Please help! At the end of my tether :(

[ShirlWirl]

Hello,
My LO had his tongue tie snipped 4 days ago and since then my left nipple has got much better although still a little sore. But, my right nipple is like something out of a horror film It is so sore and it's getting worse. The midwife suggested I pumped for a couple of days whilst it healed but my breast pump made it worse and caused tge grazing to bleed. My LO won't take a nipple shield so I'm left with no choice but to feed from my sore nipple which is excruciating.
Somebody please tell me there is a way through this? I am in tears thinking I have to give up

 

[Calif]

Aww sounds difficult but you can do it. Take some high doses of ibuprofen and hopefully that can help you power through. I'm sorry I cant help

 

[BabyB2]

Could you try hand expressing? Perhaps the breast shield on you pump is not the correct size for you nipples? A larger shield might be less painful? I know the medela pumps have a range of breast shield sizes

 

[Nervous_1]

Try double bump feeds. That's where you do two feeds from the same side, then the next 2 on the other side. Gives the nipple just that little bit longer to try and start healing.

Make sure you use lansinoh lanolin too, I swear it's magic in a tube

I'd definitely check that you're using the right size nipple shields, and also when you pump you might want to reduce the vacuum pressure a little bit to make it more comfortable.

 

[Mrschoochoo]

Do you have a hand or electric pump? if you dont have an electric I would really invest in one, then you can use a really really low setting.

 

[Emz1982_in_uk]

Definitely use Lansinoh/lanolin generously on the nipple and air it lots x

 

[Rags]

Hi, so sorry to hear your finding it difficult, if it's any consolation I know how you feel as I went through the same thing. Ds had his tounge tie cut at 5 days by which point my left nipple was agony and looked as though it was going to come off. I too tried to pump from that side and feed from the right but also found the pump pretty awful. I took to feeding from the right for most feeds, going as long as 24 hours at a time between feeds on the left, hand expressing a little a couple of times through the day. I found that if I did this then when I did feed from the left although it was extremely painful for the start ultimately the relief of reducing the pressure distracted me. I also found that for some reason doing that feed at night seemed to help - I've no idea why, maybe as I was more relaxed. I also had a steraliser, bottles and formula on stand by in the kitchen 'just in case'. I told myself that I'd try one more feed and see how it went, the next time I'd say the same, and the next, and the next. Before I knew it lo was 7 weeks, i was all healed up and loving the freedom of fully breast feeding, I was hooked and the formula was given away. Ds self weened at 20 months.
I look back now and am so glad I stuck with it. I did use lanisol cream but I'm not sure how much help it was. Cold cabbage leaves helped get me through the points when I wasn't feeding from that side.
Good luck

 

[fashionlover]

Hello,
My LO had his tongue tie snipped 4 days ago and since then my left nipple has got much better although still a little sore. But, my right nipple is like something out of a horror film It is so sore and it's getting worse. The midwife suggested I pumped for a couple of days whilst it healed but my breast pump made it worse and caused tge grazing to bleed. My LO won't take a nipple shield so I'm left with no choice but to feed from my sore nipple which is excruciating.
Somebody please tell me there is a way through this? I am in tears thinking I have to give up

I totally understand what you are going through. My right nipple feels like fire every time my daughter latches. I have been using a nipple shield and it still hurts like hell. I am learning to just bite the bullet as the pain only lasts for 30 seconds, then it's ok. There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding through one only and pumping the other. And if you have to give up, there is also nothing wrong with that either. You have to do what is best for you. Afterall, your baby depends on you and if that makes your life easier, it will make baby's life easier too. I find that a lot of breastfeeding mothers are a bit like Nazis when it comes to what is right and what is wrong. We are all different individuals and what works for some does not always work for all. That is what makes the world go round. Good luck with whatever your decision is.

 

[Rags]

Hello,
My LO had his tongue tie snipped 4 days ago and since then my left nipple has got much better although still a little sore. But, my right nipple is like something out of a horror film It is so sore and it's getting worse. The midwife suggested I pumped for a couple of days whilst it healed but my breast pump made it worse and caused tge grazing to bleed. My LO won't take a nipple shield so I'm left with no choice but to feed from my sore nipple which is excruciating.
Somebody please tell me there is a way through this? I am in tears thinking I have to give up

I totally understand what you are going through. My right nipple feels like fire every time my daughter latches. I have been using a nipple shield and it still hurts like hell. I am learning to just bite the bullet as the pain only lasts for 30 seconds, then it's ok. There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding through one only and pumping the other. And if you have to give up, there is also nothing wrong with that either. You have to do what is best for you. Afterall, your baby depends on you and if that makes your life easier, it will make baby's life easier too. I find that a lot of breastfeeding mothers are a bit like Nazis when it comes to what is right and what is wrong. We are all different individuals and what works for some does not always work for all. That is what makes the world go round. Good luck with whatever your decision is.

