to dread every feed because of the pain it causes. I don't want to stop breastfeeding though. Anything that might help? I'm concerned she's starting to use me as a human dummy and sucking for comfort, not just to feed. I don't really like dummy's, and always said I'd never use one, but it's getting tempting.

 

[iwantabub]

Had the same temptation as u about 6 days ago which is exactly where u are... They go through a growth spurt where they wanna suckle all the time... He's now 4 weeks today and he's feeding like normal again... A tad more frwquent like every 2 hours instead of 3-4 which we were up to at night but like normal ...

Don't be tempted just yet go the week if u can and then decide coz it will get better!

Try some paw paw ointment on your nipples or I think some of the girls use lanolin or something like that.

Good luck

 

[staralfur]

There's a three week growth spurt so it's totally normal for her to be nursing more, the extra sucking is signaling your breasts to produce more milk for her.

It could be the extra feeding that's causing your nipples to be a bit sore, do you have any Lansinoh? You could start applying it after every feed. Or hand express a little milk onto your nipples and rub it in. Also if you notice her latch getting lazy if she's been feeding for a while or dozing off you could take her off and relatch.

 

[tokyo]

I was the same as you, breastfeeding started really well, lo had a good latch etc then suddenly I got very sore, feeds were excruciating, nipples hurt even when water or clothes touched them. For ages I thought it was a latch problem and spent ages trying to 'fix' it, only for it to turn out to be thrush all along. Damp breast pads can provide the ideal conditions for thrush to grow, so it's worth ruling it out at least. The breastfeeding network has info and links on thrush here

https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/thrush-and-breastfeeding.html

And even more info from kellymom here

https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/child/thrush-resources/

Don't suffer in silence if you're in pain, its always worth seeing someone to check it out, even if its just to reassure you that its normal. LaLeche League have support groups natiowide, run by breastfeeding counselors who are trained to support mums with difficulties.

https://www.laleche.org.uk/find-lll-group

Your hv and midwife should also be able to help and you may have resources like breastfeeding cafes local to you which you can drop into for help. Contact your local children's centre for pointing in the direction of groups.

A dummy might not help in the long run as its advised to wait until breastfeeding is well established - babies need to suck for increase your supply and a dummy can prevent this, plus the sucking mechanism is different to the breast so it can cause latch issues. Try taking it one feed at a time, that really helped me get through the pain when I had thrush.

 

[optimistic1]

My daughter did this to me yesterday she's 3 weeks old..my nipples were purple and I literally got no break from her being on my boob until 10pm when she finally took a nap and let me put her to bed. Hopefully she doesn't do it today!

 

[_Lexi_]

It's not the growth spurt, we had that last week. 48 hours of almost constant feeding, no sleep for me, one very grizzly baby. She hasn't been as bad today, but we've been out most the day and she always sleeps in her pram. I bought some avent lanolin cream, hoping that will help the soreness. Really want to sleep without a bra/pads to give my self a break, but I know I'll leak everywhere I hate the leaking!! I looked into thrush, but they don't really hurt after feeding, just whilst she's feeding. She does have a white tongue though, but think she's always been like that?? x

 

[tokyo]

The majority of my pain was while feeding, it only started to hurt after feeda once the thrush was really bad and had spread to my ducts not fun and at that point I needed anti fungal tablets to clear it rather than just cream but it took 10 weeks for the doctors to agree to prescribe as they're n8t recommended for breastfeeding.

It is very normal for babies to want to nurse almost constantly at this age but it shouldnt hurt. It may be a little uncomfortable but pain suggests something is wrong. If I were you I'd definitely try and get some support to identify what the issue is and how it can be resolved. Part of the reason my problems got so bad was because i waited to ask for help, thinking i could fix any problems on my own and the pain pushed me to the brink of giving up, which is silly as the help was there if i'd just asked and in the end the problem got sorted really quick and I'm very happily still bfing now. If you dont feel up to attending a group my community midwives were great and happily watched me feed lo and gave me tips on positioning her etc in order to get a good latch. Health visitors should also help with feeding issues.

 

[tokyo]

Oh, also sometimes babies nurse because they want physical closeness with you, have you considered a sling/wrap/carrier? It can help babies get that closeness without them feeling the need to nurse. Won't solve your pain issues but makes life easier. It can also help with things like colic and winding as the upright positiom is helpful. I loved carrying my lo so much that I'm still doing it at 8.5 months and 22lbs!

 

[iwantabub]

I always said I'd never use a dummy... However at the moment he is wanting to suckle 24/7 ... He's crying all the time... For no apparent reason reli... He's dry fed and I put a dummy in out of desperation and put him in my wrap and bam...
He's sleeping yay!!!

Don't feel bad if u have to use a dummy... I will admit I'm a tad disappointed but every baby is different and I will just be strict with it later when he has other ways to soothe himself.

Good luck again

 

[_Lexi_]

I'd like a sling/wrap, but at the moment I can't afford one I used the lanolin cream and slept braless, just slept on a towel because of the leaks. Much more comfortable today. The redness has gone down quite a bit, so I think the cream is helping x