I know what you mean about some people adding to the pressure, ignore everyone, this is just about you and your lo and whatever works best for the two of you. 1 feed at a time, 1 day at a time. All the best to you both and I promise that once you're through this bit it is fantastically convenient, especially when you're out and about.i

 

[dan-o]

I was exactly in your shoes 2 years ago. Slather on the lansinoh before and after feeding, grit your teeth and just keep going... It will get better! I wouldn't pump unless you have supply issues as from experince, it can make sore nipples a while lot worse! X

 

[Calif]

What pump are you using? You may want to rent a hospital grade pump, they are gentle and so powerfully effective at the same time

 

[ShirlWirl]

Hi, so sorry to hear your finding it difficult, if it's any consolation I know how you feel as I went through the same thing. Ds had his tounge tie cut at 5 days by which point my left nipple was agony and looked as though it was going to come off. I too tried to pump from that side and feed from the right but also found the pump pretty awful. I took to feeding from the right for most feeds, going as long as 24 hours at a time between feeds on the left, hand expressing a little a couple of times through the day. I found that if I did this then when I did feed from the left although it was extremely painful for the start ultimately the relief of reducing the pressure distracted me. I also found that for some reason doing that feed at night seemed to help - I've no idea why, maybe as I was more relaxed. I also had a steraliser, bottles and formula on stand by in the kitchen 'just in case'. I told myself that I'd try one more feed and see how it went, the next time I'd say the same, and the next, and the next. Before I knew it lo was 7 weeks, i was all healed up and loving the freedom of fully breast feeding, I was hooked and the formula was given away. Ds self weened at 20 months.
I look back now and am so glad I stuck with it. I did use lanisol cream but I'm not sure how much help it was. Cold cabbage leaves helped get me through the points when I wasn't feeding from that side.
Good luck

Rags - this is exactly how I am 'I'll just get through this feed' but somehow I'm still here. To make things worse I got thrush on both nipples which was horrible but we are being treated for that and it seems to be getting better. My main problem apart from extreme sensitivity is the crack on my right nipple - it's just not getting any better. I'm hoping that once I stop using the thrush cream I can start using the lansinoh again which might help.
It really helps me carry on when I read your story's so thank you all for your support.

I have a hand breast pump and was thinking about getting an electric one - can anyone recommend one?

The other thing I was thinking was the double bump feeds.

I'm still hanging in there - hope I have the strength to carry on xxx

 

[cat lover]

if you are in uk i would try biofem, they are these pad things with a gel on, i stuck mine to my boobs between feeds and they helped. you can get them in boots x

 

[MommyJogger]

I find it really difficult to achieve letdown with hand pumps. Are you having to pump for a while before you letdown? That can irritate any pain you're already feeling without being very effective. Have you tried gently pumping that side while lo feeds off the other side? That should both allow for more milk removal from the breast and less overall pumping time since you won't have to struggle or wait for letdown. (That's if you're still pumping. It might just be better to grit for a couple more days and let her feed off that side. Depends on how much your pump irritates it.) I promise this gets easier!

 

[ShirlWirl]

Yes I think I'm struggling with let down. I also feel it's a bit counterproductive to pump and give in a bottle as his latch is not great anyway and I'm thinking thus will make it worse. Oh the joys!

 

[MommyJogger]

Yes I think I'm struggling with let down. I also feel it's a bit counterproductive to pump and give in a bottle as his latch is not great anyway and I'm thinking thus will make it worse. Oh the joys!

Yeah, that's not ideal. (Sorry about getting your baby's gender mixed up! I think I called him 'she' in my previous post.) Pumping the other side during a feed will also help him remove milk from the side he's on-- it helps the letdown last longer and stimulates more milk each time, so by pumping the other side during a feed, you might could also minimize bottle use. But yeah, it you can bear it, I would just go back to straight breastfeeding and forget the pumping.

 

[ShirlWirl]

Thankyou Yeah that's what I've been doing basically because I have no choice other than to give formula. I'm just having a really bad day and not looking forward to feeding at all. The thing is my boy is so good, he doesn't cry, he cluster feeds in the evening and only wakes once in the night for a feed then again about 6.30 in the morning and cluster feeds again. I feel that if I change anything I could 'ruin' a perfect baby!
I have a midwife appointment on monday - I hope they can help xxx

 

[MommyJogger]

Thankyou Yeah that's what I've been doing basically because I have no choice other than to give formula. I'm just having a really bad day and not looking forward to feeding at all. The thing is my boy is so good, he doesn't cry, he cluster feeds in the evening and only wakes once in the night for a feed then again about 6.30 in the morning and cluster feeds again. I feel that if I change anything I could 'ruin' a perfect baby!
I have a midwife appointment on monday - I hope they can help xxx

I'm sorry you're having a bad time of it. If it makes you feel any better (it won't), 'perfect' babies usually ruin themselves, regardless of what parents do. You'll find that for about the first year, every couple weeks it's like you have a new baby because they'll have new habits and outgrow old habits so frequently. You won't escape the night wakings and the fussiness and the growth spurts, but it's all worth it.